Then & Now 2014

IDAHO STATESMAN • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM/SPORTS

THEN

Bryan Harsin — as a Capital High QB in 1994 and the new Boise State head coach in 2014.

College of Idaho, right — playing football in the 1960s and as a resurrected program in 2014.

Idaho Vandals, below — returning to the Sun Belt Conference, where they competed from 2001 to 2004.

NOW

INSIDE: Broncos • Vandals • Coyotes • Bengals FANS: Everything You Need For The Season NATIONAL: College Football Playoff 101

FOOTBALL2 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

College Football: Preview ’14

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

Harsin returns to a very different Boise State W

hen Boise-born and bred Bryan Harsin left Boise State after the 2010 season, his alma mater was a national title contender with an All-Americancaliber quarterback and a BCS darling with an actual role in conference realignment.

As Harsin prepares for his first game as the Broncos’ head coach — back home after two seasons as Texas’ co-offensive coordinator and one as Arkansas State’s head coach — Boise State’s place in the college football world is much different.

And much worse.

The Broncos lost five games in Harsin’s five seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator.

They lost five last year.

A national championship, under college football’s new four-team

MURPH’S

TURF Statesman sports columnist Brian Murphy

IdahoStatesman.com/MurphsTurf Twitter: @murphsturph

playoff system, seems further away than ever before, particularly for a non-Power 5 conference team that isn’t sniffing the preseason top 25.

The high-revenue ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC — the Power 5 conferences — now have more power to create rules that increase

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the divide between them and everyone else. Boise State is on the outside looking in, and the chances of joining one of the privileged leagues lies somewhere between keep dreamin’ and no chance.

The Broncos’ realignment power play gave them a generous deal from the Mountain West, not a golden ticket to big-conference riches like former Mountain West schools and fellow BCS busters Utah and TCU. Season-ticket sales are down.

Kellen Moore is in Detroit. Chris Petersen is in Seattle. And there are no players remaining from the second of Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl-winning teams. That golden era is over.

Whether it was the golden era is an open question.

Welcome back, coach.

Harsin didn’t return home —

several months before LeBron James made it the cool thing to do this summer — to preside over a diminished Boise State or to manage its decline.

Vowing to attack the future, Harsin hired a young, aggressive staff, expanded the Broncos’ outreach and the program’s connectivity and restored the “old” offense — the imaginative, daring, precise scoring machine of his offensive coordinator days.

It will take that and so much more for Harsin and the program to soar again. The bar set by Petersen and Moore (and many others) is unreasonably high. Harsin’s challenge is to somehow meet it at a time when the ladder is being sawed out from underneath Boise State.

It’s not 2010 anymore.

Good luck, coach.

TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER STORY: THEN & NOW Boise State 4-5 College of Idaho 6-7 Idaho 8 BSU season preview 10 BSU offense 11 College Football Playoff 12-13 BSU defense 14 BSU roster 15 BSU fan facts 16 MW and bowl schedules 17 MW team previews 18 MW players to watch 19 Idaho season preview 20 Idahoplayerstowatch/starters 21 Idaho State/Big Sky 22 National 23 Cover: Photos by the Idaho Statesman, and courtesy of the College of Idaho and the University of Idaho.

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Boise State: Then & Now

Broncostap intopasttobuildtheirfuture

BY CHADD CRIPE ccripe@idahostatesman.com © 2014 Idaho Statesman

From 1997 to 2001, the Boise State football coaching staff did not include any former Broncos players.

This year, six of the 10 fulltime coaches are former Broncos — and all of them were on the roster during that five-year stretch.

The first hire: Bryan

Harsin, as tight ends coach, in 2002.

Now the former backup quarterback (1995-99) is the head coach, surrounded by defensive coordinator Marcel Yates (defensive back, 1996-99), offensive coordinator Mike Sanford (backup quarterback, 2000-04), offensive line coach Scott Huff (center, 1998-2002), linebackers coach Andy Ava-

los (linebacker, 2000-04) and defensive backs coach Julius Brown (cornerback, 1999-2003).

The pride of working for their alma mater has contributed to the coaches’ tireless efforts to promote the program to recruits, the community and even the state.

“We’re all excited to be here,” Harsin said. “We think this is an unbelievable place

and we love it here. Our vibe, I told our staff, that energy that we have right now, that needs to be shown and we need to have that because we want our recruits, we want our players, to feel that. We do want our fan base to feel that. We’re excited to be here — and for a lot of guys on our staff, we’re excited to be back.”

This is the most blue-and-

orange coaching staff at Boise State in 30 years. It’s the culmination of a trend that started when Chris Petersen was hired as head coach in 2006. He promoted Harsin to offensive coordinator and Yates to defensive backs coach and hired Pete Kwiatkowski as defensive line coach and Huff as tight ends coach.

For each of his eight years,

Petersen had at least three former Broncos on staff.

Harsin, who has spent all but four years of his adult life as a player or coach at Boise State, took the homegrown coaching to another level.

In addition to the six fulltime coaches, he has hired former players as an offensive graduate assistant (Thomas Byrd), defensive graduate assistants (Byron

PLAYER-COACH TRADITION THEN

The last time Boise State’s full-time football coaching staff featured six former Broncos players was in 1984: Æ Claude Tomasini, linebackers/ special teams Æ Mike Bradeson, defensive backs Æ Dan Brown, linebackers Æ Duane Dlouhy, tight ends Æ Kevan O’Hara, defensive line Æ Randy Stewart, receivers

NOW

Boise State’s 10-man coaching staff features six former players again this year: Æ Bryan Harsin, head coach Æ Mike Sanford, offensive coordinator Æ Marcel Yates, defensive coordinator Æ Scott Huff, offensive line Æ Julius Brown, defensive backs Æ Andy Avalos, linebackers

BRONCOS ON STAFF

Here’s how many former Boise State players have served on the full-time football coaching staff since 1984:

Idaho Statesman file

BSUcoachBryanHarsinwasabackupquarterback.Hethrewa TDpassin1999atUCLA—theBroncos’onlypointsthatdayandhisonlycareerTDpass.

1984: 6 1985: 5 1986: 3 1987: 0 1988: 0 1989: 0 1990: 0 1991: 0 1992: 2 1993: 1 1994: 1

1995: 1 1996: 1 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 0 2001: 0 2002: 1 2003: 2 2004: 2 2005: 2

2006: 4 2007: 4 2008: 4 2009: 4 2010: 4 2011: 3 2012: 3 2013: 3 2014: 6

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

Boise State: Then & Now

Hout, Tommy Smith), strength and conditioning coach (Jeff Pitman), strength and conditioning assistant coach (Lee Marks), director of player personnel (Taylor Tharp) and director of recruiting (Antwon Murray).

“It’s always good to be with family,” Murray said.

All of the current Broncos staffers except Pitman played under Dirk Koetter, Dan Hawkins or Petersen — or some combination thereof. Those three coaches led the program to 11 conference championships in 16 years.

That success helped lure the players into the coaching profession.

“I had a great group of coaches who really mentored me and were there for me and, looking back, contributed to why I’m here,” said Brown, who played for Koetter and Hawkins and worked for Petersen. “It was a great experience. Obviously, we won a lot of games and championships, so college was a cool deal.”

Their history with the Broncos has helped smooth the transition from Petersen, the school’s winningest coach, to Harsin.

These aren’t interlopers.

These are former Broncos coming home.

Or, in the cases of Avalos and Huff, staying home.

They were on Petersen’s staff last year.

“I can just see the emotion they have for the program and you can tell that they really, really want to win and they really want to get this program back to where it used to be,” sophomore linebacker Ben Weaver said, “because it’s not just that they’re coaches here fighting to keep their jobs, they’re fighting to turn a program back around, a city back around, to where we were going 13-0 and going to the Fiesta Bowl.

“You can really see that desire and that will.”

Harsin saw it when he assembled the staff.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL5

Yates jokes that his wife had packed their bags before he was even hired.

Sanford cut off Harsin after about 5 minutes.

“Yeah,” he said, “I want to do that.”

Brown scoffed at Harsin’s suggestion that he sleep on his offer.

“For what?” Brown asked.

“No need to.”

And so it went.

The first former player to lead the Boise State football program tapped into the Broncos’ past to help secure their future.

“They know where the bar is,” junior wide receiver Shane Williams-Rhodes said, “and that’s where we’re trying to get back to.”

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398,

Idaho Statesman photos and file

Boise State linebackers coach Andy Avalos (top left) was an All-WAC linebacker in 2003-04.

Defensive backs coach Julius Brown (No. 6, top right) led the WAC in passes defended with 17 in 2002 and 22 in 2003. Defensive coordinator Marcel Yates (No. 7, above) was sixth on the team in tackles in 1998. Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford (left) was the backup quarterback in 2004. And offensive line coach Scott Huff (above left) was the center on the Bronco Stadium 35th Anniversary Team named in 2005. Sanford is the only one who had not worked at Boise State before this year.

FOOTBALL6 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

College of Idaho: Then & Now

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The College of Idaho football program started in 1905 and disbanded in 1977 — and is now returning in 2014, where it will compete in the NAIA Frontier Conference.

Backinbusiness,anditfeelssogood Enthusiasm is high for return of College of Idaho team after 37 years

BY BRIAN MURPHY bmurphy@idahostatesman.com © 2014 Idaho Statesman

CALDWELL — Dick Carrow bought season tickets for the 2014 College of Idaho football program as soon as he could.

“First in line,” the school’s former athletic director and basketball coach said.

It had been a long wait for Carrow, a dissenting member of the committee that voted to disband the football team in 1977. The Coyote program started in 1905.

With the college facing financial difficulties and the football program struggling to secure players and victories, Carrow’s objections were overruled. The program, which battled a surging Division II Boise State program for players, achieved one winning season in its

final 15 years.

“The people that were in charge, they felt like that was the solution to the problem,” he said. “We never should have dropped it.”

Even the most enthusiastic supporters of football gave it little chance of ever returning. Marty Holly, the school’s athletic director since 1981, pushed for its comeback on several occasions.

Only to be castigated.

“They threw me off the stage in front of the faculty and students, saying they didn’t want football,” Holly said.

So when President Marv Henberg decided in 2010, after his second year in Caldwell, that adding football would be the perfect way to “expand the mission” of the small liberal arts college, Holly felt compelled to warn him.

“I was speaking from the

KYLE GREEN / kgreen@idahostatesman.com

Coach Mike Moroski played QB at UC Davis and spent eight seasons as an NFL backup, mostly with the Falcons (1979-84). He started nine games, including two for the 49ers in 1986, his final season. heart,” Holly said. “You’ll never get this done.”

But Henberg, seizing on the popularity of football in the Treasure Valley and the lack of small-college options

for players in Idaho, Utah and Nevada, wasn’t deterred. He studied three similar schools that had recently added football — Siena Heights in Michigan, Lindsey Wilson in

Tennessee and Pacific in Oregon. He encouraged College of Idaho faculty members to not take his word for it, but to call their peers at those schools. The C of I faculty

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

College of Idaho: Then & Now

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL7

IDAHOANS ON THE ROSTER

Far left: R.C. Owens, in 1956, became the first C of I athlete to be drafted by the NFL (49ers) and the NBA (Minneapolis Lakers).

Above: The 1905 team — the school’s first and the oldest known photo of the program.

Left: The 1939 pep band.

Provided by College of Idaho

Below: Coyotes receiver Levi Elsberry catches a pass during the first fall practice.

KYLE GREEN / Idaho Statesman

voted unanimously to support football’s addition and the Board of Trustees overwhelmingly voted in favor in May 2012.

“Now was the right time to add it,” Holly said.

Henberg pushed an aggressive timeframe with the first kickoff set for fall of 2014. The school hired former NFL quarterback and longtime UC Davis assistant Mike Moroski as head coach, recruited two classes of players and resurfaced the field at Simplot Stadium in Caldwell.

The response — of the school, of prospective student-athletes, of the commu-

nity, of everyone involved — stunned even Henberg.

Carrow was not alone in wanting tickets. The Coyotes sold out the original allotment of reserved seats in one night and exceeded their fundraising goal nearly two years before the target date.

“The enthusiasm is far greater than I thought it would be,” Henberg said.

“We’ve exceeded, by far, expected ticket sales. We’ve exceeded sponsorships. People just want to be a part of Coyote football.”

Excitement may be sky high, but expectations are being tempered by everyone

around the program. Holly points to season three as an appropriate time to worry about the record — and then expects the program to take off and (gasp) contend for an NAIA national title.

This year, though, the results will be less tangible for a roster stacked with locals.

