Presented by BBSI.
Friday, January 2, 2015.
In the ramp-up to the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin and his players talked about the preparation that had gone into this game. The proof was in the pudding in the Broncos' 38-30 win over Arizona on New Year's Eve. If not for preparation, Boise State wouldn't be gashing the Wildcats with 397 first-half yards and 31 points. The Broncos wouldn't have found the right mix of run and pass, the latter producing an all bowl record-tying 14 straight completions to start the game by Grant Hedrick. Jay Ajayi's nifty run on the 'Murica Statue of Liberty goes without saying. And without preparation, there wouldn't have been just enough gas in the Boise State defense’s tank to withstand that frantic finish.
One unsung factor in Boise State's defensive preparation was its substitution patterns. The Broncos had obviously practiced long and hard at how to shuffle players in and out in a matter of seconds as they dealt with Arizona's tempo. Defensive coordinator Marcel Yates played just about everybody—nine different defensive linemen made tackles in the game, and six different linebackers logged stops. And Yates constantly made personnel changes between plays. Among the D-line backups, the Broncos got major contributions from Gabe Perez, with six tackles, and little-used Rondell McNair, whose nine-yard sack of Anu Solomon on the Wildcats' final drive chewed up crucial seconds on the clock.
Boise State was prepared to play aggressively on both sides of the ball, even after Arizona got a beat on the Bronco offense after halftime. A prime example came at the end of the first half when the Wildcats had pulled to within 11 points on a field goal with 30 seconds left. Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. could have gone the safe route and kneeled, satisfied with a 28-17 halftime lead. But with great clock management—and two completions for 40 yards from Hedrick to Thomas Sperbeck and another of 17 yards to Troy Ware—the Broncos got the three points back via a 36-yard field goal from Dan Goodale with three seconds left.
Tanner Vallejo capped one of the most impressive seasons ever for a Bronco linebacker with a Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP trophy Wednesday. Vallejo made 14 tackles, 10 of them solo, and his second quarter hit on Arizona star Nick Wilson, knocking the freshman running back out of the game, changed the tone for the Wildcats offense. Vallejo's confidence steamrolled as the season progressed, manifesting itself in physical play that led by example for the Boise State defense. He ended up with an even 100 tackles—and he is only a sophomore.
Speaking of sophomores, could Thomas Sperbeck have been any bigger a part of Boise State's unexpected Fiesta Bowl season? How many hearts skipped when he hobbled off midway through the second quarter with the Broncos up 28-14? Thankfully, he returned—and kept returning after taking further shots. If only Sperbeck, the Offensive MVP of Wednesday's game, could have corralled one more catch so he could go over 200 yards (he had 12 receptions for 199 yards). His story this year does not get old. Sperbeck didn't have a single catch in 2014 until the moment Bronco career receptions leader Matt Miller's career ended with an injury at Air Force. Sperbeck instantly became a playmaker in the mold of Miller and finished his second season with 51 catches for 877 yards and three touchdowns, with a sterling 17.2 yards per catch.
The net effect of this Fiesta Bowl on Boise State should be a recruiting boost as it enters the final month before National Letter of Intent Day. The program did Wednesday what it had been doing in the Chris Petersen era: winning 12 games, beating a power conference team (and a Pac-12 team and Top 10 squad), and winning a Fiesta Bowl. The victory in Glendale created an understanding among current Bronco players, none of whom had been in the game before, what it takes to get there and what it will take to not only sustain this level but to grow from it.
Maybe Petersen peeked at the Fiesta Bowl New Year's Eve. He didn't attend, as he was hunkered down elsewhere in the Phoenix area getting Washington ready for the Cactus Bowl tonight against Oklahoma State. Maybe he peeked just for a refresher course on the Boise State team he'll face in the season opener next September at Albertsons Stadium. But Petersen is entirely focused on a strong finish for his 8-5 Huskies versus the 6-6 Cowboys. The player most under the microscope is UW quarterback Cyler Miles, who has tossed just three interceptions this year—but has thrown for only 16 touchdowns.
It was a valiant effort on New Year's Eve by the remade Boise State men's basketball team, but close only counts in horseshoes. The Broncos are 0-1 in the Mountain West after falling 71-65 at 24th-ranked Colorado State in their first game with the knowledge that senior leader Anthony Drmic is permanently on the shelf this season. Boise State came out of the gates quickly in Fort Collins and built a 14-point first-half lead; they were up 33-28 at the break. The Broncos got the margin to 10 early in the second half, only to see it slip away. Mikey Thompson, whose role will be magnified in Drmic's absence, was the only Bronco in double figures with 20 points. Senior star Derrick Marks, whose offense will have to carry Boise State in conference play, logged only 25 minutes due to foul trouble and was held to eight points.
Now the Broncos turn to their Mountain West home opener tomorrow at noon against Utah State. The Aggies are 8-5 overall and won their first conference game Wednesday night, drilling hapless San Jose State 61-33. USU is led by sophomore wing Jalen Moore, who’s fifth in Mountain West scoring at 15.5 points per game. Rob Heyer has the big hair this season for Boise State. His counterpart in the locks department at Utah State is Moore, who sports a fabulous Afro, the likes of which probably hasn't been seen since the 70's.
Will the Idaho Stampede’s two new NBA assignees help get them out of the abyss? The Stampede, losers of their last 11 games, have picked up John Jenkins from the Atlanta Hawks and Toure’ Murry from their NBA affiliate, the Utah Jazz. Murry played the first six games of the season for the Stamps, averaging 14 points, 5½ rebounds and five assists. He still hasn’t appeared in a game for the Jazz yet. Jenkins and Murry are expected to suit up when the Stampede host the Bakersfield Jam tonight and tomorrow night in CenturyLink Arena.
The Idaho Steelheads’ crew of defensemen take what it hopes is an expanding skill set on the road for a pair of games at Colorado tonight and tomorrow night. Only two Steelheads defensemen, Charlie Dodero and Matt Case, were able to score goals in the team’s first 30 games of the season. Then in Game No. 31 against Ontario last Saturday, two more, Colin Shea and Patrick Cullity, joined the tally club. For Shea it was his first goal as a professional. Goalie Olivier Roy won’t be Idaho’s only option between the pipes on this trip, as Henri Kiviaho was reassigned to the Steelies yesterday by the Texas Stars of the AHL.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by the POOL DOCTOR STORE…the doctor is in!
January 2, 2009: Two years after Boise State’s BCS-busting shocker at the Fiesta Bowl, Utah dominates Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl to complete a 13-0 season. The Utes scored the first 21 points of the game, cashing in on all three of their first quarter possessions behind the game’s MVP, quarterback Brian Johnson. The night didn’t have the drama of the Broncos’ overtime upset of the Sooners, but it did more for the mid-majors of the world—coming as it did one year after Hawaii was crushed by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, 41-10.
(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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