2014 Boise State Football Preview by APG-West (Idaho Press)

BOISE STATE FOOTBALL 2014 PREVIEW

BACK IN BLUE Broncos load up coaching staff with former Boise State players

ALSO INSIDE: Features, player capsules, stats and more on the 2014 Broncos

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOOTBALL â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;14 BLUE TURF

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Get Boise State news, stats, schedules, rosters, standings, depth charts and more at BlueTurfSports.com Follow Idaho Press-Tribune Boise State beat writer B.J. Rains on Twitter for the latest (@BJRains)

CONTACT THE IPT SPORTS DESK Phone: (208) 465-8111; e-mail: sports@idahopress.com; Fax: (208) 467-9562

B.J. RAINS Boise State beat writer (208) 465-8190 bjrains@idahopress.com

JOHN WUSTROW Sports editor (208) 465-8154 jwustrow@idahopress.com

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ON THE COVER: Boise State offensive coordinator Mike Sanford (left), head coach Bryan Harsin (center) and defensive coordinator Marcel Yates (right) return to their alma mater hoping to help bring the Broncos back to national prominence. See the story, pages 10-11.

2014 schedule.........................................................5 COACHES Coach capsules........................................................9 Cover story......................................................10-11 OFFENSE Offensive story....................................................6-7 Jay Ajayi feature......................................................8 Quarterbacks/running backs/wide receivers.........12 Tight ends/offensive line......................................13 SPECIAL TEAMS Special teams story...............................................14 Kicker/punter/returners........................................14 DEFENSE Defensive story.....................................................15 Defensive line/linebackers....................................16 Defensive backs....................................................17 Donte Deayon feature............................................17 MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE Mountain Division................................................18 West Division........................................................19

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Images from Boise State’s open scrimmage on Aug. 15. View photo galleries from practices and games and listen to audio interviews and press conferences at BlueTurfSports.com. 4

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THURSDAY

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17

OLE MISS REBELS

TIME: 6 p.m.; LOCATION: Atlanta (Georgia Dome) TV: ESPN (Cable One, Ch. 24; Dish Network, Ch. 140; DirecTV, Ch. 206) 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 8-5, 3-5 SEC (beat Georgia Tech in Music City Bowl) NOTES: Boise State opens with a ranked opponent for the fifth time in the past six years. Ole Miss opens the season at No. 18 in the AP poll.

SEPTEMBER 6

TIME: 6 p.m.; LOCATION: Boise (Albertsons Stadium) TV: ESPN (Cable One, Ch. 24; Dish Network, Ch. 140; DirecTV, Ch. 206) 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 11-2, 7-1 MWC (lost to USC in Las Vegas Bowl) NOTES: Fresno State returns experienced offensive line which allowed just 11 sacks while attempting 675 passes in 2013.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24

COLORADO STATE RAMS

TIME: 8:15 p.m.; LOCATION: Boise (Albertsons Stadium) TV: ESPN2 (Cable One, Ch. 25; Dish Network, Ch. 144; DirecTV, Ch. 209) 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 8-6, 5-3 MWC (beat Wash. St. in New Mexico Bowl) NOTES: Garrett Grayson’s 3,696 passing yards last year was the most among returning Mountain West quarterbacks.

TIME: 7 p.m.; LOCATION: Boise (Albertsons Stadium) TV: ESPN or ESPN2 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 8-5 (lost to Washington in Fight Hunger Bowl) NOTES: Highland High graduate Taysom Hill gives the Cougars a dual threat quarterback in their offensive attack.

CONNECTICUT HUSKIES

TIME: 10 a.m.; LOCATION: East Hartford, Conn. (Rentschler Field) TV: ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 3-9, 3-5 American (no bowl) NOTES: New coach Bob Diaco named Broyles Award winner as nation’s top assistant in 2012 with Notre Dame.

TIME: 5 p.m.; LOCATION: Albuquerque, N.M. (University Stadium) TV: CBS SN (Cable One, Ch. 332; Dish Network, Ch. 158; DirecTV, Ch. 221) 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 3-9, 1-7 MWC (no bowl) NOTES: New Mexico’s incoming recruiting class includes 11 junior college transfers.

LOUISIANA RAGIN’ CAJUNS

TIME: 8:30 p.m.; LOCATION: Boise (Albertsons Stadium) TV: CBS SN (Cable One, Ch. 332; Dish Network, Ch. 158; DirecTV, Ch. 221) 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 9-4, 5-2 Sun Belt (beat Tulane in New Orleans) NOTES: Running back Elijah McGuire led the NCAA with an average of 8.4 yards per carry in 2013.

SEPTEMBER 27

SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS TIME: TBA; LOCATION: Boise (Albertsons Stadium) TV: ESPN Networks 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 8-5, 6-2 MWC (beat Buffalo in Potato Bowl) NOTES: The Aztecs have beaten the Broncos two years in a row. They won 21-19 in Boise two years ago and in overtime last year in San Diego.

NOVEMBER 22 AIR FORCE FALCONS

TIME: 5 p.m.; LOCATION: Colorado Springs, Colo. (Falcon Stadium) TV: CBS SN (Cable One, Ch. 332; Dish Network, Ch. 158; DirecTV, Ch. 221) 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 2-10, 0-8 MWC (no bowl) NOTES: Falcons have scored in 258 straight games but were last in scoring offense in Mountain West in 2013.

OCTOBER 4

NEW MEXICO LOBOS

NOVEMBER 15

SEPTEMBER 20

BYU COUGARS

NOVEMBER 8

SEPTEMBER 13

FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS

WYOMING COWBOYS TIME: TBA; LOCATION: Laramie, Wyo. (War Memorial Stadium) TV: ESPN Networks 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 5-7, 3-5 MWC (no bowl) NOTES: New Cowboys coach Craig Bohl won the past three FCS National Championships at North Dakota State.

NOVEMBER 29 NEVADA WOLF PACK TIME: 8:30 p.m.; LOCATION: Reno, Nev. (Mackay Stadium) TV: CBS SN (Cable One, Ch. 332; Dish Network, Ch. 158; DirecTV, Ch. 221) 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 4-8, 3-5 MWC (no bowl) NOTES: Nevada returns seven starters on offense and nine starters on defense in year two of the Bill Polian era.

UTAH STATE AGGIES TIME: TBA; LOCATION: Boise (Albertsons Stadium) TV: ESPN Networks 2013 RECORD/BOWL: 9-5, 7-1 MWC (beat Northern Illinois in Poinsettia) NOTES: Aggies lost to Boise State in Logan last year, but still went on to win inaugural Mountain Division title.

2014 PRESEASON POLLS ASSOCIATED PRESS SCHOOL (FIRST) 1. Florida St. (57) 2. Alabama (1) 3. Oregon (1) 4. Oklahoma (1) 5. Ohio St. 6. Auburn 7. UCLA 8. Michigan St. 9. South Carolina 10. Baylor 11. Stanford 12. Georgia 13. LSU 14. Wisconsin 15. Southern Cal 16. Clemson 17. Notre Dame 18. Mississippi 19. Arizona St. 20. Kansas St. 21. Texas A&M 22. Nebraska 23. North Carolina 24. Missouri 25. Washington

RECORD PTS 14-0 1,496 11-2 1,361 11-2 1,334 11-2 1,324 12-2 1,207 12-2 1,198 10-3 1,106 13-1 1,080 11-2 1,015 11-2 966 11-3 885 8-5 843 10-3 776 9-4 637 10-4 626 11-2 536 9-4 445 8-5 424 10-4 357 8-5 242 9-4 238 9-4 226 7-6 194 12-2 134 9-4 130

PV 1 7 9 6 12 2 16 3 4 13 11 NR 14 22 19 8 21 NR 20 NR 18 NR NR 5 25

RECORD PTS 14-0 1543 11-2 1455 11-2 1382 11-2 1314 12-2 1271 12-2 1267 10-3 1085 13-1 1050 11-2 1009 11-2 965 11-3 955 8-5 905 10-3 833 9-4 654 10-4 627 11-2 535 9-4 509 10-4 358 8-5 346 9-4 266 8-5 257 9-4 228 7-6 175 8-5 143 9-4 142

PV 1 8 6 9 2 10 16 3 4 13 10 — 14 21 19 7 24 20 — 18 — 25 — — —

USA TODAY SCHOOL (FIRST) 1. Florida State (56) 2. Alabama 3. Oklahoma (3) 4. Oregon (1) 5. Auburn 6. Ohio State (1) 7. UCLA 8. Michigan State 9. South Carolina (1) 10. Baylor 11. Stanford 12. Georgia 13. LSU 14. Wisconsin 15. Southern Cal 16. Clemson 17. Notre Dame 18. Arizona State 19. Mississippi 20. Texas A&M 21. Kansas State 22. Nebraska 23. North Carolina 24. Texas 25. Washington

ONLINE: More on Boise State’s schedule at BlueTurfSports.com

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Broncos set to debut new offense Shifts, motions will return to Boise State after Pistol drew criticism but improved results By B.J. RAINS

bjrains@idahopress.com

So much is expected from the Boise State offense that the Broncos were criticized last season despite increasing their production by more than a touchdown per game from 2012. How will things change with a new coaching staff and a new offense this fall? After years of continuously adding formations and plays to their high-scoring offense, Boise State coaches decided to scale things back last season in an effort to make the offense simpler and easier for young players to learn. Statistically, it worked. After averaging 30.2 points per game in 2012 — their lowest since 1998 — the Broncos saw their offensive production rise to 37.5 points per game last season, the second highest total in the Mountain West and the 19th best in the nation. The Broncos also increased their yardage from 391 yards per game in 2012 to 476 yards per game in 2013. But the switch to the Pistol offense came with plenty of problems. As criticism of offensive coordinator Robert Prince and his play-calling mounted, so did the Broncos’ struggles in short-yardage situations. The offense became too simple, too predictable. Despite the overall increase in production, the offense — combined with an inexperienced defense — resulted in a rare five-loss season, the first for Boise State since 1998. But coach Chris Petersen moved on to Washington, Prince took a job as the wide receivers coach with the Detroit Lions and Bryan Harsin takes over as head coach.