“We need to be careful about getting too optimistic about wins and losses.

They’re going to be very successful as people. What it’s going to do campus wide and student body wide is going to be a plus,” Carrow said. “The wins and losses will take care of themselves.”

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FOOTBALL8 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

Idaho Vandals: Then & Now

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Vandalscomfortableinfamiliarleague Idaho joins the Sun Belt, the team’s conference home a decade ago.

THEN AND NOW Idaho could

have a familiar name under center this season — redshirt freshman Matt Linehan, left, is battling sophomore Chad Chalich to earn the Vandals’ starting nod. He has slightly outplayed Chalich in scrimmages and likely will see plenty of time, whether it be as a starter or as part of a two-QB system. Linehan’s father, Scott, below, is No. 6 in school history in passing yards (7,018) and touchdowns (45), playing from 1983 to 1986. “However I get in there, it's going to be really special to be able to play for Idaho just like my dad did,” Matt said.

BY DAVE SOUTHORN dsouthorn@idahostatesman.com © 2014 Idaho Statesman

The Idaho Vandals are outliers, misfits in college football and even in their own league. But it’s a position the team has started to embrace.

Back in the Sun Belt Conference, where it played from 2001 to 2004, Idaho will travel about 20,000 miles for conference road games. But coach Paul Petrino also notes that coming to Moscow won’t be a quick jaunt for anyone.

“We’re really looking forward to those people coming and playing us.

We’re going to do it all the time, so we’ll be used to traveling a long ways,” Petrino said. “But when they come play us, they’re not used to traveling that far.”

The Vandals spent last season as an independent after the WAC’s 2012 collapse, cobbling together a schedule that included payday games at Ole Miss and Florida State, along with teams like Old Dominion and Temple coming to the Kibbie Dome.

But the price of being independent, without a huge athletic budget and the scheduling issues involved, meant it was not a long-term solution.

“The independent schedules are the result of reacting, not being proactive because you’re just trying to react to stay alive,” Idaho Athletic Director Rob Spear said.

So Idaho actively sought a conference home, which it found last year in the Sun

DEAN HARE / Moscow-Pullman Daily News

Belt, announcing an intent to join as a football-only member in 2014. All other sports are moving into the Big Sky this fall.

Even though the move means road football games against teams like Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, the Vandals aren’t left wondering about their future.

“We’re not homeless anymore. We aren’t out there playing random teams every year,” cornerback Jayshawn Jordan said. “It makes a difference, helps us find some rivals and gives us something to shoot for.”

That something to shoot for is a conference title, a big

push for Idaho this season since it is ineligible for a bowl game because of academic penalties. The Vandals went 9-38 in their previous four Sun Belt seasons, going 7-20 in conference games.

There isn’t some sort of past Sun Belt glory hoping to be achieved, but instead, the team hopes it can establish its own.

“It makes a huge difference to be in a conference, each week working toward winning that league title,” Petrino said.

Idaho played two Sun Belt teams and one fellow newcomer last season, losing all

three — to Arkansas State 48-24, to Texas State 37-21 and to New Mexico State 24-16. Senior center Mike Marboe said, “Those are kind of circled on the schedule … sort of a redemption thing.”

“I think as far as our talent level and the level of the teams in the conference, we stack up really well,” Marboe added.

The Sun Belt the Vandals are stepping into in 2014 still resembles the league the team was a part of a decade ago — Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe,NewMexico State and Troy are past and future conference foes.

“It’s a very good football

Provided by the University of Idaho

league,” Petrino said.

In 2001, Idaho was trying to rebuild after its league, the Big West, dissolved. It had a second-year coach in Tom Cable trying to improve the team going into the Sun Belt.

In 2014, Idaho is rebuilding again in Petrino’s second season — and entering the Sun Belt. The Vandals hope

year two is a step up after going 1-11 last year. Cable went 1-10 in Idaho’s first Sun Belt season after going 5-6 the previous season.

“We knew that first year would be a bit of a transition, and in a way, this one is too, but I feel we’re well-prepared to handle a new challenge like this,” Petrino said.

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Boise State: Season Overview

CHASINGTHEIROWNSUCCESS

New coach Bryan Harsin inherits a program that has fallen short of its goals since joining the Mountain West

Aug. 28 (Thursday) vs. Ole Miss, Atlanta, 6 p.m.

TV: ESPN • Radio: 670 AM/96.9 FM Sept. 6 vs. *Colorado State, 8:15 p.m.

TV: ESPN2•Radio:670AM/96.9FM Sept. 13 at Connecticut, 10 a.m.

TV: ABC or ESPN or ESPN2 • Radio: 670 AM/96.9 FM Sept. 20 vs. Louisiana, 8:30 p.m.

TV: CBSSN•Radio:670AM/96.9FM

BY CHADD CRIPE ccripe@idahostatesman.com © 2014 Idaho Statesman

Sept. 27 at *Air Force, 5 p.m.

TV: CBSSN•Radio:670AM/96.9FM

THEN: WAC DOMINANCE

Boise State played football in the WAC for a decade, from 2001 to 2010. Final tallies: Æ 8 conference championships (6 outright). Æ 6 undefeated conference seasons. Æ 75 wins. Æ 5 losses. Æ A 40-0 home record. Æ 31 consecutive conference wins (2001-05).

Oct. 4 at *Nevada, 8:30 p.m.

TV: CBSSN•Radio:670AM/96.9FM Oct. 17 (Friday) vs. *Fresno State, 6 p.m.

TV: ESPN • Radio: 670 AM/96.9 FM Oct. 24 (Friday) vs. BYU, 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN or ESPN2 • Radio: 670 AM/96.9 FM

NOW: MW FRUSTRATION

The Broncos have played football in the Mountain West for three years, from 2011 to 2013. Tallies so far: Æ 1 conference title, a three-way tie in 2012. Æ 0 undefeated conference seasons. Æ 19 wins. Æ 4 losses. Æ A 10-2 home record. Æ 7 consecutive conference wins (2011-12).

The Broncos haven’t won an outright conference championship since 2009, when Kellen Moore, Doug Martin, Shea McClellin and Co. were sophomores.

Current redshirt seniors like Matt Miller, Grant Hedrick and Jeremy Ioane were high school seniors that year. They have missed outright conference titles because of a one-point loss to TCU in 2011, a two-point loss to San Diego State in 2012, a one-point loss to Fresno State in 2013 and an overtime loss to San Diego State in 2013.

That’s four losses by a total of seven points.

“It kind of fuels the fire a little bit,” Miller said. “… You work a little harder because you want to make those plays in crunch time so you’re not saying ‘what if this happened’ or ‘what if that happened.’ You want to make it happen.”

SCHEDULE

Nov. 8 at *New Mexico, 5 p.m.

TV: CBSSN•Radio:670AM/96.9FM THEN: Kellen Moore celebrates during a win over Georgia in 2011, above. NOW: Donte Deayon and Jay Ajayi leave the field after last year’s opening loss to Washington, right.

Nov. 15 vs. *San Diego State, TBD TV: ESPN Networks • Radio: 670 AM/96.9 FM

They beat No. 19 Georgia in the 2011 opener Louisiana (9-4), Fresno State (11-2), BYU (8-5), in the Georgia Dome and finished No. 8.

San Diego State (8-5) and Utah State (9-5) played in bowl games last year.

Nov. 22 at *Wyoming, TBD TV: ESPN Networks • Radio: 670 AM/96.9 FM

Statesman file photos

NOW: OPEN WITH A DUD

The Broncos failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 17-13 loss at Michigan State to begin 2012 and a 38-6 loss at Washington to begin 2013.

They rallied to finish No. 18 in 2012, but stumbled to an 8-5 record in 2013.

Next up: Ole Miss on Thursday in Atlanta to begin the 2014 season.

“This kind of sets the standard for the whole season,” sophomore linebacker Ben Weaver said. “If you’re able to go out and win the very first game, especially a big one like this against THEN: OPEN WITH A BANG a big-time opponent, then you definitely get the Boise State beat No. 16 Oregon in the 2009 confidence as a team and you’re able to keep … season opener at home and finished with a the ball rolling.”

No. 4 ranking.

The Broncos beat No. 7 Virginia Tech in the THEN: SEVEN SUCCESSES 2010 opener at FedExField and finished No. 9.

Ole Miss (8-5), Colorado State (8-6),

NOW: COMING TO THE BLUE

That list includes all six of the Broncos’ home opponents this year — teams that will bring some elite NFL Draft prospects to town. Players to watch include Utah State linebacker Kyler Fackrell (projected first-round pick), Fresno State safety Derron Smith (the nation’s top senior safety) and BYU running back Jamaal Williams. Plus, BYU (Taysom Hill) and Utah State (Chuckie Keeton) boast two of the nation’s most electrifying quarterbacks.

Those six teams will try to do what only three have accomplished in the past 12 seasons — beat the Broncos in Boise. Previous winners: Boston College (2005), TCU (2011) and San Diego State (2012).

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398, Twitter: @IDS_BroncoBeat

Nov. 29 vs. *Utah State, TBD TV: ESPN Networks • Radio: 670 AM/96.9 FM Dec. 6 MountainWestChampionship,8p.m.

Site TBD • TV: CBS * Mountain West game

TV GUIDE

ESPN: 206 on DirecTV, 140 on Dish, 24 and 491 (HD) on Cable One ESPN2: 209 on DirecTV, 144 on Dish, 25 and 492 (HD) on Cable One CBS Sports Network: 221 on DirecTV, 158 on Dish, 332 and 410 (HD) on Cable One

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL11

Boise State: Offense HEDRICK: ‘I’M READY TO GO’

RETURNING STAT LEADERS

BY CHADD CRIPE • CCRIPE@IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM THE SCHEME

Æ Then The Broncos built their national reputation with a creative, varied, attacking offense that utilized an array of personnel, countless formations and dizzying shifts and motions that combined to rattle defenses. New coach Bryan Harsin was the offensive coordinator from 2006 to 2010. The Broncos scored 45.1 points per game in 2010 and led the nation in scoring at 42.2 points per game in 2009.

The offense was in such demand that many schools tried to hire Chris Petersen when he was the offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2005 and Harsin drew attention from Alabama after the 2006 season. Harsin eventually left for Texas after the 2010 season and his successor, Brent Pease, left for Florida after the 2011 season.

The offense faltered in 2012, with new quarterback Joe Southwick, so Petersen and offensive coordinator Robert Prince scrapped it in 2013 in favor of a fast-paced, no-huddle attack. Æ Now All signs point to a modernized version of the old Boise State offense in the first year under Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford, a former Boise State backup quarterback who will call the plays. The Broncos have practiced taking snaps from under center and have used huddles in the red zone, but it looks like the system will be predominantly no-huddle and shotgun.

GRANT HEDRICK

Æ Then Hedrick played the majority of the last seven games last season with mixed results.

The Broncos posted a 4-3 record and endured some

NOW: JAKE ROH PASSING Grant Hedrick 167-242, 1,825 yds., 16 TDs, 5 INTs

RUSHING Jay Ajayi 249 att., 1,425 yds., 18 TDs

RECEIVING Matt Miller 88 rec., 1,140 yds., 12 TDs

DEPTH CHART (PROJECTED)

THEN: DEREK SCHOUMAN Idaho Statesman photos

awful starts. In the three losses, they fell behind BYU 24-3, failed to score on their first eight offensive possessions against San Diego State and dug a 38-6 hole against Oregon State by allowing two defensive touchdowns (one a Hedrick fumble). In fact, Hedrick’s first series of games last year resulted in two fumbles, an interception, two three-and-outs, a failed fourth down and a field goal.

On the other hand, Hedrick was fun to watch.

He produced 22 total touchdowns in little more than half a season and showed a deft touch on the deep ball. Æ Now Hedrick is a senior returning starter, which is usually a good omen for quarterbacks.

He’ll play for his fourth offensive coordinator in five years — a fact Hedrick tries to spin into a positive.

“You keep things from

each one,” he said. “You develop into a full player that way.”

Hedrick’s first coordinator was Harsin in 2010. Their reunion this year made for an easier coaching transition — Hedrick, a team leader, could vouch for Harsin in the locker room and knew the coach’s expectations in the offense.

If Hedrick can even his performance and reduce his turnovers, he could challenge for All-Mountain West honors.

“I’m more prepared. I’m ready to go,” Hedrick said.

“I’ve put in a lot of work for this.”

TIGHT END

Æ Then The Broncos placed a 2006 tight end in the NFL Draft (Derek Schouman), completed at least 10 passes to each of three tight ends in 2007 (including another fu-

ture NFL player) and watched Kyle Efaw make 103 catches from 2008 to 2011.

