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Friday, October 31, 2014.
On the last day of October, let’s look at October. Last year’s 37-20 loss at BYU aside, you’d have to say it’s been a pretty good month over time for Boise State. With this month’s three victories, the Broncos have now won 53 of their last 54 games in October dating back to 2001—and 35 consecutive home games going back to 1998. And this month’s schedule was as tough as any during that stretch, with the wins coming over rivals Nevada, Fresno State and BYU. Against two of the opponents, Boise State was avenging painful losses from last year. BSU now goes into November with a 6-2 record—could have been better, could have been worse. But this is a team with momentum, and things set up well as long as these final four conference foes have the Broncos’ undivided attention.
It was so strange to see a Boise State quarterback get to late October with more interceptions than touchdown passes. It’ll come as no surprise that it hadn’t happened this century until Grant Hedrick entered the BYU game with eight TDs and 10 picks. Hedrick, however, exited the win over the Cougars with 12 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions on the season. Is he finally on a roll as a senior? Hedrick has shown some intestinal fortitude since the mega-meltdown at Air Force. On third down in the three October victories, Hedrick was 23-of-31 for 273 yards and three TDs with one pick. And to think that so many had given up on him five weeks ago. Hedrick is playing as well as any active quarterback in the Mountain West right now—Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson included.
We could be looking at “Scrambled Egg Saturday” in the Mountain West. The Game of the Week has San Diego State at Nevada. The Aztecs are in first place in the West Division, but if the Wolf Pack defeats them (possible), Fresno State tops Wyoming (likely) and Colorado State beats San Jose State (probable), there’ll be four teams in that division with two losses in conference play. It could be five if Hawaii knocks off Utah State (unlikely). Boise State, CSU and USU each have one league loss in the Mountain Division, but the Broncos are the only ones who control their own destiny.
Arkansas State brings some interesting baggage into tomorrow’s game against Idaho in the Kibbie Dome. In a 55-40 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette last week, the Red Wolves and Ragin’ Cajuns were flagged for eight unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and two players—both from ASU—were ejected. One Arkansas State player, Xavier Woodson, was booted for spitting on an opposing player. Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson, the former WAC commish, reprimanded both teams, five student-athletes, one assistant coach and one person from team support personnel for their conduct. And the officiating crew from the game will be suspended for one upcoming game. Things are more peaceful in the Vandal camp.
The College of Idaho tries to circle the defensive wagons tomorrow when it visits Montana Western in Dillon. The 66 points C of I allowed versus Southern Oregon last week were the most in the modern era, eclipsing a 61-6 defeat at the hands of SOU in 1967. The 1922 season doesn’t count—that’s when the Coyotes fell 105-3 to Utah State and 80-0 to the Idaho Vandals. On the other hand, the Yotes did beat Albion Normal School (the institution that evolved into Idaho State) that year 114-0. Back to the present on a positive note, C of I quarterback Teejay Gordon has set the new school single-season total offense record with 1,974 yards.
The Idaho Steelheads hope to keep the weekend mojo going in CenturyLink Arena with games against Stockton tonight and tomorrow night. There’s no competition from Bronco football—either on Broadway or on TV. At the Steelheads’ first Saturday night home game of the season two weeks ago, they drew 4,923 for Utah. That was the largest crowd for a Steelies home opener in six years and represented an 18.7 percent increase over last season. Weekend dates are money—literally—for minor league franchises. A good product helps; the Steelheads go into the weekend sitting atop the ECHL’s Pacific Division with a 4-1 record.
Boise State basketball tests the waters tomorrow night against the University of La Verne in the first of two exhibition games. The Broncos’ former offensive rebounding maestro, Ryan Watkins, is gone. So it is to be determined if one quality inside player has been replaced by two or three—some combination of Kevin Allen, James Webb III and David Wacker. Allen is the only one who is actually listed as a center, and coach Leon Rice feels he’s a great addition. “It’s one thing to know what you need—it’s another to be able to go get it,” said Rice of the 6-11, 250-pound junior college transfer. Rice says Allen’s a strong enough guy to go “into the dogpile” at the end of the game and get the critical rebound. Allen opened eyes last March with a 31-point, 17-rebound performance for Pratt Community College in first round of NJCAA Tournament.
Two other college hoops notes: the College of Idaho is already on for its regular-season opener tonight against Walla Walla University at the Quinn Classic in LaGrande. There’s no reason this season can’t be as good as the last for the Coyotes. They return three starters—and six players overall who averaged more than 14 minutes per game. Maybe it’s a good thing Hawaii is a football-only member of the Mountain West. The Warriors have a basketball program in crisis, with coach Gib Arnold fired this week in advance of probable NCAA sanctions and All-Big West forward Isaac Fotu, Hawaii’s best player, now ruled ineligible. This season is becoming a salvage operation on the Islands.
The 2014-15 Idaho Stampede will start to take shape with tomorrow’s D-League Draft. The Stampede will have eight picks as they reconstruct their roster as a new affiliate of the Utah Jazz. Idaho made six selections in the 2013 draft, three of which played for the club: Pierre Jackson, Kellen Thornton and Reggie Hearn. Jackson, the Stampede’s first-round selection, was the D-League’s leading scorer when he left the team for Istanbul, Turkey, in late February. The Stamps open the season two weeks from tonight in CenturyLink Arena versus the Erie BayHawks.
Back pain strikes again for Graham DeLaet, The former Boise State star had to withdraw after a first- hole bogey yesterday at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia. The Golf Channel called it a “bulging disc.” That’s a heckuva deal after a 29-hour plane trip. It was DeLaet’s first attempt at competition since having to withdraw for the same reason at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open two weeks ago in Las Vegas. Fellow Bronco alum Troy Merritt shot an even-par 72 in the first round at Kuala Lumpur. Merritt was rolling along nicely until bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16.
Boise State star distance runners Emma Bates and Marisa Howard hope to pick up where they left off last June when they lead the 23rd-ranked Bronco women into the Mountain West Cross Country Championships today in Fresno. Bates was the national champion in the 10,000-meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and Howard was runnerup in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at nationals. Bates is the defending champ at the MW cross country meet, while Howard was third last year. Also, today is Senior Day for the Boise State women’s soccer team at the Boas Complex. The Broncos host Utah State—a win will get them into the Mountain West Tournament.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by ZAMZOW’S…nobody knows like Zamzow’s!
October 31, 1997: Six-foot-ten Tim Duncan, the NBA’s top draft pick out of Wake Forest, scores 15 points in his pro debut. His mentor, veteran 7-1 center David Robinson, added 21 as San Antonio opened the season with a 107-96 win over Denver. Duncan would go on to be NBA Rookie of the Year—and the following season would help the Spurs to their first NBA title. They have now won five NBA crowns during Duncan’s career.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 The Ticket. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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