See Offense, 7 6

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Boise State wide receiver Matt Miller runs after making a catch against Air Force on Sept. 13, 2013. Miller is the No. 1 receiver for the Broncos this fall.

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Offense Continued from 6 And the return of Harsin has the offense poised to return to the familiar high-scoring ways of the past. Harsin and Mike Sanford, a former Boise State quarterback who was lured away from Stanford to serve as the offensive coordinator, have built a variation of the traditional Boise State offense. The shifts and motions that helped the Broncos to national fame are back. But what exactly the offense looks like remains to be seen. The Broncos closed nearly all of the team periods to the media during fall camp and admittedly had a watered-down playbook during an open scrimmage for fans on Aug. 15. The offense will be similar, but probably not exactly the same

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as the Kellen Moore glory days. Sanford has brought elements of Stanford’s offense that he plans to include. And Harsin’s two seasons as the co-offensive coordinator at Texas figure to have a place, as well. “I’m excited to see what this new offense has in store for us,” said senior wide receiver Matt Miller. “It’s kind of what we used to do when I first got here, mixed in with some of the stuff we’ve done the past couple of years. I think it’s the best of both worlds.” With their top three skill position players returning in running back Jay Ajayi and wide receivers Miller and Shane Williams-Rhodes — in addition to senior quarterback Grant Hedrick — Harsin and Sanford are starting from a nice spot. Despite a statistically strong 2013, the Boise State offense should be better this fall. How much? We’ll get our first look on Aug. 28 when the Broncos play Ole Miss at the Georgia Dome.

SCORE

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Wide receiver Shane Williams-Rhodes looks for space after making a catch against UT Martin last season.

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NFL not on Ajayi’s mind By B.J. RAINS

bjrains@idahopress.com

Jay Ajayi won’t say it, but Boise State fans know the possibility exists — this could be the final season on The Blue for the junior running back. Should Ajayi have another season similar to his breakout 2013 this fall, most expect him to make the jump to the NFL instead of risking injury to come back for his senior year. “I haven’t really tried to stress myself too much about that,” Ajayi said. “To be able to do that would be a major step for me and I’m not really too worried about it right now. My main focus is just having a great fall camp and preparing myself to have a great season this year and when it gets to that point, then I’ll

really sit down with my parents and my coaches and take it from there.” Ajayi rushed for 1,425 yards and 18 touchdowns last season as a redshirt sophomore to earn first-team All-Mountain West honors. The touchdowns are the third-most in Boise State single-season history. The yards are fourth. The England native and former Texas high school star eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in the ninth game of the season, the fewest by a Bronco since Ian Johnson did it in eight games in 2006. Ajayi had six 100yard games, including a career-best 222 yards vs. Nevada — the fifthbest single-game total in school history. With Ajayi already tearing an ACL during his redshirt season and the shelf life of NFL running backs

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seemingly getting shorter each year, a solid season this fall would give him no real reason to come back for his senior year. Boise State may have conceded the fact when they put him on one of the four player banners outside Albertsons Stadium — an honor usually reserved for seniors. Ajayi is the most important player to Boise State’s chances this fall and all eyes figure to be on him. And he’s excited for the challenge. “It looks like it could be a lot of pressure, but I’d like to believe that I’m a level-headed guy and I don’t let it get to me,” Ajayi said. “Each time I step out on the field, it’s just another game that I can have an opportunity to showcase my talents.” Adam Eschbach/IPT Plenty of NFL teams figure to be Boise State running back Jay Ajayi (right) prepares to stiff-arm a watching. defender during the Broncos’ open scrimmage on Aug. 15.

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COACHING STAFF FOOTBALL ‘14 BLUE TURF

OFFENSE

EXPERIENCE: First season at Boise State (sixth overall)

DEFENSE

OC MIKE SANFORD

DC MARCEL YATES

The former Boise State backup quarterback enters his first season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Broncos after coaching the three previous seasons at Stanford. Sanford coached the running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers during his time at Stanford. He previously was an assistant coach at Yale and Western Kentucky. The 2005 Boise State graduate ascends to the offensive coordinator position after just five seasons as a full-time assistant coach.

Yates returns to his alma mater after serving two seasons as the co-defensive coordinator at Texas A&M to help improve a Boise State defense that struggled last season. He took a pay cut to become the Broncos’ defensive coordinator and get his first shot at callEXPERIENCE: 10th ing the defenses. Yates played season at Boise State defensive back at Boise State from 1996-99 and served as an assistant coach with the Broncos from 2003-11. He said during fall camp that his defense will be physical and disciplined.

RB KENT RIDDLE

EXPERIENCE: Sixth season at Boise State (first in second stint)

Riddle, who returns to Boise State after serving as an assistant coach under Dan Hawkins from 200105, worked with head coach Bryan Harsin last year at Arkansas State. He is the running backs coach as well as the special teams coordinator for the Broncos — two areas he helped Boise State excel in during his previous coaching stint in Boise. Riddle followed Hawkins to Colorado from 200610 and coached two seasons at North Texas prior to joining Harsin at Arkansas State last season.

DL STEVE CALDWELL Caldwell brings more than 30 years of coaching experience with him to Boise State. He coached under Harsin at his alma mater Arkansas State last season, but has coached at Arkansas, Tennessee, Nevada and Pacific. He spent 14 seasons at Tennessee and EXPERIENCE: First helped the Volunteers to the season at Boise State 1998 National Championship. The defensive line coach brings plenty of intensity to practice, but players have said they love playing for him.

OL SCOTT HUFF

EXPERIENCE: Ninth season at Boise State

Huff is one of two holdovers from former coach Chris Petersen’s coaching staff. The former Boise State offensive lineman returns to coach his former position after serving as the tight ends coach of the Broncos the past four seasons. Huff previously coached the offensive line from 200709. During those three seasons, Boise State averaged just 12.3 sacks per year. Huff enters his ninth year as an assistant coach at Boise State. He graduated from Boise State in 2002.

LB ANDY AVALOS A 2004 graduate of Boise State, Avalos enters his third season on the Broncos coaching staff and joins Huff as the only two to remain from last season. Avalos coached the defensive line the past two seasons but returns to the linebackers this year, where EXPERIENCE: Third he was a four-year letter season at Boise State winner for the Broncos. Avalos helped three players earn allMountain West honors in his first two seasons.

WR JUNIOR ADAMS

EXPERIENCE: First season at Boise State

Another newcomer to the Boise State coaching staff, Adams arrives after spending the past five seasons as the wide receivers coach at Eastern Washington. A former All-American wide receiver at Montana State, Adams helped coach Eastern Washington to the FCS playoffs in four of his five seasons. Adams previously served as an assistant coach at Prosser High in Prosser, Washington, under Tom Moore, the father of former Broncos Kellen and Kirby Moore.

TE ELIAH DRINKWITZ

EXPERIENCE: First season at Boise State

The former student body president at Arkansas Tech enters his first season at Boise State after spending the previous two seasons at Arkansas State. He coached under Gus Malzahn in 2012 and Harsin in 2013. Drinkwitz, who will coach the tight ends, served as an offensive graduate assistant at Auburn from 2010-11. The Tigers went 14-0 and won the BCS National Championship in 2010. He’s seen as an offensive genius and a stellar recruiter.

DB JULIUS BROWN Greg Kreller/IPT

HC BRYAN HARSIN Bryan Harsin once had to replace NFL quarterback Jake Plummer as the quarterback at Capital High in Boise. Now he replaces legendary coach Chris Petersen as the leader of the Boise State football team. Harsin served as the offensive coordinator at Boise State from 2006-10, when the Broncos went 61-5 and won two Fiesta Bowls. He left to spend two seasons as the co-offensive coordinator at Texas, and was the head coach at Arkansas State in 2013. Harsin is a former Boise State quarterback.