Since then, the entire tight end crew has made 24 catches in 2012 and 20 catches without a touchdown in 2013. Æ Now The Broncos have built quite a collection of tight ends, including two redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen whose combined talents hint at the position’s return to prominence. Throw in a tight end-friendly staff — Harsin was the tight ends coach from 2002 to 2005 — and there’s an expectation that the big guys will return to the end zone in 2014.

Perhaps often.

“We want to step up because we want to step up,” redshirt freshman Jake Roh said. “And the playbook calls for that, too.”

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398; Twitter: @IDS_BroncoBeat

QUARTERBACK

HT.

WT.

YR.

9 Grant Hedrick 15 Ryan Finley 3 Tommy Stuart

6-0 6-4 5-11

198 190 193

R-Sr. R-Fr. So.

TAILBACK

HT.

WT.

YR.

27 Jay Ajayi 26 Devan Demas OR 21 Jack Fields

6-0 5-8 5-9

216 174 203

R-Jr. R-So. Jr.

WIDE RECEIVER

HT.

WT.

YR.

2 Matt Miller 14 Troy Ware

6-3 6-2

213 183

R-Sr. R-Jr.

WIDE RECEIVER

HT.

WT.

YR.

6 Chaz Anderson OR 81 Dallas Burroughs

5-10 5-9

182 169

R-So. Sr.

SLOT RECEIVER

HT.

WT.

YR.

11 Shane Williams-Rhodes 82 Thomas Sperbeck OR 20 Terrell Johnson

5-6 6-0 5-9

158 173 174

Jr. So. R-Jr.

TIGHT END

HT.

WT.

YR.

88 Jake Roh 85 Holden Huff

6-3 6-6

228 222

R-Fr. R-Jr.

LEFT TACKLE

HT.

WT.

YR.

71 Rees Odhiambo 75 Eli McCullough

6-4 6-5

310 288

R-Jr. R-Fr.

LEFT GUARD

HT.

WT.

YR.

73 Travis Averill 52 Andrew Tercek

6-3 6-1

298 280

R-So. R-Fr.

CENTER

HT.

WT.

YR.

72 Marcus Henry 59 Mason Hampton

6-3 6-3

286 274

R-Jr. R-Fr.

RIGHT GUARD

HT.

WT.

YR.

66 Mario Yakoo 60 Kellen Buhr

6-4 6-1

339 290

R-So. R-So.

RIGHT TACKLE

HT.

WT.

YR.

70 Steven Baggett 74 Archie Lewis OR 76 Jerhen Ertel

6-3 6-3 6-6

289 283 271

R-So. R-Fr. R-Jr.

KICKER

HT.

WT.

YR.

41 Dan Goodale 49 Tyler Rausa

5-10 5-9

185 192

R-Sr. R-So.

FOOTBALL12 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

BYEBYE,

BCS HELLO, BRACKETS

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL13

SELECTION COMMITTEE

NO. 1 SEED FLORIDA STATE The defending national champions (and overwhelming preseason No. 1) have reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston at QB. Tough games versus Clemson, Notre Dame and Louisville will test the Seminoles.

MEMBERS

Æ Chair: Jeff Long, athletic director, Arkansas Æ Barry Alvarez, AD, Wisconsin Æ Lt. Gen. Mike Gould, former superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy Æ Pat Haden, AD, USC Æ Tom Jernstedt, former executive vice president, NCAA Æ Oliver Luck, AD, West Virginia Æ Archie Manning, former QB, Ole Miss Æ Tom Osborne, former coach and AD, Nebraska Æ Dan Radakovich, AD, Clemson Æ Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State Æ Mike Tranghese, former commissioner, Big East Æ Steve Wieberg, former college football reporter, USA Today Æ Tyrone Willingham, former coach, Notre Dame, Stanford, Washington Executive director (non-voting): Bill Hancock

National semifinal: Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, Jan. 1 (6 p.m., ESPN) Florida State, as the top seed, gets assigned to the semifinal bowl closest to home.

The Seminoles are 4-2 in six appearances in the Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma is 5-2 in its seven appearances in the bowl game, including a victory against Alabama in last year’s game. (Note: projections based on preseason AP Top 25 poll.)

BY BRIAN MURPHY • bmurphy@idahostatesman.com • © 2014 Idaho Statesman

The Bowl Championship Series, a system of computers and polls and automatic qualifiers and (eventually) five bowl games, was born in 1998 with the intent to match the top two teams in the nation. No split titles, no co-champions, no doubt.

It worked (for the most part). It gave college football a national championship game, something (shockingly!) the sport had been missing for the entirety of its history. It gave Boise State and other so-called non-BCS teams opportunities they never had before.

But it also failed. Sometimes it got the wrong two teams. It often produced lackluster matchups in the other BCS games. It led to corruption by bowl leaders and gouged conferences and teams with outrageous ticket guarantees. It formalized by name the line between the “haves” (BCS) and “have-nots” (non-BCS).

“Death to the BCS,” we called out.

And now it is dead, replaced by a four-team College Football Playoff and a bracket. The BCS Standings, devised from two human polls and six computer polls, are gone, replaced by a 13-member selection committee. The conferences, wisened by their BCS experience, have taken control. The bowls now answer to them, not the other way around. The schedule is condensed to recapture New Year’s Day. To appease the little guys, a spot has been dedicated to them. One spot for 60 teams.

It is better, but not good enough. A bigger field (eight seems right) will be required before the 12-year contract with ESPN and the conferences expires. Money and access will demand bracket growth. There’s no going back.

The BCS is dead. Long live the bracket.

HOW THIS YEAR’S PLAYOFF MIGHT PLAY OUT .

NO. 4 OKLAHOMA The Sooners snag the final playoff spot, though fans of the Big Ten will certainly howl if its champion is left out. Oklahoma needs quarterback Trevor Knight to play like he did in last year’s Sugar Bowl victory against Alabama.

No. 2 ALABAMA Seven SEC teams start the season ranked in the top 21 of the Associated Press poll. Will the league get two teams in the first bracket? ’Bama must replace QB AJ McCarron, but coach Nick Saban won’t be struggling for talent.

National semifinal: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Jan. 1 (3 p.m., ESPN) Alabama may be the higher seed, but Oregon of the Pac-12 gets the more natural bowl destination as the Rose Bowl gets part of its traditional Big Ten-Pac-12 matchup. Alabama is 4-1-1 in Rose Bowls with its last appearance in 1946. Oregon is 2-4 in the “Granddaddy Of Them All.”

National title game: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas Monday, Jan. 12 (6:30 p.m., ESPN)

OTHER BOWL PREDICTIONS Æ Peach: No. 9 South Carolina vs. UCF (best of non-Power 5) Æ Fiesta: No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 8 Michigan State Æ Orange: No. 16 Clemson (highest-ranked remaining ACC) vs. No. 5 Ohio State (highest-ranked of Big Ten/SEC/Notre Dame) Æ Cotton: No. 6 Auburn vs. No. 10 Baylor (Note: projections based on preseason AP Top 25 poll.)

HOW DID WE GET HERE? Bowl Coalition: 1992-94 • Bowl Alliance: 1995-97 BCS: 1998-2013

QUOTABLE NO. 3 OREGON The Ducks host Michigan State on Sept. 6 — and the winner will have a leg up in the fight for a playoff spot. QB Marcus Mariota could be the Heisman winner and this could be the year Oregon claims that elusive national championship.

“College football has “The new playoff the best regular season will be the most of any sport, and the dynamic improvement lack of a playoff is to college football one big reason why.” in a generation."

BILL HANCOCK, BCS director

BILL HANCOCK, CFP director

THEN: 2010

NOW: 2013

A LOT OF WORK TO DO ...

Æ The committee will select the four playoff teams and assign them to sites. Æ It will place the champions of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC, which are guaranteed a spot in one of the New Year’s Six bowl games — Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, Peach and Cotton. Æ The highest-ranked champion — as ranked by the committee — from the Mountain West, American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt will play in the Peach, Cotton or Fiesta bowl this season.

... AND FACTORS TO CONSIDER

The committee will release its top 25 rank-

The committee said it will rank teams based on conference championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, comparative outcomes of common opponents and other factors, including key injuries.

TAKING BACK NEW YEAR’S DAY

60 SCHOOLS, ONE SPOT

Under the Bowl Championship Series, college football’s biggest games were stretched out throughout the first week of January. In a return to the sport’s roots, the six biggest bowl games will take place Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, except when those dates fall on a Sunday. Æ New Year’s Six schedule for 2014-15: Dec. 31 — Peach, Fiesta, Orange; Jan. 1 — Cotton, Sugar, Rose.

Forget about finishing in the top 12. Boise State’s path to another Fiesta Bowl (or one of the other New Year’s Six games) is no longer contingent upon that type of overall ranking.

Instead, the Broncos must win the Mountain West and be ranked ahead of the champions of the American Athletic (preseason favorite: Cincinnati), Conference USA (Marshall), MAC (Bowling Green) and Sun Belt (Louisiana).

TUESDAY IS THE NEW SUNDAY

THEN & NOW

ings on Tuesday evenings, beginning Oct. 28 on ESPN. The College Football Playoff Selection Show will be Sunday, Dec. 7. The BCS rankings were released on Sundays.

BIG-MONEY PAYOUTS BASE PAY

For the five power conferences that have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose or Sugar bowls, the base payout will be approximately $50 million for each conference. The five conferences, including the Mountain West, that do not have contracts for their champions to participate in those games will receive approximately $75 million, which the conferences will split. Notre Dame will receive a payment of $2.3 million; the other independents (BYU, Army, Navy) will share $922,658.

PARTICIPATION BONUSES

Æ A conference will receive $6 million for each team that is selected for the semifinal games. There will be no additional distribution to conferences whose teams qualify for the national championship game. A confer-

ence will receive $4 million for each team that plays in certain games (in 2014-15, the Cotton, Fiesta and Peach). Æ Each conference whose team participates in a playoff semifinal, Cotton, Fiesta or Peach, or in the national championship game, will receive $2 million to cover expenses for each game.

2014 PAYOUT IN THE BCS

Æ Six automatic-qualifying conferences, including American: $27.897 million each Æ Four non-AQ conferences, including Mountain West: $13.168 million to share Æ Notre Dame: $2.139 million Æ Other independents, including Idaho: $100,000 each Æ Conference of at-large team: $6.3 million Source: collegefootballplayoff.com Text by Brian Murphy, 377-6444; Twitter: @murphsturph

FOOTBALL14 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

Boise State: Defense

‘AN EDGE TO OUR DEFENSE’

RETURNING STAT LEADERS

BY CHADD CRIPE • CCRIPE@IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM MARCEL YATES

TACKLES Ben Weaver 89

SACKS Beau Martin 4.0

INTERCEPTIONS Donte Deayon 6

DEPTH CHART (PROJECTED) DEFENSIVE END

HT.

WT.

YR.

53 Beau Martin 33 Gabe Perez

6-2 6-4

258 231

R-Sr. So.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

HT.

WT.

YR.

69 Tyler Horn 94 Sam McCaskill

6-5 6-3

273 250

Sr. R-So.

NOSE TACKLE

HT.

WT.

YR.

40 Armand Nance 98 Antoine Turner

6-0 6-1

301 290

Jr. R-Jr.

STUD END

HT.

WT.

YR.

8 Kamalei Correa 54 Mat Boesen

6-3 6-4

247 219

So. R-Fr.

WEAK-SIDE LINEBACKER

HT.

WT.

YR.

51 Ben Weaver 36 Tyler Gray

6-0 6-4

235 229

R-So. Jr.

MIDDLE LINEBACKER

HT.

WT.

YR.

13 Blake Renaud OR 20 Tanner Vallejo NICKEL 38 Corey Bell 37 Cameron Hartsfield

6-2 6-1

255 228

Sr. So.

HT.

WT.

YR.

5-11 5-10

203 186

Sr. R-Fr.

CORNERBACK

HT.

WT.

YR.

5 Donte Deayon 1 Bryan Douglas OR 9 Mercy Maston

5-9 5-9 5-11

152 175 197

Jr. R-Sr. Sr.

CORNERBACK

HT.

WT.

YR.

30 Jonathan Moxey OR 3 Cleshawn Page

5-10 5-9

187 178

So. Sr.

SAFETY

HT.

WT.

YR.

10 Jeremy Ioane 28 Dillon Lukehart

5-10 6-1

192 208

R-Sr. R-Jr.

SAFETY

HT.

WT.

YR.