Another former Boise State player, Brown returns for his first season as the Boise State secondary coach. Brown played at Boise State from 2000-03, earning honorable mention All-Western Athletic Conference honors as a senior after leading the conference EXPERIENCE: First in passes defended. Brown season at Boise State coached at Troy in 2012 and Arkansas State in 2013. He was a member of the Broncos’ support staff from 200711, serving as a graduate assistant from 2007-08 and the director of player personnel from 2009-11. Sunday, August 24, 2014

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BACK IN BLUE Broncos load up coaching staff with former Boise State players By B.J. RAINS

I continue to stay in college football, we may never come back in that situation again. That © 2014 Idaho Press-Tribune was the scariest thing for us. Bryan Harsin left for Texas with an in“But it worked and we learned a lot at Textention to one day come back. Marcel Yates as. We applied the philosophies and learned didn’t sell his Boise house when he left for some that worked and some that didn’t work Texas A&M. Mike Sanford would only leave and took those to Arkansas State and same his job at Stanford for once place. thing, got a bunch of valuable lessons and Their paths led them away from Boise made 1,000 mistakes.” State, but all three hoped they’d eventually When Chris Petersen finally decided to return. That time is now. leave Boise after years of flirting with other With Harsin as head coach and Sanford opportunities, the very reason and Yates as his two coordiHarsin left in the first place nators, the three have joined finally proved to be true. The several other former Boise scenario couldn’t have played State players and coaches out any more perfectly. back on The Blue to help reArmed with the experience store the program that made and knowledge from his two them who they are back to years at Texas and a year at Arnational prominence. kansas State, Harsin was hired “There’s a lot of pride in that in December to replace Petersbuilding,” Harsin said. “This en and get his hometown team was where we wanted to be.” back to the glory days that he Harsin grew up in Boise, once helped them achieve. went to Capital High and was “We feel very blessed to be a quarterback at Boise State BRYAN HARSIN back here,” Harsin said. “This from 1995-99. He spent 10 sea- Boise State head football coach is a destination, this is not a sons on the Bronco coaching job. This is where we want to staff from 2001-10 and served as one of the main architects for the best run be. It’s where we’ve always wanted to be. We learned what we needed to learn and we’re in school history. Boise State went 61-5 with Harsin as of- excited to be back. I’m more excited for our fensive coordinator from 2006-10, posting a staff.” Harsin is not the only coach enjoying a 13-0 record in 2006 and a 14-0 mark in 2009. homecoming. He assembled a large group Included were a pair of Fiesta Bowl wins. But despite seemingly having everything of former Boise State players and coaches for he could ever want, the time came for Har- his staff, including Sanford (offensive coorsin to branch out and develop his craft some- dinator), Yates (defensive coordinator) and where else. He accepted a position as the secondary coach Julius Brown, who played co-offensive coordinator for Mack Brown at cornerback at Boise State and was a member Texas after the 2010 season, where he stayed of the support staff from 2007-11. for two years before landing his first head Linebackers coach Andy Avalos and offencoaching job at Arkansas State for the 2013 sive line coach Scott Huff are also both forseason. mer Boise State players who were retained by “When we left and went to Texas, the goal Harsin after coaching under Petersen. was always to come back,” Harsin said. “But my wife and I said we may not come back — if Please see Coaches, 11 bjrains@idahopress.com

“

This is a destination. This is not a job. This is where we want to be. It’s where we’ve always wanted to be.

Greg Kreller/IPT

Former Boise State quarterback Bryan Harsin enters his first season as the Broncos’ head coach. Six of the 10 full-time coaches are former Boise State players, including four who returned this year. 10

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COVER STORY FOOTBALL ‘14 BLUE TURF

Greg Kreller/IPT

First-year offensive coordinator Mike Sanford returns to Boise for the first time as a coach. The former Boise State backup quarterback spent the last three seasons as a position coach at Stanford.

Coaches

Continued from 10

Six of the 10 full-time coaches are former Boise State players and a seventh, running backs coach and special teams coordinator Kent Riddle, returns after previously serving as an assistant coach of the Broncos from 2001-05. Harsin also hired or retained several others with Boise State ties to his staff, including strength and conditioning coach Jeff Pitman, who previously played and worked at Boise State. And their goals are all the same — to help Boise State rebound from its first five-loss season since 1998. “We take a lot of pride in our sales pitch about this place because it means something to us,” said Sanford, who served as a position coach the past three seasons at Stanford. “It’s not some place where we have a fact sheet on a piece of paper and we read them off to players. It’s all first hand experiences. “I think we all want to restore this program to a dominant level, and I think that has to do with a lot of us wanting to come back and be a part of what this program is and should always be, and that’s playing for championships on a yearly basis.” Sanford was a backup quarterback for

the Broncos from 2000-04. He coached at Yale and Western Kentucky before landing at Stanford. It was then that he told his wife that the only place he would leave for another coaching job was Boise State. Harsin tried to hire him as his offensive coordinator when he took the job at Arkansas State. The timing wasn’t right, Sanford said. But when Harsin took over in Boise, there wasn’t much convincing needed. “I think just what Boise State has meant to me over the years,” Sanford said. “I have memories, even this summer floating the (Boise) River and the smells

and passing by Bronco Stadium reminds me of floating the river during fall camp and being with my teammates. “There’s certain things that remind me of my time here and that time was really challenging at times, but I also think it made me who I am today in a lot of ways because I had to deal with some adversity. I had to deal with some let down, but I think ultimately it had a lot to do with where I’m at in my coaching career today.” Yates played defensive back for the Broncos from 1996-99 and was an assistant coach with the Broncos from 2003-11. Like Harsin, he made the difficult decision to leave to take a step up in his coaching career and become a defensive coordinator for the first time. But he didn’t sell his home in Boise, and hoped to one day come back. When Harsin called to offer him the defensive coordinator position, Yates’ family already had their bags packed before he could finish saying yes. How bad did Yates want to come back to Boise State? He took a pay cut to leave Texas A&M and the Southeastern Conference. “This wasn’t about the money at all,” Yates said. “My kids were born here, my wife is from here, we have a whole lot of family and friends here. To me, if you look at it, to come to a place where you are so comfortable and for this to be the first time me being a coordinator, it was a nobrainer. “Guys called me and said ‘you’re crazy for leaving the SEC,’ but to me, the opportunity to come back here and get to run the defense the way I want to run it was exciting.” Yates said the return of so many former

Boise State players and coaches will pay off because, “We understand it. We get it. We know how it’s supposed to look. We’ve done it and we know the way it works.” Harsin and company have quite the challenge in front of them. Boise State has seen its win total either stay the same or decrease in each of the past four seasons. Its lost seven games the past two seasons after losing six total games in the four seasons before that. For the first time since 2008, the Broncos will open the season unranked. But helping rescue and rejuvenate the program that meant so much to them was at the top of the list as to why so many former Broncos wanted to return. While some nationally question whether Boise State has reached its peak, Harsin and his assistants feel they can bring the Broncos back to relevance. They know what it takes. They’ve seen it before. “I really think from this point on it’s a turning point in our program,” Harsin said. “We have to establish for this staff and this team and teams moving forward, ‘what are we going to do? What’s our record going to look like in the next five or six years? Are we going to have a chance to be in one of those playoff games when it’s all said and done?’ “There’s an expectation and a standard that’s been set. You can go back and look at the success that Boise State has had but we can’t just sit there and rely on that and say we’re going to do it because it’s happened. … We have to establish ourselves as a new team and a new program.” But for so many of the former Broncos who have returned, it’s not a new team. It’s home.

Greg Kreller/IPT

Head coach Bryan Harsin (left) and first-year defensive coordinator Marcel Yates (back, center) watch as the Boise State defensive backs go through drills at a practice earlier this month. Yates was a defensive back at Boise State and spent nine years as a defensive backs coach before leaving for Texas A&M in 2012. Sunday, August 24, 2014

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RUNNING BACKS

QUARTERBACKS 9 GRANT HEDRICK Hedrick took over as the starter midway through last season when Joe Southwick suffered a broken ankle on the first offensive play vs. Nevada. He completed 69 percent of his passes for 1,825 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season and also added 277 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. But YR: Senior Hedrick tossed five interceptions and lost four HT: 6-0; WT: 198 HOME: Independence, fumbles, something he focused on improving during the spring and summer. Ore.

RESERVES NO NAME 15 Ryan Finley 3 Tommy Stuart 18 Alex Ogle Anthony Upshaw

YR HT Fr. 6-4 So. 5-11 Fr. 6-3 Fr. 5-11

27 JAY AJAYI

WT 190 193 203 187

Arguably no player is more important to the success of Boise State’s offense this year than Ajayi, who rushed for 1,425 yards and 18 touchdowns last season as a redshirt YR: Junior sophomore. Ajayi is HT: 6-0; WT: 216 the fourth-leading HOME: Plano, Texas returning rusher in the country, and his numbers could go up with Boise State’s new offense built around a strong running game. Ajayi could make the leap to the NFL should he have another productive season this fall.

2013 LEADERS PASSING Grant Hedrick Joe Southwick

COM-ATT YDS TD INT 167-242 1,825 16 5 151-208 1,654 12 5

WIDE RECEIVERS 2 MATT MILLER

2013 LEADERS

It might be tough for Miller to top a 2013 season in which he set the school’s singleseason receptions record (88) and added 1,140 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. One of the most consistent and productive receivers in school history, Miller has had at least 60 catches in each of his first three seaYR: Senior sons. He needs 14 catches, 476 yards and 14 HT: 6-3; WT: 213 touchdowns to reach the top spot on Boise HOME: Helena, Mont. State’s career receiving lists.