4 Darian Thompson 22 Chanceller James

6-2 6-2

208 208

R-Jr. R-So.

PUNTER

HT.

WT.

YR.

19 Sean Wale

6-2

186

R-So.

LONG SNAPPER

HT.

WT.

YR.

46 Kevin Keane

6-0

207

Jr.

Æ Then Yates expanded his role from cornerbacks coach to defensive backs coach in 2006.

Quickly, Boise State went from a defense that stuffed the run and gave up big passing numbers (68th in pass efficiency defense in 2005) to one that didn’t allow much of anything. The Broncos finished in the top 30 in pass efficiency defense from 2006 to 2010 (the 2011 secondary was ravaged by injuries), including second in 2010 and third in 2008. Æ Now Yates, who spent the past two years at Texas A&M, enters his first season as a defensive coordinator. He inherits a group that ranked 73rd in pass efficiency defense last year, the Broncos’ worst such ranking in the WAC/Mountain West era.

The back end of the defense returns eight players who combined for all but one start at the five positions in the secondary. That includes two All-Mountain West second-teamers in junior cornerback Donte Deayon and senior safety Jeremy Ioane.

The potential is there for another Yates turnaround.

“He’s brought an edge to our defense,” defensive backs coach Julius Brown said. “Marcel, he’s an attacking, physical guy by nature. …

I’m looking forward to seeing the things he can do.”

D-LINE

Æ Then The Broncos’ defensive line has produced four NFL Draft picks and three undrafted free-agent signees in the past four years: end Shea McClellin (first round, 2012), end DeMarcus Lawrence (second, 2014), end Tyrone Crawford (third, 2012), tackle Billy Winn (sixth round,

NOW: TANNER VALLEJO

THEN: KOREY HALL Idaho Statesman photos

2012), end Ryan Winterswyk (undrafted, 2011), tackle Chase Baker (undrafted, 2012) and tackle Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe (undrafted, 2014). Those players were the foundation of a defense that dominated opponents from 2008 to 2012 and helped the program post a 61-5 record. Æ Now Not only are all those players gone, but so is the coach who produced them — Pete Kwiatkowski. Enter Steve Caldwell, a respected, veteran defensive line coach who won a national championship at Tennessee.

Caldwell, like Kwiatkowski in his early years, will try to mold a collection of players who are undersized or playing new positions or transferring from junior colleges or just plain young into an effective front.

“We don’t need somebody to get 10 sacks,” sophomore end Gabe Perez said. “If we

all get three or four sacks in a year and we’re solid and we’re stopping the run and (opponents) are having to pass … then that’s what we’re going to have to do.”

LINEBACKERS

Æ Then The linebackers used to be the playmakers in the Broncos’ defense. In 2003 and 2004, it was the Korey Hall-Andy Avalos tandem wreaking havoc. In 2005-06, it was Hall and Colt Brooks.

Kyle Gingg put up big numbers in 2007-08.

But from 2009 to 2012, only one linebacker recorded three interceptions (Aaron Tevis, 2009), more than five tackles for loss (Tevis, 6.5, 2009) or more than 70 total tackles (J.C. Percy, 118, 2012) in a season.

Percy, in fact, is the only first-team all-conference linebacker the Broncos have produced since Hall was the 2006 WAC Defensive Player

of the Year. Æ Now Avalos takes over as the Broncos’ linebackers coach just when it looks like the position is stocked with difference-makers again.

Sophomore Ben Weaver led the team with 89 tackles last season and might have challenged Percy’s total if not for an ankle injury that hobbled him for the last five games.

Sophomore Tanner Vallejo recorded 5.5 tackles for loss in about half a season as a true freshman — the most by a linebacker since Tevis.

What was missing? Neither made an interception or forced a fumble last season and they combined for just 1.5 sacks.

“Last year, we had an impact,” Weaver said. “We could have done better on more big plays, getting more sacks and turnovers.”

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398; Twitter: @IDS_BroncoBeat

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL15

Boise State: Roster QUARTERBACK HEDRICK 9 GRANT 6-0 198 R-Sr. 29 5 STUART 3 TOMMY 5-11 193 So. 0 0 FINLEY 15 RYAN 6-4 190 R-Fr. 0 0 OGLE 18 ALEX 6-3 203 Fr. 0 0 ANTHONY UPSHAW 16 5-11 187 Fr. 0 0

TAILBACK AJAYI 27 JAY 6-0 216 R-Jr. 24 12 FIELDS 21 JACK 5-9 203 Jr. 22 0 DEVAN DEMAS 26 5-8 174 R-So. 7 0 BERTOLI 35 CHARLES 5-11 200 R-So. 13 0 WOLPIN 37 RYAN 5-8 194 R-Fr. 0 0 SEIBOLD 31 SKYLER 6-1 185 Fr. 0 0 JEREMY MCNICHOLS 13 5-9 195 Fr. 0 0 YOUNG 10 CORY 5-10 185 Fr. 0 0

THEN … AS RECRUITS

Wide receiver Matt Miller during his days at Capital High (Mont.).

Capital High’s Corey Bell is one of 22 Idahoans on the roster.

WIDE RECEIVER

OFFENSIVE LINE

DEFENSIVE TACKLE LINEBACKER

MILLER 2 MATT 6-3 213 R-Sr. 39 32 BURROUGHS * 81 DALLAS 5-9 169 Sr. 38 2 TERRELL JOHNSON 20 5-9 174 R-Jr. 0 0 WARE 14 TROY 6-2 183 R-Jr. 17 2 11 SHANEWILLIAMS-RHODES 5-6 158 Jr. 24 11 RICK SMITH^ 29 5-9 174 Jr. 0 0 POPE 19 TAYLOR 6-0 178 R-So. 1 0 ANDERSON 6 CHAZ 5-10 182 R-So. 10 0 SPERBECK 82 THOMAS 6-0 173 So. 8 0 DEAN * 80 D.J. 6-1 195 R-Fr. 0 0 SHIPLEY 83 TANNER 6-1 181 R-Fr. 0 0 MCKINZIE 39 DAVID 6-0 166 R-Fr. 0 0 FISHER 24 DUSTY 6-2 179 R-Fr. 0 0 RICHARDSON 28 A.J. 6-0 199 Fr. 0 0 SEAN MODSTER 8 5-11 189 Fr. 0 0 RHINEHART * 48 JOSH 6-2 198 Fr. 0 0

HENRY 72 MARCUS 6-3 286 R-Jr. 24 12 ODHIAMBO 71 REES 6-4 310 R-Jr. 15 8 ERTEL 76 JERHEN 6-6 271 R-Jr. 0 0 AVERILL 73 TRAVIS 6-3 298 R-So. 9 3 BAGGETT 70 STEVEN 6-3 289 R-So. 6 2 YAKOO 66 MARIO 6-4 339 R-So. 13 1 BUHR * 60 KELLEN 6-1 290 R-So. 2 0 LEWIS 74 ARCHIE 6-3 283 R-Fr. 0 0 MCCULLOUGH * 75 ELI 6-5 288 R-Fr. 0 0 TERCEK 52 ANDREW 6-1 280 R-Fr. 0 0 HAMPTON * 59 MASON 6-3 274 R-Fr. 0 0 BACON 56 TROY 6-3 291 Fr. 0 0 ANDRES PRECIADO 78 6-6 258 Fr. 0 0 SU’ESU’E 57 TENNESSEE 6-1 289 Fr. 0 0 JAKE TEMPLETON * 68 6-2 275 Fr. 0 0 KAUVAKA 63 SITINI 6-2 287 Fr. 0 0

HORN * 69 TYLER 6-5 273 Sr. 33 8 JUSTIN TAIMATUIA 90 6-0 287 Sr. 13 0 ASH 58 ROBERT 6-3 286 R-Jr. 7 0 TURNER 98 ANTOINE 6-1 290 R-Jr. 0 0 55 TUTULUPEATAUMATAELE^ 6-3 294 R-Jr. 0 0 NANCE 40 ARMAND 6-0 301 Jr. 21 8 ELLIOT HOYTE 96 6-4 271 R-So. 4 0 MCCASKILL 94 SAM 6-3 250 R-So. 11 0 TERRY 50 NICK 6-3 282 R-Fr. 0 0 BOLES 99 DERECK 6-2 294 Fr. 0 0 DAVID MOA 48 6-3 249 Fr. 0 0 SEMONS * 92 PAUL 6-3 249 Fr. 0 0

TIGHT END

KICKER

PETERS 89 CONNOR 6-4 251 Sr. 25 3 JAKE HARDEE * 84 6-3 238 R-Jr. 20 0 HUFF 85 HOLDEN 6-6 222 R-Jr. 23 8 DUNN * 93 BRENNYN 6-3 215 R-So. 4 0 DHAENENS * 87 ALEC 6-3 239 R-Fr. 0 0 ROH 88 JAKE 6-3 228 R-Fr. 0 0 BLAKLEY * 86 CHASE 6-4 234 Fr. 0 0 DAVID LUCERO 91 6-5 213 Fr. 0 0

GOODALE * 41 DAN 5-10 185 R-Sr. 28 0 RAUSA 49 TYLER 5-9 192 R-So. 0 0 GONZALEZ 16 BLAKE 5-9 168 Fr. 0 0

NOTE: Players listed with height, weight, year, games played and games started; R means redshirt. * player from Idaho; ^ ineligible this season

PUNTER WALE 19 SEAN 6-2 186 R-So. 10 0

DEFENSIVE END MARTIN 53 BEAU 6-2 258 R-Sr. 25 2 MCNAIR 32 RONDELL 6-2 242 R-Jr. 0 0 SILSBY * 97 AUSTIN 6-3 221 R-Fr. 0 0 HILL 14 KALEB 6-1 229 Fr. 0 0

KEANE 46 KEVIN 6-0 207 Jr. COTA * 42 MATT 6-1 189 R-Fr.

17 0 0 0

CORNERBACK DOUGLAS 1 BRYAN 5-9 175 R-Sr. 28 14 PAGE 3 CLESHAWN 5-9 178 Sr. 12 0 MERCY MASTON 9 5-11 197 Sr. 13 4 DEAYON 5 DONTE 5-9 152 Jr. 18 14 JONATHAN MOXEY 30 5-10 187 So. 13 1 PERSON 23 KEVIN 6-0 173 Fr. 0 0 ERIC YATES * 47 5-9 161 Fr. 0 0

STUD END PEREZ 33 GABE 6-4 231 So. 12 0 CORREA 8 KAMALEI 6-3 247 So. 13 0 BOESEN 54 MAT 6-4 219 R-Fr. 0 0

NICKEL LONG SNAPPER

SAXTON * 45 TRAVIS 6-1 228 R-Sr. 18 0 RENAUD 13 BLAKE 6-2 255 Sr. 33 6 TYLER GRAY 36 6-4 229 Jr. 26 7 WEAVER 51 BEN 6-0 235 R-So. 12 6 SANTINI 25 CHRIS 6-1 221 R-So. 12 0 LEE 44 DARREN 6-1 224 So. 13 0 VALLEJO 20 TANNER 6-1 228 So. 11 5 MARTARANO * 7 JOEY 6-3 234 R-Fr. 0 0 PROVENZANO 43 JOE 5-11 205 Fr. 0 0 LEIGHTON VANDER ESCH * 95 6-4 215 Fr. 0 0

BELL * 38 COREY 5-11 203 Sr. 34 15 CAMERON HARTSFIELD 37 5-10 186 R-Fr. 0 0 HOXIE 31 ZAVIOR 5-11 184 Fr. 0 0

SAFETY IOANE 10 JEREMY 5-10 192 R-Sr. 35 26 LOFFLER 24 TAYLOR 6-3 219 R-Jr. 12 0 THOMPSON 4 DARIAN 6-2 208 R-Jr. 26 19 LUKEHART * 28 DILLON 6-1 208 R-Jr. 26 1 JAMES 22 CHANCELLER 6-2 208 R-So. 0 0 BROWN 17 BRANDON 5-11 194 R-Fr. 0 0 29 DYLANSUMNER-GARDNER 6-1 196 Fr. 0 0

FOOTBALL16 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

Boise State: Fan Facts

TICKETS

Season tickets are available, starting at $155. Singlegame tickets range from $25 in the north end zone against Louisiana to $85 for premium seats against BYU. Two-game packages for BYU/Utah State or San Diego State/Fresno State start at $105. Call 426-4737 or visit broncosports.com/ tickets.