RECEIVING Matt Miller Shane Williams-Rhodes Geraldo Boldewijn Kirby Moore Jay Ajayi Aaron Burks Troy Ware Connor Peters

NO YDS TD 88 1,140 12 77 702 6 39 528 2 36 280 2 22 222 1 18 309 3 10 107 2 7 58 0

RESERVES

NO NAME 35 Charles Bertoli 26 Devan Demas 21 Jack Fields 13 Jeremy McNichols 31 Skyler Seibold 37 Ryan Wolpin 10 Cory Young

11 SHANE WILLIAMS-RHODES 6 CHAZ ANDERSON

YR: Junior HT: 5-6; WT: 158 HOME: Spring, Texas

The speedster is one of the smallest players on the Boise State roster, but is also one of the most productive. WilliamsRhodes had 77 catches for 702 yards and six touchdowns last season and likely would have beat Miller for the Boise State single-season receptions record had he not missed the final two games of the season with an ankle injury. Coaches plan to target him on routes deeper down the field this season.

RESERVES NO NAME 82 Thomas Sperbeck 80 D.J. Dean 14 Troy Ware 81 Dallas Burroughs 20 Terrell Johnson 28 A.J. Richardson

YR HT WT So. 6-0 173 Fr. 6-1 195 Jr. 6-2 183 Sr. 5-9 169 Jr. 5-9 174 Fr. 6-0 199

When Boise State coaches told Chaz Anderson they were thinking about moving him from defensive back to wide receiver, he thought back to his high school days and smiled. The former high school wide receiver made the switch to start fall camp and impressed, earning a spot as one of the primary receivers for a team desperate to find a No. 3 option. Thomas Sperbeck and Dallas Burroughs also will play.

YR: Sophomore HT: 5-10; WT: 182 HOME: Los Angeles, Calif. NO NAME 19 Taylor Pope 83 Tanner Shipley 24 Dusty Fisher 39 David McKinzie 8 Sean Modster 48 Josh Rhinehart 29 Rick Smith*

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YR HT WT So. 6-0 178 Fr. 6-1 181 Fr. 6-0 174 Fr. 6-0 166 Fr. 5-11 189 Fr. 6-2 198 Jr. 5-9 174

*Must sit out 2014 season due to transfer rules

YR So. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr.

HT 5-11 5-8 5-9 5-9 6-1 5-8 5-10

2013 LEADERS RUSHING Jay Ajayi Grant Hedrick Aaron Baltazar Jack Fields Devan Demas

ATT YDS 249 1,425 68 277 50 234 46 139 21 126

2013 SCORING LEADERS

Greg Kreller/IPT

Grant Hedrick was Boise State’s primary quarterback for the final seven games in 2013 after Joe Southwick suffered a broken ankle. He finished the season with 1,825 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.

PLAYER TD FG Jay Ajayi 19 0 Dan Goodale 0 17-19 Matt Miller 12 0 Shane Williams-Rhodes 7 0 Grant Hedrick 6 0 Aaron Burks 3 0 Joe Southwick 3 0

TD AVE 18 5.7 6 4,1 2 4.7 1 3.0 1 6.0

KICK PTS 0 114 57-60 108 0 72 0 42 0 36 0 18 0 18

FIVE KEYS FOR THE OFFENSE

1. 12

KEEP AJAYI HEALTHY There’s no arguing who the most important player on the Boise State offense is. Ajayi could be in line to make the jump the NFL with a solid junior season. An injury would be catastrophic — to him and the Broncos.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

LIMIT TURNOVERS Grant Hedrick had five interceptions and lost four fumbles in the final seven games last season. Ajayi also had a fumbling problem early in the year. Ball security was a big focus during the offseason and fall camp.

WT 200 174 203 195 185 194 185

OFFENSIVE LINE The Broncos must find a way to replace three senior starters from last year’s offensive line, including two that were selected in the NFL Draft. The Broncos have no seniors up front this year. A solid offensive line is a big key.

FIND A NO. 2 BACK Ajayi can’t do it all himself. The Broncos struggled to find a capable No. 2 running back last season but hope to have at least one player step up and help take the load off Ajayi this fall. The offense will be based off the run.

TIGHT ENDS The tight ends were pretty much a non-factor in the passing game last season, but the new coaching staff plans to get them more involved with the offense this year. Previous Boise State offenses have had strong TEs.

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OFFENSE FOOTBALL ‘14 BLUE TURF

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LINEMEN

TIGHT ENDS

71 REES ODHIAMBO

88 JAKE ROH

YR: Junior HT: 6-4; WT: 310 HOME: Mansfield, Tex.

The redshirt freshman impressed coaches enough during spring practices to earn a spot atop the depth chart entering fall camp. Roh had 72 catches for 805 yards and 13 touchdowns YR: Freshman in 2012 as a senior HT: 6-3; WT: 228 at Chaparral High HOME: Scottsdale, School in Scottsdale, Ariz. Arizona, before redshirting in his first year at Boise State. The Broncos have eight tight ends on the roster and others including redshirt freshman Alec Dhaenens are expected to get playing time as well.

Odhiambo missed five games due to injury last season, but started the other eight games at right tackle. He makes the shift to left tackle in 2014 to replace Charles Leno Jr., who was a seventhround draft pick by the Chicago Bears. Boise State’s last four full-time starters at left tackle have all been drafted. Odhiambo sat out of spring practice due to a different injury but recently deemed himself 100 percent.

73 TRAVIS AVERILL

YR: Sophomore HT: 6-3; WT: 298 HOME: Anaheim, Calif.

One of three redshirt sophomores projected to start on the offensive line, Averill saw action in nine games last season — including starts in three of the Broncos’ final four regular season games in place of Odhiambo at right tackle. He replaces Spencer Gerke, who graduated after starting all 13 games at left guard last season. Averill can play both guard and tackle.

2013 LEADERS RECEIVING Connor Peters Holden Huff Jake Hardee Gabe Linehan

72 MARCUS HENRY One of only two returning starters on the offensive line, Henry makes the move to center this fall after starting 12 games at right guard last season. The redshirt junior has joined Odhiambo as the leaders of an offensive line unit that has no seniors on the entire roster. Henry YR: Junior has appeared in 23 games the past two HT: 6-3; WT: 286 seasons, and said he has adjusted to the HOME: Bellevue, Wash. new offense and his new duties.

YR: Sophomore HT: 6-4; WT: 339 HOME: San Diego, Calif.

70 STEVEN BAGGETT

YR: Sophomore HT: 6-3; WT: 289 HOME: Arlington, Tex.

The business major appeared in six games during his redshirt freshman season in 2013 and earned starts at right tackle against both Utah State and BYU in place of Odhiambo. The Arlington, Texas, native started 38 varsity games at Martin High School and was named first-team all-area and first-team all-district as a senior. He’s one of three redshirt sophomores projected to start on the offensive line for the Broncos this fall.

Yds TD 58 0 32 0 73 0 38 0

RESERVES NO 84 85 89 93 87 86 91

66 MARIO YAKOO Yakoo appeared in all 13 games last season as a redshirt freshman and made one start at right guard against New Mexico in place of Henry. He also was a member of both the field goal and PAT units. Yakoo was named to the Academic All-Mountain West team last fall. He was named first-team All-CIF San Diego County and earned a spot on the AllGrossmont League first team as a senior in high school.

No 7 6 5 2

NAME Jake Hardee Holden Huff Connor Peters Brennyn Dunn Alec Dhaenens Chase Blakley David Lucero

YR HT WT Jr. 6-3 238 Jr. 6-6 222 Sr. 6-4 251 So. 6-3 215 Fr. 6-3 239 Fr. 6-4 234 Fr. 6-5 213

2013 TEAM STATISTICS

Photos by Greg Kreller/IPT

A young and inexperienced offensive line will rely heavily on redshirt junior left tackle Rees Odhiambo (top) and redshirt junior center Marcus Henry (center, bottom). The Boise State offensive line lost three key seniors from last year’s team, including two — Charles Leno Jr. and Matt Paradis — who were drafted into the NFL. The Broncos have no seniors on the offensive line and could also start three redshirt sophomores who have limited playing experience.

OFFENSIVE LINE RESERVES NO NAME 52 Andrew Tercek 68 Jake Templeton 57 Tennessee Su’esu’e 78 Andres Preciado 75 Eli McCullough 74 Archie Lewis

YR HT So. 6-1 Fr. 6-2 Fr. 6-1 Fr. 6-6 Fr. 6-5 Fr. 6-3

WT 280 275 289 258 288 283

NO NAME 59 Mason Hampton 76 Jerhen Ertel 60 Kellen Buhr 56 Troy Bacon 63 Sitini Kauvaka

YR HT Fr. 6-3 Jr. 6-6 So. 6-1 Fr. 6-3 Fr. 6-2

WT 274 271 290 291 287

STATISTIC BSU OPP Points per game 37.5 24.8 First downs 327 295 Rushing yardage 2,578 2,134 Yards gained rushing 2,883 2,451 Yards lost rushing 305 317 Rushing attempts 563 568 Average per rush 4.6 3.8 Average per game 198.3 164.2 TDs rushing 33 19 Passing yardage 3,610 3,240 Comp-Att-Int 329-466-11 294-455-16 Average per pass 7.7 7.1 Average per catch 11.0 11.0 Average per game 277.7 249.2 TDs passing 28 17 Total offense 6,188 5,374 Average per play 6.0 5.3 Average per game 476.0 413.4 Sunday, August 24, 2014

BLUE TURF

FOOTBALL ‘14 SPECIAL TEAMS

SOCIAL MEDIA

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No suspense for Bronco special teams jobs Kicker Dan Goodale and punter Sean Wale had no competition for spots By B.J. RAINS bjrains@idahopress.com

After intense battles for both the kicker and punter positions during fall camp last season, there was no such drama with the Boise State special teams this fall. Kicker Dan Goodale returned as the obvious starter after making 17 of 19 field goals last season, and punter Sean Wale takes over as the primary punter because in part, well, he’s the only punter on the roster. Goodale beat out Tyler Rausa for the field goal kicking duties last season, while Wale ended up splitting time with senior Trevor Harman. But with Harman gone to graduation, Wale takes over the role all by

himself this fall. “I haven’t really thought of it as me being the only punter,” Wale said. “Other people have said I have job security, but for me it’s about going out and doing my thing and getting better and being the best I can be. “I’m not really worried about other people. We still have Dan and Tyler who can punt as well, so I guess I’m the only true punter, but I don’t really like to see it like that.” Wale, a redshirt sophomore, appeared in 10 games last season and had 21 punts for an average of 41.5 yards per punt. He had six punts of at least 50 yards, including a career-long 63-yard boot against Colorado State. He also had a 62-yarder vs. BYU the previous week. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound Wale dropped eight punts inside the 20-yard-line and had three fair catches while officially be-

ing named a co-starter with Harman last season. “I think it was a good learning experience, especially learning from Trevor being a senior,” Wale said. “It’s going to be good coming back this year having some experience under myself and be able to go out and play and do my thing. “I learned a ton from him, so a lot of where I’m at now I can thank him for.” Goodale enters his senior year with plenty of momentum after missing only two field goals all season. He made 12 consecutive at one point, including a careerlong 47-yarder against Wyoming on Nov. 16. It doesn’t happen often, but when the Timberline High grad misses a kick, it tends to come in a pretty big spot. Goodale, who missed a key kick vs. TCU in 2011 that could have put Boise State in a BCS Bowl, had one of his two misses in 2013

come on the final play of regulation when a make would have won the game and ultimately sent the Broncos to the Mountain West title game. But the veteran of the group has provided leadership to the specialists and enters the season as a preseason candidate for the Lou Groza Award for the nation’s best collegiate kicker. And he’s looking for a strong finish as a senior. “He’s definitely taken over the leadership role and kind of guiding us in being here for his fifth year now,” Wale said. “He’s guiding us on which direction to go and how things should be run, which is good because it can be passed down and we can keep that leadership going. “ Kent Riddle returns as the special teams coach. The Broncos had one of the top special teams units in the nation during his time leading the group from 2001-05.

RETURNERS

PUNTER

KICKERS

11 SHANE WILLIAMS-RHODES

19 SEAN WALE

41 DAN GOODALE

YR: Junior; HT: 5-6; WT: 158 HOME: Spring, Texas The small but dynamic Williams-Rhodes was the primary punt returner for the Broncos last season. He had 16 returns for 233 yards, an average of 14.6 yards per return. That led the Mountain West and ranked tied for 11th in the country. He had a career-long 43-yard return vs. UT Martin. Also a key wide receiver for the Broncos, Williams-Rhodes could see time at kick returner. He had six kick returns for 130 yards in 2013.

1 BRYAN DOUGLAS YR: Senior; HT: 5-9; WT: 175 HOME: Los Angeles, Calif. Douglas returned 13 kickoffs last season for an average of 30.4 yards. He had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against San Diego State, one of only four 100-yard touchdown returns in school history. He also had an interception return for a touchdown vs. UT Martin while playing defensive back. Douglas is a speedster who likes having the ball in his hands, and he should get the chance to return kicks again this year.

YR: Sophomore; HT: 6-2; WT: 186 HOME: La Habra, Calif. Wale served as the co-starter with Trevor Harman last season. He appeared in 10 games and punted 21 times for an average of 41.5 yards per punt. He had six punts of at least 50 yards, including a career-best 63 yard bomb against Colorado State, and a 62-yard boot vs. BYU. Wale also downed eight punts inside the 20-yard line and had three fair catches. With Harman graduating after last season, Wale takes over as the full-time starter.

2013 KICK RETURN LEADERS

2013 PUNTING LEADERS

PLAYER Bryan Douglas Dallas Burroughs Derrick Thomas Charles Bertoli Shane Williams-Rhodes Aaron Baltazar

PUNTING Trevor Harman Sean Wale

NO AVG TD LG 13 30.4 1 100 10 23.4 0 58 9 24.9 0 39 8 16.2 0 25 6 21.7 0 26 1 24.0 0 24

2013 PUNT RETURN LEADERS

KICK RETURN RESERVES

PLAYER NO AVG TD LG Shane Williams-Rhodes 16 14.6 0 43 Donte Deayon 5 21.4 0 48

NO NAME 27 Jay Ajayi 81 Dallas Burroughs

Sunday, August 24, 2014

YR HT WT Jr. 6-0 216 Sr. 5-8 161

NO AVG LG 26 42.6 67 21 41.5 63

RESERVE PUNTER NO NAME 49 Tyler Rausa

YR HT WT So. 5-8 190

PUNT RETURN RESERVES NO NAME 1 Bryan Douglas 5 Donte Deayon

YR HT WT Sr. 5-9 175 Jr. 5-9 152

Goodale returns as the unquestioned starter after making 17 of 19 field goals last season and being named honorable mention All-Mountain West. But one of his misses came YR: Senior on the final play of HT: 5-10; WT: 185 regulation at San HOME: Boise Diego State and would have given Boise State the win and a spot in the Mountain West championship game. Instead the Broncos lost in overtime. Goodale started in 2011 but missed a key kick vs. TCU and lost his starting spot in 2012.

2013 LEADERS FIELD GOALS Dan Goodale

FGM-FGA 17-19

LG 47

PAT 57-60

RESERVE KICKER NO NAME 49 Tyler Rausa 16 Blake Gonzalez

YR HT WT So. 5-9 192 Fr. 5-9 168

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DEFENSE FOOTBALL ‘14 BLUE TURF

Adam Eschbach/IPT

Safeties Jeremy Ioane (No. 10, left) and Darian Thompson (No. 4, center) will be big keys for the Boise State defense this fall. The Broncos return their entire back seven, but must find a way to replace three defensive linemen.

Defense hopes to rebound from rough 2013 Broncos saw big decline on defense for first time in several years By B.J. RAINS bjrains@idahopress.com

Boise State defensive coordinator Marcel Yates needs only three words to sum up how he wants his group to play this fall. “Physical, tough, disciplined,” Yates said. If only it were that easy. Yates, a former player and assistant coach for the Broncos, returns from a twoyear stint as the co-defensive coordinator at Texas A&M to try and fix a Boise State defense that had unusual struggles last

season. The Broncos finished 75th in the country in total defense, allowing an average of 413.4 yards per game. That number was nearly 100 yards higher than the 315 yards per game the Boise State defense allowed in 2012. The Boise State defense ranked 88th in pass defense at 249.2 yards per game, an increase of almost 100 yards from the previous season. They also gave up 17 passing touchdowns after allowing only four touchdowns through the air in 2012. It’s 24.8 points per game allowed ranked No. 50 in the country and marked the first time since 2007 that a Boise State defense allowed more than 20 points per game. And the rough year still doesn’t sit well with many of the players.

“I definitely don’t think you want to be as ranked as low as we were in defense last year,” senior nickel Corey Bell said. “That’s not something to be proud of, and it’s definitely a motivator knowing we didn’t do well last year on defense and that’s something we can improve on. “You never want to reach the point where you don’t have something to improve on, and I guess sometimes you need a reminder like last year to show you that.” The Broncos have a couple things working in their favor in 2014. First is the return of their entire back seven, including all four starting defensive backs and four linebackers who each started at least six games last season. Five of Boise State’s six-leading tacklers also return, including the top two — line-

backer Ben Weaver (89) and Bell (76). The Broncos took their lumps last season on defense, but a group of young and inexperienced players now return as a group of veterans. But the Broncos must find a way to replace three starters on the defensive line. Yates figures to have a big impact on the defense as well. He coached six defensive backs who were eventually selected in the NFL Draft during his final six seasons at Boise State and instilled a new mentality and mindset. He’s preached that his defense will be physical and disciplined. It wouldn’t take much to see an improvement over last year’s poor statistics, but the Broncos are confident things will be a lot different on defense this fall. Sunday, August 24, 2014

BLUE TURF

FOOTBALL â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;14 DEFENSE

SOCIAL MEDIA

LINEMEN

YR: Senior HT: 6-2; WT: 258 HOME: Denver, Colo.

53 BEAU MARTIN

51 BEN WEAVER

The nearly impossible task of trying to replace second-round NFL Draft pick DeMarcus Lawrence falls on Martin, who battled a case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot last season but still appeared in all 13 games and had 21 tackles. Playing mostly in a reserve role, he finished tied for second on the team with seven tackles-for-loss and also had four sacks, two pass breakups, two passes defended and a fumble recovery.