LOCAL TV/RADIO

Æ GAME DAYS: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender call the games for KBOI (670 AM) and KKGL (96.9 FM). Bronco Game Day begins five hours before kickoff on KBOI. Bronco Tailgate (three hours before kickoff), Bronco Pregame (one hour before kickoff) and Bronco Game Night (postgame) are on KBOI

through the Hall of Fame Plaza then straight into the east parking lot with the final destination at the Bleymaier Football Center.

COLOR SCHEME

Æ Colorado State: Blue Æ Louisiana: Tri-color (blue, orange, white) Æ Fresno State: Orange Æ BYU: Blue and orange (students in pink) Æ San Diego State: Black Æ Utah State: Anything CHADD CRIPE / ccripe@idahostatesman.com BSU Albertsons Stadium — formerly Bronco Stadium, until this year. Æ Ole Miss, Connecticut, Air Force and Nevada and KKGL. airs at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays (away): Orange Æ BRYAN HARSIN starting Sept. 3 on KTVB. Æ New Mexico and SHOWS: “Coach Harsin Wyoming (away): Blue Live” airs on KBOI and BRONCO WALK Æ BroncoSports.com/ KKGL on Tuesdays beginThe Broncos will walk colorschemes ning Sept. 2 live from The from the Student Union StoneHouse (665 Park Blvd., Building to the football cen- IN-GAME CHANGES Boise). It is open to the pub- ter 2› hours before kickoff.

The words to the school’s lic. “Inside Bronco Football” The route will pass fight song will appear on the videoboard. ... There will be fewer P.A. announcements and more fan interaction, including posting #BoiseState (via social media) photos to the videoboard.

ENHANCED SECURITY

Fans must pass through a metal detector and their bags can be searched upon entry to Albertsons Stadium. Boise State encourages fans to bring a clear bag or no bag into the stadium and leave behind prohibited items (weapons, alcohol, glass and coolers).

HOW TO FOLLOW BOISE STATE: ONLINE & SOCIAL MEDIA No one covers Boise State football like the Idaho Statesman. Our college football reporters Chadd Cripe, right, and Dave Southorn, far right, have been covering the Broncos for a combined 23 years.

Throughout the season, they’ll provide everything Bronco fans need to keep up with their favorite team — on every device and platform.

IdahoStatesman.com/ BSUFootball Æ Latest news, player profiles, updates and game coverage Æ Watch videos, including interviews with coach Bryan Harsin and players Æ Statesman photo galleries from every game Æ Weekly live chats: We answer your questions Æ Ticket giveaways Æ Download wallpapers Æ IdahoStatesman.com/ BroncoBeat blog Mobile Æ Get the Statesman’s Bronco Blitz app on your Apple or Android phone or tablet.

Facebook Æ Facebook.com/ BoiseStatefootball Twitter Æ Boise State beat writer ChaddCripe:@IDS_BroncoBeat Æ College football writer Dave Southorn: @IDS_Southorn Æ Sports editor Mike Prater: @IDS_Prater Chatduringthegame The Idaho Statesman sports staff will host a live chat during gamesatIdahoStatesman.com.

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL17

College Football: Preview ’14 MOUNTAIN WEST COMPOSITE SCHEDULE

MOUNTAIN WEST BOWL GAMES

ALL TIMES MOUNTAIN • SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

ALL TIMES MOUNTAIN

Thursday, Aug. 28 BoiseSt.vs.Mississippi,Atlanta,6p.m.

NorthDakotaatSanJoseSt.,8p.m.

Friday, Oct. 24 BYU at Boise St., 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 25 San Jose St. at Navy, 11 a.m. *Wyoming at Colorado St., 5 p.m. *Nevada at Hawaii, 10 p.m. *UNLV at Utah St., TBA

Friday, Aug. 29 ColoradoSt.vs.Colorado,Denver,7p.m.

UNLV at Arizona, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 30 Nicholls St. at Air Force, noon Southern Utah at Nevada, 1 p.m.

Montana at Wyoming, 2 p.m.

Northern Arizona at San Diego St., 5 p.m.

Fresno St. at USC, 5:30 p.m.

UTEP at New Mexico, 6 p.m.

Washington at Hawaii, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 31 Utah St. at Tennessee, 5 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 5 Washington St. at Nevada, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 1 Air Force at Army, 9:30 a.m. *New Mexico at UNLV, 3:30 p.m. *Colorado St. at San Jose St., 5 p.m. *SanDiegoSt.atNevada,8:30p.m. *Utah St. at Hawaii, 9 p.m. *Wyoming at Fresno St., TBA Statesman file

The Mountain Division title of the Mountain West could be decided when Utah State visits Boise State in Albertsons Stadium on Nov. 29.

Saturday, Sept. 27 Wyoming at Michigan St., 10 a.m. *Boise St. at Air Force, 5 p.m. *Nevada at San Jose St., 8:30 p.m. *UNLV at San Diego St., TBA ColoradoSt.atBostonCollege,TBA

Saturday, Sept. 6 Fresno St. at Utah, 1 p.m.

Arizona St. at New Mexico, 5 p.m.

San Jose St. at Auburn, 5 p.m.

Idaho St. at Utah St., 6 p.m.

SanDiegoSt.atNorthCarolina,6p.m.

Friday, Oct. 3 Northern Colorado at UNLV, 8 p.m. *SanDiegoSt.atFresnoSt.,8p.m. *Colorado St. at Boise St., 8:15 p.m.

Utah St. at BYU, 8:30 p.m. *Air Force at Wyoming, 8:15 p.m.

Oregon St. at Hawaii, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 4 Tulsa at Colorado St., 1 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 13 Navy at Air Force, 1:30 p.m.

Boise St. at Connecticut, 10 a.m.

New Mexico at UTSA, 1:30 p.m.

Wyoming at Oregon, noon Hawaii at Rice, 5 p.m.

Air Force at Georgia St., noon *Boise St. at Nevada, 8:30 p.m.

UC Davis at Colorado St., 1 p.m. *UNLV at San Jose St., TBA Northern Illinois at UNLV, 5 p.m.

Wake Forest at Utah St., 5 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 10 Nebraska at Fresno St., 8:30 p.m. *SanDiegoSt.atNewMexico,7:30p.m.

Nevada at Arizona, 9 p.m. *Fresno St. at UNLV, 8 p.m.

Northern Iowa at Hawaii, 10 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 11 Saturday, Sept. 20 *Colorado St. at Nevada, 8:30 p.m.

Florida Atlantic at Wyoming, 2 p.m. *Wyoming at Hawaii, 10 p.m.

Utah St. at Arkansas St., 5 p.m. *Air Force at Utah St., TBA Southern Utah at Fresno St., 8 p.m.

Louisiana at Boise St., 8:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 17 Hawaii at Colorado, TBA *Fresno St. at Boise St., 6 p.m.

NewMexicoatNewMexicoSt.,6p.m.

SanDiegoSt.atOregonSt.,TBA Saturday, Oct. 18 San Jose St. at Minnesota, TBA *New Mexico at Air Force, 1:30 p.m.

UNLV at Houston, TBA *Utah St. at Colorado St., 5 p.m. *Hawaii at San Diego St., 8:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 26 *San Jose St. at Wyoming, TBA *Fresno St. at New Mexico, 6 p.m.

Nevada at BYU, TBA

New Orleans

Dec. 20

New Orleans MW-Sun Belt 9 a.m.

ESPN

New Mexico

Dec. 20

Albuquerque MW-C-USA

12:20 p.m. ESPN

Las Vegas

Dec. 20

Las Vegas

MW-Pac-12

1:30 p.m.

ABC

FamousIdahoPotato Dec. 20

Boise

MW-MAC

3:45 p.m.

ESPN

Poinsettia

Dec. 23

San Diego

MW-Navy

7:30 p.m.

ESPN

Hawaii

Dec. 24

Honolulu

MW-C-USA

6 p.m.

ESPN

OTHER BOWL GAMES Camellia Bowl

Dec. 20

Montgomery MAC-Sun Belt

7:15 p.m.

ESPN

Miami Beach

Dec. 22

Miami

BYU-AAC

Noon

ESPN

Boca Raton

Dec. 23

Boca Raton

C-USA-MAC

4 p.m.

ESPN

Bahamas

Dec. 24

Nassau

C-USA-MAC

10 a.m.

ESPN

Heart of Dallas

Dec. 26

Dallas

Big Ten-C-USA

11 a.m.

ESPN

Detroit Lions

Dec. 26

Detroit

Big Ten-ACC

2:30 p.m. ESPN

St. Petersburg

Dec. 26

St. Petersburg ACC-AAC

6 p.m.

ESPN

Saturday, Nov. 8 *Air Force at UNLV, 2 p.m.

Idaho at San Diego St., 4:30 p.m. *Boise St. at New Mexico, 5 p.m. *San Jose St. at Fresno St., 8:30 p.m. *Hawaii at Colorado St., TBA

Military

Dec. 27

Annapolis

ACC-AAC

11 a.m.

ESPN

Sun

Dec. 27

El Paso

Pac-12-ACC

Noon

CBS

Independence

Dec. 27

Shreveport

ACC-SEC

2 p.m.

ESPN2

Pinstripe

Dec. 27

Bronx

ACC-BigTen

2:30 p.m. ESPN

Holiday

Dec. 27

San Diego

Pac-12-Big Ten

6 p.m.

ESPN

Saturday, Nov. 15 *Nevada at Air Force, noon *Hawaii at San Jose St., 2:30 p.m. *San Diego St. at Boise St., TBA *New Mexico at Utah St., TBA UNLV at BYU, TBA

Liberty

Dec. 29

Memphis

Big 12-SEC

Noon

ESPN

Russell Athletic

Dec. 29

Orlando

ACC-Big 12

3:30 p.m. ESPN

Texas

Dec. 29

Houston

Big 12-SEC

7 p.m.

ESPN

Music City

Dec. 30

Nashville

ACC/BigTen-SEC 1 p.m.

ESPN

Belk

Dec. 30

Charlotte

ACC-SEC

4:30 p.m. ESPN

San Francisco

Dec. 30

Santa Clara

Pac-12-Big Ten

8 p.m.

Capital One

Jan. 1

Orlando

ACC/BigTen-SEC 11 a.m.

Outback

Jan. 1

Tampa

Big Ten-SEC

11 a.m.

ESPN2

Armed Forces

Jan. 2

Fort Worth

Army-AAC

10 a.m.

ESPN

TaxSlayer

Jan. 2

Jacksonville

ACC/BigTen-SEC 1:20 p.m. ESPN

Alamo

Jan. 2

San Antonio

Pac-12-Big 12

4:45 p.m. ESPN

Cactus

Jan. 2

Tempe

Pac-12-Big 12

8:15 p.m. ESPN

Birmingham

Jan. 3

Birmingham

SEC-AAC

11 a.m.

ESPN2

GoDaddy

Jan. 4

Mobile

MAC-Sun Belt

7 p.m.

ESPN

Friday, Nov. 7 *Utah St. at Wyoming, 6 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 21 *Air Force at San Diego St., 7:30 p.m. *San Jose St. at Utah St., 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 22 *NewMexicoatColoradoSt.,11:30a.m. *UNLV at Hawaii, 9 p.m. *Boise St. at Wyoming, TBA *Fresno St. at Nevada, TBA Friday, Nov. 28 *ColoradoSt.atAirForce,1:30p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 29 *SanJoseSt.atSanDiegoSt.,1:30p.m. *Wyoming at New Mexico, 1:30 p.m. *Hawaii at Fresno St., 5 p.m. *Utah St. at Boise St., TBA *Nevada at UNLV, TBA Saturday, Dec. 6 MW Championship Game (at the home stadium of the highest-ranked of the two divisional champions), 8 p.m. *Mountain West game

ESPN ABC

NEW YEAR’S SIX • PLAYOFF Peach

Dec. 31 Atlanta

At-large-At-large

Fiesta

Dec. 31 Glendale

At-large-At-large

Orange

Dec. 31 MiamiGardens *See below

11 a.m.

ESPN

3 p.m.

ESPN

6:30 p.m. ESPN

Cotton

Jan. 1

Arlington

At-large-At-large

11 a.m.

ESPN

Rose

Jan. 1

Pasadena

CFP semifinal

3 p.m.

ESPN

Sugar

Jan. 1

CFP Championship Jan. 12

New Orleans CFP semifinal Arlington

6:30 p.m. ESPN

Semifinal winners 6:30 p.m. ESPN

*ACC champion/At-large vs. B10/SEC/ND

FOOTBALL18 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

Mountain West: Team Previews MOUNTAIN DIVISION

AIR FORCE

Coach: Troy Calhoun Record: 49-41 (seven seasons) Last year: 2-10, 0-8 MW Last bowl: 2012 Armed Forces (L, 33-14 to Rice) Returning starters: 7/8/1 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: The Falcons have more experience this season and they’ve got a QB battle between two players with previous starts. Still, it will be difficult to reverse a three-year slide for the once-consistent program. Junior linebacker Connor Healy noticed a change in attitude immediately after last season. “Last year wasn’t indicative of what our program is and the essence of Air Force football,” he said.