Not expected to be a major contributor last season as a redshirt freshman, Weaver worked his way into the starting lineup and ended up leading the team with 89 tackles. He also had four tackles-for-loss and a sack, despite missing a game and only starting six of his 12 games. Weaver, who had 14 tackles vs. Nevada, sat out the spring after having surgery for a high ankle sprain but is expected to be 100 percent by the start of the season.

YR: Sophomore HT: 6-0; WT: 235 HOME: Klein, Texas

20 TANNER VALLEJO

The former high school fullback and tight end has found a home on the defensive line at Boise State. Nance appeared in all 13 games as a sophomore last season and made eight starts down the stretch. He had 51 tackles (17 solo), the third-most on the team among defensive linemen. Nance, who also had four tackles-for-loss and two sacks, had a careerhigh 10 tackles vs. Utah State.

YR: Sophomore HT: 6-1; WT: 228 HOME: Grass Valley, Calif.

69 TYLER HORN

NO POS 36 LB 13 LB 7 LB 25 LB 44 LB 45 LB 43 LB 95 LB

33 GABE PEREZ

YR: Sophomore HT: 6-4; WT: 231 HOME: Placentia, Calif.

Perez wasted little time working his way into playing time last season as a true freshman and appeared in 12 games. He had 29 tackles (21 solo), including seven tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks. He had a season-high eight tackles vs. Colorado State, including three tackles-for-loss, and forced two fumbles. Perez continued to get better as the season went on, finishing with 6.5 tackles-for-loss in the final five games.

NAME Sam McCaskill Austin Silsby Kaleb Hill Rondell McNair Kamalei Correa David Moa Robert Ash Tutulupeatau Mataele Justin Taimatuia Nick Terry Dereck Boles Antoine Turner Paul Semons

Sunday, August 24, 2014

YR HT So. 6-3 Fr. 6-3 Fr. 6-1 Jr. 6-2 So. 6-3 Fr. 6-3 Jr. 6-3 Jr. 6-3 Sr. 6-0 Fr. 6-3 Fr. 6-2 Jr. 6-1 Fr. 6-3

WT 250 221 229 242 247 249 286 294 287 282 294 290 249

NAME Tyler Gray Blake Renaud Joe Martarano Chris Santini Darren Lee Travis Saxton Joe Provenzaro Leighton Vander Esch

YR HT Jr. 6-4 Sr. 6-2 Fr. 6-3 So. 6-1 So. 6-1 Sr. 6-1 Fr. 5-11 Fr. 6-4

WT 229 255 234 221 224 228 205 215

2013 DEFENSIVE LEADERS

RESERVES NO POS 94 DE 97 DE 14 DE 32 DE 8 DL 48 DL 58 DT 55 DT 90 DT 50 DT 99 DT 98 DT 92 DT

A possible redshirt candidate, Vallejo was thrown into the lineup last year due to a number of injuries at the linebacker spot and had an impressive freshman season. Vallejo, who appeared in 11 games, made starts in six of the final seven games. He had 51 tackles (28 solo) and five tackles-for-loss. Vallejo had a season-high 11 tackles vs. Colorado State. Both Blake Renaud and Tyler Gray are expected to see playing time at linebacker, as well.

RESERVES

Horn has bounced around between defensive end and defensive tackle the past few years but will play only in the interior this year. He started six games at defensive tackle last season and had 44 tackles, including 5.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack. The Meridian native had a career-high 10 tackles vs. Colorado State and added two tackles-for-loss and a sack. Defensive line coach Steve Caldwell was impressed with Horn during fall camp.

YR: Senior HT: 6-5; WT: 273 HOME: Meridian

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LINEBACKERS

40 ARMAND NANCE

YR: Junior HT: 6-0; WT: 301 HOME: Houston, Tex.

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Adam Eschbach/IPT

Boise State defensive end Beau Martin chases a UT Martin ball carrier during a Sept. 7 , 2013, game at Bronco Stadium. Martin steps in as a starter this fall.

DEFENSE Ben Weaver Corey Bell DeMarcus Lawrence Darian Thompson Jeremy Ioane Donte Deayon Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe Tanner Vallejo Armand Nance Dillon Lukehart Mercy Maston Tyler Horn Tyler Gray Bryan Douglas Kharyee Marshall Justin Taimatuia Gabe Perez Blake Renaud Beau Martin Darren Lee Jonathan Moxey Kamalei Correa

TT TFL 89 4.0 76 4.5 72 20.5 63 1.5 59 0 54 3.0 52 4.0 51 5.5 51 4.0 46 2.0 44 1.0 44 5.5 43 0 35 0 32 6.5 29 2.5 29 7.0 25 1.0 21 7.0 17 0 12 0 12 1.5

SACK INT 1.0 0 1.0 0 10.5 0 0 4 0 0 0 6 1.0 0 0.5 0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 4 0.5 0 1.0 0 2.5 0 0 0 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0

FF 0 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

FR 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

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DEFENSE FOOTBALL ‘14 BLUE TURF

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FIVE KEYS ON DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE BACKS 5 DONTE DEAYON

1. PASS DEFENSE The Boise State defense allowed nearly 100 more passing yards per game in 2013 than 2012. They also allowed 17 passing touchdowns after allowing four in 2012. The pass defense must improve.

2. DEFENSIVE LINE The Broncos lose defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who had 20.5 tackles-for-loss and 10.5 sacks before making the jump to the NFL. His replacement, Beau Martin, needs a strong senior year.

3. SHORT YARDAGE The Boise State defense struggled to get off the field on third and fourth down last season. Opponents converted 42 percent of chances on third down and 56 percent on fourth down. Both need to improve.

4. SECOND CORNER Donte Deayon, Jeremy Ioane, Corey Bell and Darian Thompson have starting spots locked up in the secondary. The second corner spot will likely be a four-man rotation, but the Broncos need them all to produce.

5. FIND THE SWAGGER It was an uncharacteristically rough season for the Boise State defense last season. Players have said the confidence struggled as the results did. The Broncos need to get their swagger back with a fresh start.

YR: Junior HT: 5-9; WT: 152 HOME: Rialto, Calif.

The Broncos’ top returning corner started all 13 games last season and led the team with six interceptions as a sophomore, earning him a spot on the all-Mountain West second team. The six interceptions tied for the seventh-most in the country. He also tied for the team lead with nine pass break-ups. The small but speedy Deayon was named to the preseason all-Mountain West team in July.

30 JONATHAN MOXEY Adam Eschbach/IPT

Boise State cornerback Donte Deayon returns an interception vs. New Mexico on Nov. 30, 2013, at Bronco Stadium.

Deayon emerging as leader Junior cornerback led Boise State with six interceptions last year By B.J. RAINS

bjrains@idahopress.com

Cornerback Donte Deayon’s breakout season in 2013 made him one of the faces of the Boise State football team. Literally. Deayon, a second-team all-Mountain West selection last season as a sophomore, was one of four players to be featured on the player posters that hang on the Broadway side of Albertsons Stadium for the 2014 season. The honor is usually held for seniors, but Deayon and junior running back Jay Ajayi landed two of the four spots. “It’s exciting,” Deayon said. “I remember when I first got here … I was like dang, I want to make that one of my goals as well, and for it to happen is exciting. “You have to take it in and be a leader. That’s how I look at it. I’m one of the leaders on the team and I have to take that role and provide for the fellas.” Deayon started all 13 games last season at cornerback and led the Broncos with six intercep-

tions. The six picks tied for the seventh-most in the country. He also led the team with nine pass break-ups and had three tackles-for-loss. The Rialto, California, native’s best game came against Colorado State, when he had an interception, three pass break-ups and a season-high seven tackles. His four passes defended against the Rams tied for the 15th-most in an NCAA game in 2013. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 152 pounds, Deayon is one of the smallest players on the field on a weekly basis. He’s the lightest player on Boise State’s roster — although he said he’s pushing 157 pounds at the moment. Said defensive coordinator Marcel Yates: “He has that chip on his shoulder where his size doesn’t matter.” Deayon was named to the preseason allMountain West team shortly before the start of fall camp. He was also named to the preseason Jim Thorpe Award watch list. “Donte will be a leader back there for us,” secondary coach Julius Brown said. “He’s a tremendous player. The one thing I really like about Donte is he really, really studies. I like him. He’s competitive. … This will be his third season, and he’s made a ton of plays. He wants to be great.”

DEFENSIVE BACK RESERVES NO POS 1 CB 9 CB 3 CB 23 CB 31 CB 47 CB

NAME Bryan Douglas Mercy Maston Cleshawn Page Kevin Person Zavior Hoxie Eric Yates

YR HT Sr. 5-9 Sr. 5-11 Sr. 5-9 Fr. 6-0 Fr. 5-11 Fr. 5-9

WT 175 197 178 173 184 161

NO POS 37 N 22 S 24 S 28 S 29 S

NAME Cameron Hartsfield Chanceller James Taylor Loffler Dillon Lukehart Dylan Sumner-Gardner

YR HT Fr. 5-10 So. 6-2 Jr. 6-3 Jr. 6-1 Fr. 6-1

WT 186 208 219 208 196

YR: Sophomore HT: 5-10; WT: 187 HOME: West Palm, Fla.

Moxey worked his way into the lineup as a true freshman last season, appearing in 12 games and making a start against Southern Miss. He overtook Bryan Douglas for playing time down the stretch and could do the same again this year. Moxey had 12 tackles on the year, including three each against Fresno State and New Mexico. Secondary coach Julius Brown sang his praises during fall camp.

38 COREY BELL

YR: Senior HT: 5-11; WT: 203 HOME: Boise

The Capital High grad started 10 games last season at linebacker and finished second on the team with 76 tackles. He also added 4.5 tackles-for-loss, two pass break-ups, a sack and a fumble recovery. He had 12 tackles vs. Utah State and 11 vs. Colorado State. Bell was moved to the nickel position for his senior season this fall due to the number of teams with spread offenses in the MWC.

4 DARIAN THOMPSON

YR: Junior HT: 6-2; WT: 208 HOME: Lancaster, Calif.

Thompson adds to an experienced secondary for the Broncos after starting all 13 games at safety last season as a sophomore. He’s started 19 consecutive games dating back to his freshman season in 2012. Thompson finished fourth on the team with 63 tackles (34 solo) and tied for second on the team with four interceptions. He had a season-high 10 tackles against BYU, and twice served as a Broncos’ game captain.

10 JEREMY IOANE

A graduate of the same high school in Hawaii as President Barack Obama, Ioane was named to the all-Mountain West second team last season after finishing fifth on the team with 59 tackles. He had a season-high 10 tackles vs. Oregon State in the Hawaii Bowl. Ioane has started 25 of 26 games the past two seasons, missing only the 2013 BYU matchup due to an injury. He was a YR: Senior preseason all-Mountain West selection HT: 5-10; WT: 192 HOME: Honolulu, Hawaii in July. Sunday, August 24, 2014

BLUE TURF

FOOTBALL ‘14 MOUNTAIN

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MOUNTAIN DIVISION TEAM 1. Boise State 2. Utah State 3. Colorado State 4. Wyoming 5. New Mexico 6. Air Force

FIRST PTS 20 183 12 176 1 135 - 90 - 56 - 53 Chuckie Keeton

WEST DIVISION TEAM 1. Fresno State 2. San Diego State 3. Nevada 4. UNLV 5. San Jose State 6. Hawaii

FIRST PTS 15 174 15 172 3 130 - 95 - 87 - 35

ALL-MWC OFFENSE POS PLAYER QB Chuckie Keeton, Sr. WR Matt Miller, Sr. WR Devante Davis, Sr. RB Jay Ajayi, Jr. RB Donnel Pumphrey, So. OL Ty Sambrailo, Sr. OL Cody Wichmann, Sr. OL LaMar Bratton, Sr. OL Brett Boyko, Sr. OL Robert Waterman, Sr. TE Kivon Cartwright, Sr.

TEAM Utah St. Boise St. UNLV Boise St. San Diego St. Colorado St. Fresno St. New Mexico UNLV UNLV Colorado St.

ALL-MWC DEFENSE POS PLAYER TEAM DL Tyeler Davison, Sr. Fresno St. DL Brock Hekking, Sr. Nevada DL B.J. Larsen, Sr. Utah St. DL Eddie Yarbrough, Jr. Wyoming LB Ejiro Ederaine, Jr. Fresno St. LB Kyler Fackrell, Jr. Utah St. LB Zach Vigil, Sr. Utah St. DB Donte Deayon, Jr. Boise St. DB Jeremy Ioane, Sr. Boise St. DB Derron Smith, Sr. Fresno St. DB J.J. Whittaker, Sr. San Diego St.

ALL-MWC SPECIAL TEAMS POS PLAYER P Garrett Swanson, Jr. PK Jared Roberts, Sr. Ret. Carlos Wiggins, Jr.

TEAM Fresno St. Colorado St. New Mexico

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR OFFENSE: Chuckie Keeton, QB, Sr., Utah St. DEFENSE: Derron Smith, DB, Sr., Fresno St. SPECIAL TEAMS: Carlos Wiggins, Ret., Jr., New Mexico

Sunday, August 24, 2014

UTAH STATE AGGIES

COLORADO STATE RAMS

Jalen Claiborne

WYOMING COWBOYS

LaMar Bratton

NEW MEXICO LOBOS

AIR FORCE FALCONS

9-5, 7-1 MWC

8-6, 5-3 MWC

BOWL: Beat Northern Illinois 21-14 in Poinsettia Bowl COACH: Matt Wells (second season, 9-5 at Utah State) KEY LOSSES: Utah State lost four starters on the offensive line, with only left tackle Kevin Whimpey returning. The Aggies also lost running back Joey DeMartino (graduation), who rushed for 1,270 and 13 touchdowns last season.

5-7, 3-5 MWC

3-9, 1-7 MWC

2-10, 0-8 MWC

BOWL: Beat Washington State 48-45 in New Mexico Bowl COACH: Jim McElwain (third season, 12-14 at Colorado State) KEY LOSSES: Kapri Bibbs, the nation’s leading rusher in 2013, decided to test the NFL draft waters and leaves behind 1,741 rushing yards. The Rams also lost linebacker Shaquil Barrett, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, to graduation.

BOWL: Did not qualify for a bowl COACH: Craig Bohl (first season at Wyoming) KEY LOSSES: The Cowboys have to replace quarterback Brett Smith who threw for 3,375 yards and 29 touchdowns. Wide receiver Robert Herron and three linemen also leave the team, while the defense loses just two starters — tackle Justin Bernthaler and safety Marqueston Huff.

BOWL: Did not qualify for a bowl COACH: Bob Davie (third season, 7-18 at New Mexico) KEY LOSSES: Four from New Mexico’s front seven on defense have left, including linebacker Dallas Bollema, who was second on the team with 94 tackles. Running back Kasey Carrier, who rushed for 1,122 yards last year, is the only departure from the offensive backfield.

BOWL: Did not qualify for a bowl COACH: Troy Calhoun (eighth season, 49-41 at Air Force) KEY LOSSES: Three offensive linemen — David Lore, Moshood Adeniji and Jerry Henry leave the Falcons, as well as running back Anthony LaCoste, who rushed for 890 yards last season. Cornerback Steffon Batts, who broke up a teamhigh six passes, also is gone.

PLAYER TO WATCH

CHUCKIE KEETON is back after suffering a seasonending knee injury midway though last season. Keeton, for whom Utah State has begun a Heisman trophy campaign, had 1,691 all-purpose yards in 2013.

GARRETT GRAYSON is the Mountain West’s top returning passer after throwing for 3,696 yards a year ago. With his top two targets also back, the senior looks poised for another big year.

EDDIE YARBROUGH provides a spark at defensive end for the Cowboys, who return nine starters on defense. Yarbrough led the team with 6.5 sacks last season and had 12 tackles for a loss.

CARLOS WIGGINS proved to be an explosive threat returning kicks last season. The junior averaged 29.6 yards per return last year, and took three of them back for touchdowns.

CHRISTIAN SPEARS is one of eight starters returning to the Falcons’ defense. Spears led the team with 92 tackles a season ago, and finished with two of the four interceptions Air Force had last season.

OUTLOOK: Coming off a Mountain Division championship, Utah State enters the year dreaming big. It’s unleashed its ‘Chuckie4Heisman’ campaign and a Mountain West title is an attainable goal. Utah State returns a strong defensive unit, including three linebackers — Zach and Nick Vigil and Kyler Fackrell, who combined for 263 tackles.

OUTLOOK: Colorado State looks to use its come-from-behind victory in the New Mexico Bowl as a stepping stone into becoming a contender in the Mountain West for years to come. Jim McElwain and company may not be there just yet, but the Rams look to be a program that is headed in the right direction.

OUTLOOK: New coach Craig Bohl looks to bring his winning ways to Laramie. Bohl coached 11 seasons at North Dakota State, where he put up a 104-32 record. In each of the last three seasons, the Bison won the FCS National Championship. During that span, North Dakota State went 43-2.

OUTLOOK: The Lobos showed some promise at the beginning of last year, starting the season 2-3, but faltered down the stretch dropping six of their last seven. New Mexico returns seven starters on its offense, including junior quarterback Cole Gautsche who missed some time with injuries a season ago.

OUTLOOK: Seven offensive starters and eight defensive starters return for Air Force, but the Falcons are going to need to see a lot of improvement from them if they want to escape the cellar of the division. The Falcons went winless in the Mountain West and failed to make a bowl for the first time under Troy Calhoun in 2013.

2014 SCHEDULE

Aug. 31 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Oct. 3 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 7 Nov. 15 Nov. 21 Nov. 29

Aug. 29 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 22 Nov. 28

Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 7 Nov. 22 Nov. 29

Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 20 Sept. 26 Oct. 4 Oct. 10 Oct. 18 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29

Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 21 Nov. 28

at Tennessee 5 p.m. IDAHO STATE 6 p.m. WAKE FOREST 5 p.m. at Arkansas State 5 p.m. at BYU 8:30 p.m. AIR FORCE TBA at Colorado State 5 p.m. UNLV TBA at Hawaii 9 p.m. at Wyoming 6 p.m. NEW MEXICO TBA SAN JOSE STATE 7:30 p.m. at Boise State TBA

vs. Colorado (Denver) 7 p.m. at Boise State 8:15 p.m. UC DAVIS 1 p.m. at Boston College TBA TULSA 1 p.m. at Nevada 8:30 p.m. UTAH STATE 5 p.m. WYOMING 5 p.m. at San Jose State 5 p.m. HAWAII TBA NEW MEXICO TBA at Air Force 1:30 p.m.