Quotable: “It makes a huge difference when you have the fly-bys. We weren’t able to have them last year because of the Congressional budget cuts.

That makes it a pretty awesome experience.” — Calhoun, on what to expect from the gameday experience at Air Force

NEW MEXICO Coach: Bob Davie Record: 7-18 (two seasons), 42-43 overall (seven seasons) Last year: 3-9, 1-7 MW Last bowl: 2007 New Mexico (W, 23-0 over Nevada) Returning starters: 7/6/0 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: The Lobos have shown offensive punch with their unique style — they finished fourth in the nation in rushing last year — but the abysmal defense is holding them back. They allowed 516.6 yards and 42.8 points per game last season.

Quotable: “They’re going to take some hits and take some shots. That’s why we’re going to keep bringing them in.” — Davie, who has six quarterbacks on the roster for his option rushing attack Text by Chadd Cripe Idaho Statesman

COLORADO STATE Coach: Jim McElwain Record: 12-14 (two seasons) Last year: 8-6, 5-3 MW Last bowl: 2013 New Mexico (W, 48-45 over Washington State) Returning starters: 5/6/2 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: The Rams are on the rise and could cause problems in the Mountain Division with senior quarterback Garrett Grayson and six returning starters in the back end of the defense. But their offensive and defensive lines were gutted in the offseason, so they could be another year or two away from championship caliber. “Our next step is to become consistent,” McElwain said. “I don’t see us making huge strides, but they’re strides.”

Quotable: “He just changed the expectations around here.

He expects us to be great and he won’t accept anything less than that.” — linebacker Aaron Davis, on McElwain

UTAH STATE

Coach: Matt Wells Record: 9-5 (one season) Last year: 9-5, 7-1 MW Last bowl: 2013 Poinsettia (W, 21-14 over Northern Illinois) Returning starters: 6/5/2 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: The Aggies, the defending Mountain Division champs, lost half of their starters from last year. But Wells compared this squad to the 2012 group that lost some stars from the previous year and finished in the Top 20.

Quarterback Chuckie Keeton, healthy and a senior, provides much of the reason for that confidence. Attrition in the offensive line and defensive backfield create concern.

Quotable: “We’ve created a culture of ‘expect to win’ — not ‘hope to win’ or ‘think you can.’

That’s what impresses me. …

That’s what’s hard to coach.

That takes time. It takes success.” — Wells

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

WEST DIVISION ‘14 PRESEASON POLL Mountain Division

1. Boise State (20) 2. Utah State (12) 3. Colorado State (1) 4. Wyoming 5. New Mexico 6. Air Force

183 176 135 90 56 53

West Division

1. Fresno State (15) 2. San Diego State (15) 3. Nevada (3) 4. UNLV 5. San Jose State 6. Hawaii

174 172 130 95 87 35

FINAL ‘13 STANDINGS Mountain Division

Utah State Boise State Colorado State Wyoming New Mexico Air Force West Division

7-1 6-2 5-3 3-5 1-7 0-8

9-5 8-5 8-6 5-7 3-9 2-10

Fresno State San Diego State UNLV San Jose State

7-1 11-2 6-2 8-5 5-3 7-6 5-3 6-6

Nevada Hawaii

3-5 4-8 0-8 1-11

WYOMING Coach: Craig Bohl Record: First season; 104-32 overall (11 seasons) Last year: 5-7, 3-5 MW Last bowl: 2011 New Mexico (L, 37-15 to Temple) Returning starters: 6/9/2 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: Bohl won the past three FCS national titles at North Dakota State. He brings that winning formula to a similar place — a combination that other Mountain West coaches say sets him up for success.

Bohl’s system involves an oldschool, slow-down offense and relies on toughness over skill.

“We’re looking to beat somebody 10-9,” he said. “It’s a different mindset.” But it’s also one that he believes suits Wyoming and the players who are available.

Quotable: “It’s a different style of football. I don’t want to say it’s retro, but it is a little bit.” — Bohl, on his system

FRESNO STATE

Coach: Tim DeRuyter Record: 20-6 (two seasons) Last year: 11-2, 7-1 MW Last bowl: 2013 Las Vegas (L, 45-20 to USC) Returning starters: 5/8/2 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: The Bulldogs return eight starters on defense, but face the difficult task of replacing star quarterback Derek Carr.

Nevada (Colin Kaepernick) and Boise State (Kellen Moore) have not been the same since their QBs left. DeRuyter will choose between the top spring QB, junior Brian Burrell, and Duke transfer Brandon Connette.

Quotable: “We went years without beating Boise and those games were lopsided wins, too. For us to come and be at home and get that victory, it was the monkey off the back.

We finally got over that hump.

We’re heading up there this year. It’s time for us to get that monkey off our back as well.” — Josh Harper, senior receiver

HAWAII Coach: Norm Chow Record: 4-20 (two seasons) Last year: 1-11, 0-8 in MW Last bowl: 2010 Hawaii (L, 62-35 to Tulsa) Returning starters: 7/6/2 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: Chow’s first two years have been a mess, but the team showed a competitive streak last year that was missing in 2012. The Warriors went 1-11 with two overtime losses and three other losses by a touchdown or less. If you go back to the last two games of 2012, the Warriors have three wins, two overtime losses and three losses by a touchdown or less in 14 games. They have two losses by 20 points or more in that stretch.

Quotable: “Am I disappointed?

Heck yes. Am I ready to get fired, probably so. But I’m not embarrassed, because our kids tried and they worked at it.” — Chow, at the MW media preview, via The Coloradoan

NEVADA Coach: Brian Polian Record: 4-8 (one season) Last year: 4-8, 3-5 MW Last bowl: 2012 New Mexico (L, 49-48 to Arizona) Returning starters: 7/9/1 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: The Wolf Pack retained their leaky defense from the Chris Ault era but lost the potent rushing attack.

They’ll need to fix at least one of those problems to capitalize on one of the Mountain West’s best assets — senior quarterback Cody Fajardo. The Pack are coming off a disappointing, 4-8 season. To improve, the Pack need to get better in the trenches. They rushed for 3.8 yards per carry last year and allowed 6.6 yards per carry.

Quotable: “I just want Cody to be Cody, because when Cody is just himself and relaxed and playing, he’s pretty dangerous. ... I don’t want him to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders.” — Polian

SAN DIEGO STATE Coach: Rocky Long Record: 25-14 (three seasons); 90-83 overall (14 seasons) Last year: 8-5, 6-2 MW Last bowl: 2013 Famous Idaho Potato (W, 49-24 over Buffalo) Returning starters: 6/4/2 (offense/defense/specialists) Storyline: The Aztecs are co-favorites in the West with Fresno State — not because they have an abundance of returning talent, but because of the grit they have shown in MW play. They have beaten Boise State each of the past two years and lost to Fresno State in OT last year.

Quotable: “As a head coach, I handled that game completely wrong. … I had basically told them if we beat Boise we were in a bowl game. So we did, and so they figured they were in a bowl game and all of a sudden that game didn’t become quite as important.” — Long, on losing to UNLV 45-19 a week after beating Boise State

SAN JOSE STATE Coach: Ron Caragher Record: 6-6 (one season) Last year: 6-6, 5-3 in MW Last bowl: 2012 Military (W, 29-20 vs. Bowling Green) Returning starters: 5/10/1 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: The Spartans did something no other MW team could last year — beat Fresno State. They also scored 114 points in their last two games and return 10 starters to a defense that endured a schematic change last year. But there’s a gaping hole in the game’s most important spot, where the Spartans lost quarterback David Fales to the NFL. Senior Blake Jurich, who threw six passes last year, and junior Joe Gray, who has not lettered for the Spartans, are the contenders.

Quotable: “There’s a motto we have: ‘blue collar, gold standard.’ ... It says a lot about our program.” — Travis Raciti, defensive tackle

UNLV Coach: Bobby Hauck Record: 13-38 (four seasons); 93-55 overall (11 seasons) Last year: 7-6, 5-3 in MW Last bowl: 2013 Heart of Dallas (L, 36-14 to North Texas) Returning starters: 7/6/1 (offense/defense/specialists) Story line: The Rebels won seven of their last 10 regular-season games last year to get into a bowl for the first time since 2000. Three starters return on the offensive line and three more at wide receiver, but the top passer and rusher are gone.

Quotable: “All that stuff about team and unity and commitment aren’t just words with our guys. It showed up. ... Their teammates are important to them.” — Hauck, on losing only two players when the NCAA ruled the Rebels were ineligible for a 2014 bowl for academic reasons and players could transfer without penalty (the bowl penalty was overturned)

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

Mountain West: Players to Watch

AIR FORCE The Falcons will need a big year out of whoever wins the QB job. Sophomore Nate Romine had 808 yards of total offense in nine games (five starts) last season. He’s running behind senior Kale Pearson in fall camp. Pearson tore an ACL in the opener last year. Æ Preseason All-MW players: None

with 14 interceptions, the most in the nation. ÆPreseasonAll-MWplayers: Smith, OLCodyWichmann,DLTyelerDavison, LB Ejiro Ederaine, P Garrett Swanson

HAWAII Senior TB Joey Iosefa only played in five games last season because of a broken foot. In that limited action, he COLORADO STATE gained 590 yards on 126 carries and Senior QB Garrett Grayson completed scored five TDs. He also made 10 62.1 percent of his passes last year with catches for 87 yards and a TD. The 23 TDs and 11 interceptions. His play 6-foot, 245-pounder projects as one helped the Rams score 36.2 points per of the top offensive players in the game, which ranked 22nd in the nation. Mountain West this season if he stays He’ll have to carry a heavier load this healthy, but he’s more focused on how year without star tailback Kapri Bibbs. he can help turn around the program. Æ Preseason All-MW players: OL Æ Preseason All-MW players: None Ty Sambrailo, TE Kivon Cartwright, PK Jared Roberts NEVADA If senior QB Cody Fajardo stays FRESNO STATE healthy, he’ll challenge for MW West Derron Smith, who is ESPN’s Mel Offensive Player of the Year honors. He Kiper Jr.’s No. 1 senior safety and the rushed for 621 yards and eight TDs last preseason Mountain West Defensive year while completing 67.9 percent of Player of the Year, enters the season his passes. But he missed two games

and was not always at full strength when he played. DE Brock Hekking is one of the best defenders in the league (nine sacks last year as a junior). Æ Preseason All-MW players: Hekking

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL19

for 234 yards and two more scores. Æ Preseason All-MW players: Pumphrey, DB J.J. Whittaker

SAN JOSE STATE WR Tyler Winston was the Mountain NEW MEXICO West Freshman of the Year last season JuniorQBColeGautscheistheengine with 58 catches for 858 yards and five fortheLobos’triple-option—whenhe’s TDs. He was expected to redshirt and healthy(playedninegameslastseaplay defensive back but was in the lineson).Hefinishedwith777rushingyards, up as a receiver by the end of the third 639passingyardsand15totalTDs. game. He finished with four 100-yard JuniorCarlosWigginsisthepreseason games and ranked third nationally in MWSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYear. receiving yards among freshmen. Æ Preseason All-MW players: WigÆ Preseason All-MW players: None gins, OL LaMarBratton UNLV SAN DIEGO STATE Devante Davis is the No. 5 senior wide Sophomore Donnel Pumphrey inherits receiver in the nation, according to the feature role vacated by Adam ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Muema, who rushed for 1,244 yards Davis made 87 catches for 1,290 yards and 15 TDs last year. Pumphrey was and 14 TDs last season. more productive on a per-carry basis. Æ Preseason All-MW players: Davis, He averaged 6.0 yards per carry and OL BrettBoyko, OL RobertWaterman scored eight TDs on less than half as many carries — finishing with 752 UTAH STATE yards. Pumphrey also made 22 catches QB Chuckie Keeton completed 69.4

percent of his passes, averaged 271.5 yards of total offense and produced 20 TDs in less than six full games last season before a torn ACL sent him to the sideline. He has 56 TD passes and 14 rushing TDs in 28 games and is the preseason MW Offensive Player of the Year. The Aggies also return Kyler Fackrell, the No. 1 underclassman at outside linebacker and the No. 18 overall draft-eligible prospect in the country, according to ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. Fackrell made 13 tackles for loss and five sacks last season. Æ Preseason All-MW players: Keeton, Fackrell, DL B.J.Larsen, LB ZachVigil

WYOMING Junior DE Eddie Yarbrough is one of the top returners in the league. He finished fourth on the team with 89 tackles last year, including 12 for loss and 6.5 sacks.