MONTANA 2 p.m. AIR FORCE 8:15 p.m. at Oregon Noon FLORIDA ATLANTIC 2 p.m. at Michigan State 10 a.m. at Hawaii 10 p.m. SAN JOSE STATE TBA at Colorado State 5 p.m. at Fresno State TBA UTAH STATE 6 p.m. BOISE STATE TBA at New Mexico 1 p.m.

UTEP 6 p.m. ARIZONA STATE 5 p.m. at New Mexico State 6 p.m. FRESNO STATE 6 p.m. at UTSA 1:30 p.m. SAN DIEGO STATE 7:30 p.m. at Air Force 1:30 p.m. at UNLV 3:30 p.m. BOISE STATE 5 p.m. at Utah State TBA at Colorado State 11:30 a.m. WYOMING 1:30 p.m.

NICHOLLS STATE at Wyoming at Georgia State BOISE STATE NAVY at Utah State NEW MEXICO at Army at UNLV NEVADA at San Diego State COLORADO STATE

Noon 8:15 p.m. Noon 5 p.m. 1:30 p.m. TBA 1:30 p.m. 9:30 a.m. 2 p.m. Noon 7:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m.

Listen to player and coach interviews, check standings and stats and get the latest Boise State news at BlueTurfSports.com

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Josh Harper

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FRESNO ST. BULLDOGS

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NEVADA WOLF PACK

UNLV REBELS

SAN JOSE ST. SPARTANS

HAWAII WARRIORS

11-2, 7-1 MWC

8-5, 6-2 MWC

4-8, 3-5 MWC

7-6, 5-3 MWC

6-6, 5-3 MWC

1-11, 0-8 MWC

BOWL: Lost to USC 45-20 in the Las Vegas Bowl COACH: Tim DeRuyter (third season, 20-6 at Fresno State) KEY LOSSES: Derek Carr, with his 5,083 passing yards and 50 touchdowns, is an obvious loss, but the Bulldogs have to replace a 1,719-yard, 24-touchdown receiver in Davante Adams and a 1,026-yard, six-touchdown receiver in Isaiah Bruse.

BOWL: Beat Buffalo 49-24 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl COACH: Rocky Long (fourth season, 25-14 at San Diego State) KEY LOSSES: Adam Muema, who rushed for 1,244 yards last season, declared himself for the NFL draft. He went undrafted and gave up football. The Aztecs also lost defensive back Nat Berhe, their leading tackler, to graduation.

BOWL: Did not qualify for bowl COACH: Brian Polian (second season, 4-8 at Nevada) KEY LOSSES: The Wolf Pack are down Brandon Wimberly who led the team in receptions (97) and receiving yards (989). Defensively, the Wolf Pack lose two key defensive backs in Bryson Keeton (38 tackles, one interception) and Markus Smith (58 tackles, three interceptions).

BOWL: Lost to North Texas 36-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl COACH: Bobby Hauck (fifth season, 13-38 at UNLV) KEY LOSSES: UNLV loses its quarterback Caleb Herring, who had a 24-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, as well as Tim Cornett, who rushed for 1,284 yards and 15 touchdowns. Frank Crawford, who had four interceptions, is also gone.

BOWL: Did not qualify for bowl COACH: Ron Caragher (second season 6-6 at San Jose State) KEY LOSSES: Quarterback David Fales, who passed for 4,189 yards graduated, as did Chandler Jones, who had 1,356 of those receiving yards. Bene Benwickere (five interceptions) and Keith Jones (159 tackles) leave a defense that otherwise remains intact.

BOWL: Did not qualify for bowl COACH: Norm Chow (third season, 4-20 at Hawaii) KEY LOSSES: Linebackers Brenden Daley and Art Laurel, who combined for 167 tackles, 27.5 tackles for a loss and seven sacks, were two of the bright spots on a defense that ranked 115th in the FBS. Saftey John Hardy-Tuliau (75 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss) also leaves.

PLAYER TO WATCH

DERRON SMITH was a threat to opposing quarterbacks all season last year for the Bulldogs. He led the Mountain West with seven interceptions and also had four sacks to his credit.

EZELL RUFFIN proved to be a consistent option for San Diego State at wide receiver last year. He caught 68 passes last season for 1,136 yards, but only found the end zone three times.

CODY FAJARDO looks to finish his career in Reno on a high note. The four-year starting quarterback enters his senior season with 7,161 career passing yards, 2,436 rushing yards and 70 total touchdowns.

DEVANTE DAVIS is back after picking up second-team All-Mountain West honors a year ago. The senior had 87 receptions for 1,290 yards and caught 14 touchdown passes.

CHRISTIAN TAGO leads a defense that returns a lot of experience. The linebacker had four sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss last year as a freshman. He was also second on the team with 90 tackles.

BEN CLARKE has started all 24 games of his college career at center, but moves to left tackle. The junior is one of four returning starters on the offensive line, which has a combined 62 career starts.

OUTLOOK: Tim DeRuyter has led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Mountain West championships in his first two years. If he wants to win for a third staright year, he has to do so without Derek Carr. The Bulldogs do return eight starters on the defensive side of the ball, including all four of their linebackers.

OUTLOOK: The Aztecs found their quarterback early last year in Quinn Kaehler, and now the senior looks to help the team build off a Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory. The Aztecs will have to replace seven starters from a defense that ranked second in the Mountain West in fewest yards allowed in 2013.

OUTLOOK: In its first season under Brian Polian, Nevada missed a bowl game for the first time in nine years. If the Wolf Pack want to get back to the postseason, they need to see improvement on their defense. Nine starters return to the unit which ranked 11th in the conference and 117th in the FBS last year.

OUTLOOK: Coming off its first bowl game appearance in 14 years, the Rebels are looking to continue the upward trend. Losing their entire starting offensive backfield doesn’t help, but the Rebels do return a majority of their receivers as well as center Robert Waterman and both of their starting tackles.

OUTLOOK: San Jose State upset undefeated Fresno State in its last game of 2013 to pull to a 6-6 record, but was passed over for a bowl game. Now the Spartans aim to get to the postseason with an experienced defense. Eleven players who started return, including six who rotated on the defensive line.

OUTLOOK: The Warriors started last season 0-11 last and a 49-42 win over Army in their final game kept Hawaii from suffering what would have been the second winless season in program history. Hawaii did rank third in Mountain West passing offense last year, but the team needs more to win.

2014 SCHEDULE

Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 10 Oct. 17 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 22 Nov. 29

Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 20 Nov. 27 Oct. 3 Oct. 10 Oct. 18 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 21 Nov. 29

Aug. 30 Sept. 5 Sept. 13 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29

Aug. 29 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 10 Oct. 26 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29

Aug. 28 Sept. 6 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 21 Nov. 29

at USC 5:30 p.m. at Utah 1 p.m. NEBRASKA 8:30 p.m. SOUTHERN UTAH 8 p.m. at New Mexico 6 p.m. SAN DIEGO STATE 8 p.m. at UNLV 8 p.m. at Boise State 6 p.m. WYOMING TBA SAN JOSE STATE 8:30 p.m. at Nevada TBA HAWAII 5 p.m.

NORTHERN ARIZONA 5 p.m. at North Carolina 6 p.m. at Oregon State TBA UNLV TBA at Fresno State 8 p.m. at New Mexico 7:30 p.m. HAWAII 8:30 p.m. at Nevada 8:30 p.m. IDAHO 4:30 p.m. at Boise State TBA AIR FORCE 7:30 p.m. SAN JOSE STATE 1:30 p.m.

SOUTHERN UTAH 1 p.m. WASHINGTON STATE 8:30 p.m. at Arizona 9 p.m. at San Jose State 8:30 p.m. BOISE STATE 8:30 p.m. COLORADO STATE 8:30 p.m. at BYU TBA at Hawaii 10 p.m. SAN DIEGO STATE 8:30 p.m. at Air Force Noon FRESNO STATE TBA at UNLV TBA

at Arizona 8:30 p.m. NORTHERN COLORADO 8 p.m. NORTHERN ILLINOIS 5 p.m. at Houston TBA at San Diego State TBA at San Jose State TBA FRESNO STATE 8 p.m. at Utah State TBA NEW MEXICO 3:30 p.m. AIR FORCE 2 p.m. at BYU TBA at Hawaii 9 p.m. NEVADA TBA

NORTH DAKOTA at Auburn at Minnesota NEVADA UNLV at Wyoming at Navy COLORADO STATE at Fresno State HAWAII at Utah State at San Diego State

8 p.m. 5 p.m. TBA 8:30 p.m. TBA TBA 11 a.m. 5 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29

WASHINGTON OREGON STATE NORTHERN IOWA at Colorado at Rice WYOMING at San Diego State NEVADA UTAH STATE at Colorado State at San Jose State UNLV at Fresno State

8:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 10 p.m. TBA 5 p.m. 10 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 10 p.m. 9 p.m. TBA 2:30 p.m. 9 p.m. 5 p.m.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

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Sunday, August 24, 2014