He also forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles and blocked a kick. Æ Preseason All-MW players: Yarbrough All copy by Statesman staff

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FOOTBALL20 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

Idaho Vandals: Season Overview

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

Vandalsfeelthey’reontherightpath Idaho was outscored by 28 points per game last season, but believes competition has bred improvement.

“It’s night and day from a year ago. You can tell by the energy that we’re better and ready to turn it around.”

BY DAVE SOUTHORN dsouthorn@idahostatesman.com © 2014 Idaho Statesman

Coach Paul Petrino tries not to reflect too much on last season — and after going 1-11, why would he?

— but through the tough times he saw his team make strides.

Petrino witnessed a weekly will to work, and gains in the weight room and in team speed. Going into his second season and first as a football-only member of the Sun Belt Conference, he thinks the Vandals are making bigger steps that will show up on Saturdays.

“We needed to have those behind-the-scenes wins before we got those on-field wins,” said Petrino, whose team is ineligible for the postseason because of academic penalties. “I saw those, and now we have to keep that mentality to do the things we came here to do.”

With less attrition than in recent seasons and some instant-impact junior college transfers, Idaho has established more depth. This fall saw major battles at nearly every position and could see about half Idaho’s starters for Aug. 30’s opener at Florida making their first-ever starts or first starts at new positions.

“You work a lot harder when someone’s right there trying to take your job from you,” Petrino said.

The most notable competition has come at quarterback, where redshirt freshman Matt Linehan and sophomore Chad Chalich have been embroiled in a close battle dating back to the spring. Petrino and both quarterbacks expect each to play a fair amount, but no starter has been announced.

Linehan has completed 39-of-72 passes for 539 yards with seven TDs and four interceptions in the team’s two scrimmages, while Chalich, who started seven games last season before injuring his

CHAD CHALICH, Idaho QB

KYLE MILLS / Lewiston Tribune

Idaho coach Paul Petrino said, “There’s enough competition now, where if somebody doesn’t have a good week of practice, they’re not going to play.’’ shoulder, is 23-of-38 for 288 yards with two TDs and three picks.

“Having it be so close has made us both a lot better,” Linehan said.

Whoever the quarterback is, Idaho needs to protect him better after allowing an FBS-worst 52 sacks last year. Chalich said the line is “way better than last year.” It’s once again led by senior Mike Marboe, who has started 36 straight games. Some new faces likely will start, including freshman guard Jordan Rose and sophomore tackle Mason Woods (6-foot-9, 355 pounds).

Idaho has options at running

back with seniors Jerrel Brown and Kris Olugbode leading the way. JC transfer Elijhaa Penny is a 254pound masher, and 5-8 freshman Aaron Duckworth could see the field as a speedy change of pace.

“It helps having guys that can catch the ball, guys that are the inside runners, good in short yardage,” Petrino said.

Top receiver Dezmon Epps, who had 980 yards last season, was dismissed from the team last month. No receiver has emerged as the go-to guy. Sophomore Deon Watson, converted senior QB Josh

McCain and sophomore Richard Montgomery have stepped up.

“We needed some guys to step up, and a couple have,” Chalich said.

“It’s a complex offense, so at times last year it was tough, but guys are understanding it better, making quicker decisions and the game’s slowing down for a lot of us.”

The Vandals scored just 18.2 points per game last season, not nearly enough to keep pace most weeks, especially since the defense allowed an FBS-worst 46.8 ppg, the most by any team since 2008.

Up front, Idaho should be stout with solid pass rushers in Maxx Forde, Quayshawne Buckley and Quinton Bradley, who combined for 15.5 sacks last season. JC transfer Alfonso Hampton (6-5, 346) could be an immediate force.

Senior linebacker Marc Millan, who led the team with 91 tackles last season, also returns. He leads a group that includes two other returning starters and another junior college transfer likely to make an impact in Irving Steele.

At defensive back, Idaho has two new starters, junior Chris Edwards and sophomore Russell Siavii, while converted safety Bradley Njoku is working as a first-team cornerback with returning starter Jayshawn Jordan. Sophomore Jordan Grabski will see plenty of time in nickel packages.

“We’ve got guys that can play different spots, and every one of us is pretty inspired to get back out there, show we’re better than what happened last year,” Jordan said.

Faster, stronger — better? Idaho knows there is still a lot of room to improve, but the team feels it is on the way.

Dave Southorn: 377-6420

SCHEDULE Aug. 30 at Florida, 5 p.m.

TV: ESPNU • Radio: 630 AM Sept. 6 at *Louisiana-Monroe, 5 p.m.

Radio: 630 AM Sept. 13 vs. Western Michigan, 3 p.m.

Radio: 630 AM Sept. 20 at Ohio, TBD Radio: 630 AM Sept. 27 vs. *South Alabama, 3 p.m.

Radio: 630 AM Oct. 4 at *Texas State, TBD Radio: 630 AM Oct. 11 at *Georgia Southern, 4 p.m.

Radio: 630 AM Oct. 18 vs. *New Mexico State, 3 p.m.

Radio: 630 AM Nov. 1 vs. *Arkansas State, 3 p.m.

Radio: 630 AM Nov. 8 at San Diego State, 4:30 p.m.

TV: Root • Radio: 630 AM Nov. 15 vs. *Troy, 3 p.m.

Radio: 630 AM Nov. 29 at *Appalachian State, TBD Radio: 630 AM *Sun Belt game

SUN BELT COACHES PRESEASON POLL 1. Louisiana (11) 121 2. Arkansas State 102 3. South Alabama 98 4. Troy 84 5. UL Monroe 78 6. Texas State 70 7. Appalachian State 47 8. Georgia Southern 44 9. Idaho 29 10. Georgia State 27 11. New Mexico State 26 *First-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL21

Idaho Vandals: Starters & Players to Watch

STARTING LINEUP (PROJECTED) OFFENSE QUARTERBACK 10 Matt Linehan RUNNING BACK 24 Jerrel Brown TIGHT END 16 Justin Podrabsky WIDE RECEIVER 83 Deon Watson 8 Josh McCain 4 Richard Montgomery TACKLE 67 Mason Woods 70 Nick Von Rotz GUARD 61 Steven Matlock 76 Jordan Rose CENTER 74 Mike Marboe

HT. 6-3 HT. 6-0 HT. 6-6 HT. 6-4 6-2 5-8 HT. 6-9 6-5 HT. 6-2 6-6 HT. 6-2

WT. 202 WT. 219 WT. 254 WT. 210 177 163 WT. 355 302 WT. 285 308 WT. 308

YR. R-Fr. YR. Sr. YR. Sr. YR. So. Sr. So. YR. So. Sr. YR. So. Fr. YR. Sr.

WT. 272 252 WT. 305 346 WT. 218 222 WT. 183 WT. 184 203 WT. 217 200 WT. 215

YR. Sr. Jr. YR. Sr. Jr. YR. Jr. Jr. YR. So. YR. Jr. Sr. YR. Jr. So. YR. So.

DEFENSE Associated Press file

JOSH MCCAIN, WR, SR. Making the change from quarterback to wide receiver this season, the 6-foot-2, 177-pound

McCain was expected to play an immediate role, but it could grow after top returning receiver Dezmon Epps (980 yards in 2013) was dismissed from the team in July. McCain ran for 223 yards on 54 carries last year and threw for 222 more. “I’ve been around some great ones, and he has a chance to be real special,’’ coach Paul Petrino said in April.

AUSTIN REHKOW, K/P, SO.

QUAYSHAWNE BUCKLEY, RICHARD MONTGOMERY, CHRIS EDWARDS, DT, SR. WR/RB, SO. S, JR.

A bright spot in an otherwise rough 2013 season for the Vandals, Rehkow was outstanding as a true freshman, particularly as a punter, where he was used plenty.

He punted 75 times, averaging 47.8 yards per attempt, the No. 1 average in the nation and the third-best in the Football Bowl Subdivision since 2005.

One of only three players to be his team’s primary punter and placekicker, Rehkow also was 10-of-17 on field goals.

“I think mentally, it’s been a big difference,’’ Rehkow said of his improvement during the offseason.

The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder was a force inside in 2013, leading the Vandals with 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He was listed as a senior, but was granted an extra year of eligibility this season because he did not play anywhere in 2010.

He will pair with defensive ends Quinton Bradley and Maxx Forde along with some intriguing newcomers to form what coach Paul Petrino said “will be a strength of our team.’’

“As the year went on, people would just start sliding their center to him, because they had to double-team him all the time in pass protection,’’ Petrino said.

A speedy 5-foot-8 Florida native, Montgomery showed flashes of potential with 196 rushing yards and 176 receiving yards last year as a true freshman. He scored six total touchdowns.

This season, Montgomery said he is more of a “parttime’’ running back and should provide speed on the edge, along with some intriguing possibilities out of the backfield and in the return game.

“We’ve got to get the ball in his hands however we can,’’ coach Paul Petrino said.

A hard-hitting, 6-foot-2, 217-pound transfer from Butte (Calif.) College, Edwards had 55 tackles last season for an unbeaten squad.

When Edwards signed in February, coach Paul Petrino said, “I’m as fired up about him as I am about anyone.’’

Edwards hasn’t disappointed, solidifying himself as a starter in fall camp.

“He’s playing a big role back there,’’ Petrino said. “I think he’ll have a chance to be an intimidator. It helps everyone play better if you have someone like him back there.’’

Text by Dave Southorn • The Idaho Statesman • @IDS_Southorn

END 40 Maxx Forde 43 Quinton Bradley TACKLE 57 Quayshawne Buckley 90 Alfonso Hampton LINEBACKER 23 Marc Millan 3 Irving Steele NICKEL 21 Jordan Grabski CORNERBACK 4 Jayshawn Jordan 2 Bradley Njoku SAFETY 6 Chris Edwards 11 Russell Siavii KICKER/PUNTER 5 Austin Rehkow

HT. 6-3 6-3 HT. 6-3 6-5 HT. 6-1 6-1 HT. 6-0 HT. 5-9 6-1 HT. 6-2 6-2 HT. 6-3

IDAHOANS ON THE ROSTER DL Brett Ballard, So. (Eagle High) OL Alex Boatman, Fr. (Lewiston) S Colton Butcher, Fr. (Lakeland) QBChadChalich,So.(Coeurd’Alene) OL Nick Edenfield, RFr. (Columbia) S Tom Hennessey, Sr. (Mtn. Home) OL Corey Hoch, Fr. (Bishop Kelly) FB Jake Manley, Jr. (Salmon River) OL Steven Matlock, So. (Capital)

DL Byron Mitchell, Fr. (Orofino) WR Jordan Pastras, So. (Post Falls) TE Justin Podrabsky, Sr. (Lewiston) FBBradyStrodtbeck,RFr.(Timberline) S Jack Tate, RFr. (Timberline) WRDeonWatson,So.(Coeurd’Alene) CB Elijah Williams, Fr. (Bonneville) K Ben Worst, So. (Twin Falls) * RFr.: Redshirt freshman

FOOTBALL22 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

Idaho State & Big Sky

Bengalshopetokeep improving Idaho State took a big step up on defense last season, and returns key playmakers on offense this year

BY DAVE SOUTHORN dsouthorn@idahostatesman.com © 2014 Idaho Statesman

Idaho State coach Mike Kramer jokes that he’s a little less of a cheerleader and more like a coach these days.

His Bengals, who won three games his first two seasons, took a big leap forward in 2013, winning three games for the first time since 2007.

In the process, the Bengals gave up 20 fewer points per game than in 2012.

“It seemed every other word I used before was ‘hope’ or something like that,” Kramer said. “I can speak in realities now, have a sense of where we’re at.”

In the Big Sky preseason polls, Idaho State was picked 10th (out of 13) by the media and 12th by the coaches.

Kramer expects to exceed that placement, but has kept a level head about just how much of a jump the team will take.

“We’re still not built to compete for a championship, but we’re built well to com-

pete at home,” Kramer said.

“We need to make our home field a place to be feared.”

Idaho State lost four Big Sky games by 10 points or less last season. In the two seasons previous, only two conference losses were by single digits.

“We should’ve won more than we did,” senior quarterback Justin Arias said. “A big part of this fall camp has been focusing on finishing games.”

The pass-heavy Bengal attack will be led by Arias, who threw for 3,547 yards with 24 TDs and 14 interceptions last year. Kramer, admittedly biased, said Arias is “the best quarterback in the conference.”

Arias will seek a new top target after the graduation of Skyview High grad Luke Austin (65 catches, 11 TDs in 10 games). Sophomores Madison Mangum, KW Williams and Broc Malcom have emerged as the likely starters at receiver, which Arias said will make the of-

fense better having “more weapons.”

Junior running back Xavier Finney will look to build off his 868-yard season and will form a tough 1-2 punch with senior Daniel McSurdy. Up front, the Bengals have one senior starter in Jim Bagley leading a group that yielded 31 sacks last season after giving up 34 in 2012 and 66 in 2011.

“This was the first real, traditional camp we’ve had because of the quality of players and the depth,” Kramer said. “I think that starts with that offensive line.

We’ve finally established the fact we have some real good players there, and it’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of seeing.”

Eight starters return on the Bengals’ defense, which gave up 33.2 points per game in 2013 after being gashed for 53.8 ppg in 2012. The solid front seven is led by 305pound junior defensive tackle Tyler Kuder, senior defensive end Austin Graves (14.5

tackles for loss last season) and junior linebacker Mitch Beckstead (111 tackles).

Kramer hopes to see his safeties play better in 2014 and has addressed the need with six defensive back transfers. He also said, due in part to depth, the defense faltered late in games. Still, the larger, more physical line and linebackers sparked the change, which should continue this season.

“Dramatic improvements in just about every single aspect,” Kramer said. “I think we’re looking at a similar sort of improvement again.”

Three wins at most places might not be much to brag about, but the Bengals are beginning to see the light after a dark stretch. For once, realistic optimism is in the air after marked improvement last fall.

“It’s a different feeling, to be honest, and one we’re not exactly used to having,” Arias said. “I don’t think we had the confidence we needed each week that we could win, but we developed it and I think it’s carrying us right now.”

Dave Southorn: 377-6420; Twitter: @IDS_Southorn

SCHEDULE Aug. 28 at Utah, 5:30 p.m.

TV: Pac-12 Networks Sept. 6 at Utah State, 6 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Chadron State, 2:35 p.m.

Sept. 27 vs. *Sacramento State, 2:05 p.m.

Oct. 4 at *Eastern Washington, 2:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 vs. Simon Fraser, 2:35 p.m.

Oct. 18 vs. *Southern Utah, 2:35 p.m.

“We’re still not built to compete for a championship, but we’re built well to compete at home. We need to make our home field a place to be feared.”

MIKE KRAMER, Idaho State football coach

Oct. 25 at *Northern Colorado, 1:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 at *Portland State, 5:35 p.m.

Nov. 8 vs. *Cal Poly, 2:35 p.m.

Nov. 15 at *Montana State, noon TV: Root Nov. 22 vs. *Weber State, 2:35 p.m. *Big Sky game

BIG SKY Coaches preseason poll

TREASURE VALLEY AREA ATHLETES ON THE IDAHO STATE ROSTER

Photos provided by Idaho State

Æ Daniel McSurdy, RB, senior, Mountain View HS, pictured right Æ Madison Mangum, WR, sophomore, Timberline HS Æ Christian Gines, DB, senior, Skyview HS Æ Hayden Stout, LB, sophomore, Meridian HS Æ Zak Johnson, PK, freshman, Nampa Christian HS Æ Spencer Harshman, LB, freshman, Borah Æ Mario Jenkins, LB, freshman, Columbia HS Æ David Forester, DL, senior, Idaho City HS Æ Drew Spanner, OL, sophomore, Rocky Mountain HS Æ Cody Abbott, OL, sophomore, Meridian HS Æ Kyle Jones, DL, freshman, Vallivue HS Æ Jim Bagley, OL, senior, Rocky Mountain HS Æ Tyler Graves, TE, junior, Fruitland HS Æ Hagen Graves, WR, freshman, Skyview HS Æ Tyler Wright, TE, junior, Mountain Home HS Æ Tyler Kuder, DL, junior, Payette HS Æ Chris Edwards, DL, junior, Meridian HS

1. *Eastern Washington (12 firstplace votes), 144 points; 2. Montana (1), 130; 3. Montana State 111; 4. Cal Poly 108; 5. Northern Arizona 100; 6. Southern Utah 89; 7. Sacramento State 79; 8. Portland State 71; 9. UC Davis 66; 10. North Dakota 34; 11. Weber State 30; 12. Idaho State 28; 13. Northern Colorado 23

Media preseason poll 1. Eastern Washington (34), 464; 2. Montana (1), 416; 3. Montana State (1), 364; 4. Cal Poly 329; 5. Northern Arizona 328; 6. Southern Utah 299; 7. UC Davis 228; 8. Portland State 227; 9. Sacramento State 222; 10. Idaho State 124; 11. North Dakota 121; 12. Weber State 103; 13. Northern Colorado 61

* Defending Big Sky champion

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

College Football: National

Heisman contenders notnamed Jameis Winston Getthe remote— newsystem meansbig early games

Coaches on the hotseat entering theseason

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014 • FOOTBALL23

Æ MARCUS MARIOTA, QB, OREGON: The Ducks’ leader, left, was a strong Heisman contender last season before being derailed by a knee injury. He still set a school record with 4,380 yards of total offense and accounted for 40 TDs. After bypassing a shot at the NFL, the junior returns to lead an offense that piles up points and yards like a video game. Æ BRYCE PETTY, QB, BAYLOR: The Bears set an NCAA record with 52.4 points per game last year, and Petty set 17 school records while leading Baylor to its first Big 12 title and BCS bowl. The senior was the Big 12 offensive player of the year after passing for 4,200 yards, 32 TDs and three picks. Æ MYLES JACK, LB, UCLA: Teammate and QB Brett Hundley might have a better

shot at the Heisman, but we wanted to get a defensive/two-way player in the mix. Æ TODD GURLEY, RB, GEORGIA: Gurley missed three games last season with an ankle injury. Fully healthy again, the 6-foot-1, 226-pound junior has his eyes set on a 2,000-yard season. Even with his injury a year ago, he has rushed for 2,374 yards and 27 touchdowns in two seasons. Æ NICK MARSHALL, QB, AUBURN: Marshall’s chances might be hurt by starting the opener on the bench (cited for marijuana possession last month). The senior is still expected to have another big season after passing for 1,976 yards, running for 1,068 and accounting for 26 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to the BCS championship game last year.

Aug. 30 Æ PICK OF THE LITTER: Oklahoma State vs. defending national champion Florida State at AT&T Stadium in the heart of Texas. Cowboys fans will flood the place in a deluge of orange, all wanting their Pokes to give 2013 Heisman winner Jameis Winston, left, his comeuppance. Æ BEST OF THE REST: LSU vs. Wisconsin in Houston; Clemson at Georgia; Alabama vs. West Virginia in Atlanta.

Notre Dame, Virginia Tech at Ohio State, USC at Stanford.

Sept. 6 Æ PICK OF THE LITTER: Michigan State at Oregon. If you don’t like the color green, you might want to tune to a True Detective repeat. Æ BEST OF THE REST: Michigan at

Sept. 13-14 Æ PICK OF THE LITTER: The Head Ballcoach might just have his best team ever at South Carolina. Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks get an early test at home against Georgia, which also has visions of bigger things. The game will revolve around which running back is the most productive: the Bulldogs’ Todd Gurley or South Carolina’s Mike Davis. Æ BEST OF THE REST: UCLA travels to a supposed neutral site in Arlington, Texas, to take on Texas in Charlie Strong’s first bigtime matchup as Longhorns head coach. Also: Tennessee at Oklahoma.

Æ WILL MUSCHAMP, FLORIDA: Muschamp, left, had a mediocre first season (7-6), a great second season (11-2) and a terrible third season (4-8). Injuries played a big part in 2013, but that offense was ugly.

Kurt Roper was hired away from Duke to be the coordinator. There is talent on defense. Æ BRADY HOKE, MICHIGAN: His threeyear stint has been a steady decline. Eleven wins. Eight wins. Seven wins. It’s one thing for the Wolverines to chase Ohio State. But Michigan State, too? Hoke is also banking on new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier to fix some of his problems. Æ CHARLIE WEIS, KANSAS: The Jayhawks have improved in two seasons, going from one victory to three last season, including their first Big 12 win since 2010.

Improved is still a long way from good. The

Jayhawks are loaded with experience and should have their best team under Weis. Æ MIKE LONDON, VIRGINIA: He’s had one winning season in four with Virginia, including last season’s ugly 2-10 that ended with nine straight losses. Æ KYLE FLOOD, RUTGERS: A record of 15-11 in two seasons with the Scarlet Knights shouldn’t put a coach on the hot seat, but a nine-win season followed by a six-win season has the arrow pointed in the wrong direction. And now Rutgers moves into the Big Ten to face a brutal schedule. Æ TIM BECKMAN, ILLINOIS: Like Kansas under Weis, Illinois improved from Year 1 to Year 2 under Beckman, going from two wins to four. Bringing in Bill Cubit to run the offense worked wonders last season, but the Illini still couldn’t stop anyone.

TOP 25 POLLS PRESEASON Associated Press (media)

First-place votes in parentheses, 2013 records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25thplace vote, and 2013 final ranking: Record Pts. Prev.

1. Florida St. (57) 14-0 1,496 1 2. Alabama (1) 11-2 1,361 7 3. Oregon (1) 11-2 1,334 9 4. Oklahoma (1) 11-2 1,324 6 5. Ohio St. 12-2 1,207 12 6. Auburn 12-2 1,198 2 7. UCLA 10-3 1,106 16 8. Michigan St. 13-1 1,080 3 9. South Carolina 11-2 1,015 4 10. Baylor 11-2 966 13 11. Stanford 11-3 885 11 12. Georgia 8-5 843 NR 13. LSU 10-3 776 14 14. Wisconsin 9-4 637 22 15. USC 10-4 626 19 16. Clemson 11-2 536 8 17. Notre Dame 9-4 445 21 18. Mississippi 8-5 424 NR 19. Arizona St. 10-4 357 20 20. Kansas St. 8-5 242 NR 21. Texas A&M 9-4 238 18 22. Nebraska 9-4 226 NR 23.NorthCarolina 7-6 194 NR 24. Missouri 12-2 134 5 25. Washington 9-4 130 25 Others:UCF 94, Florida 87, Texas 86, Duke 71, Iowa 68, Louisville 48, Marshall 41, Oklahoma St. 37, Virginia Tech 26, TCU 23, Mississippi St. 22, Michigan 19, Texas Tech 19, Miami 16, Cincinnati 15, Boise St. 10, Oregon St. 10, BYU 8, Northwestern 8, Penn St. 5, Navy 2, Vanderbilt 2, Louisiana 1, Nevada 1, Utah St. 1.

USA Today (coaches)

First-place votes in parentheses, 2013 records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25thplace vote, and 2013 final ranking: Record Pts. Prev.

1. Florida St. (56) 14-0 1,543 1 2. Alabama 11-2 1,455 8 3. Oklahoma (3) 11-2 1,382 6 4. Oregon (1) 11-2 1,314 9 5. Auburn 12-2 1,271 2 6. Ohio St. (1) 12-2 1,267 10 7. UCLA 10-3 1,085 16 8. Michigan St. 13-1 1,050 3 9.SouthCarolina(1) 11-2 1,009 4 10. Baylor 11-2 965 13 11. Stanford 11-3 955 10 12. Georgia 8-5 905 NR 13. LSU 10-3 833 14 14. Wisconsin 9-4 654 21 15. USC 10-4 627 19 16. Clemson 11-2 535 7 17. Notre Dame 9-4 509 24 18. Arizona St. 10-4 358 20 19. Mississippi 8-5 346 NR 20. Texas A&M 9-4 266 18 21. Kansas St. 8-5 257 NR 22. Nebraska 9-4 228 25 23.NorthCarolina 7-6 175 NR 24. Texas 12-2 143 NR 25. Washington 9-4 42 NR Others: Missouri 126, Florida 122, UCF 102, Mississippi St. 74, Oklahoma St. 56, TCU 54, Michigan 53, Iowa 49, Miami 45, Duke 41, Louisville 32, Marshall 27, BYU 18, Boise St. 13, Virginia Tech 12, Louisiana 12, Texas Tech 8, Cincinnati 6, Minnesota 6, Northwestern 5, Fresno St. 4, Oregon St. 4, Houston 2, Georgia Tech 2, Arkansas 1, Arizona 1, Northern Illinois 1.

FOOTBALL24 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

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