Wustrow specialty column

SPORTS idahopress.com/sports Sunday, December 7, 2014

Idaho Press-Tribune

28

Section B

14

READY TO FIESTA

Greg Kreller/IPT

Boise State coach Bryan Harsin, right, hoists the Mountain West Football Championship trophy as he celebrates with running back Jay Ajayi (27) and the rest of the Boise State football team after they defeated Fresno State 28-14 Saturday evening at Albertsons Stadium in Boise.

After year of change, Mountain West Champions: Broncos likely Fiesta Bowl-bound Boise State on top

By B.J. RAINS

By JOHN WUSTROW

the leadership on new coach Bryan Harsin, the Boise State Š 2014 Idaho Press-Tribune Broncos were lifting the conferBOISE — Take a look at the ence championship trophy on Boise State football team now. the Blue Turf.

Looks a lot different than the Today they will find out their team did 365 days ago, doesn’t it? bowl destination. When Harsin’s What a crazy year it has been, young son, Davis, was asked his indeed. preference during the Boise State captured postgame news conferits first outright Mounence, he responded with tain West title Saturday “a big one.� with a 28-14 win over What a crazy year it Fresno State at Alberthas been, indeed. sons Stadium. Coinci“Having been a part dently, the championship of this program for some game happened one year years, not just as a player, to the date that former but as a coach as well, JOHN WUSTROW you know what you’re Boise State coach Chris jwustrow@ Petersen left town to take capable of accomplishthe head coaching job at idahopress.com ing,� the elder Harsin the University of Washsaid. “I think that was ington. the exciting part about it.

On Dec. 6, 2013, Boise State “I’m proud of people taking players met at what was then an idea and a goal, really attackknown as Bronco Stadium to ing it, and putting themselves in receive the news Coach Pete was this position.� leaving. On Dec 6, 2014, under jwustrow@idahopress.com

bjrains@idahopress.com

Š 2014 Idaho Press-Tribune

BOISE — Boise State linebacker Tanner Vallejo adjusted his new Mountain West Championship hat and slapped five with screaming fans as he tried to put his feelings into words on Saturday night.

Up on the stage, defensive back Bryan Douglas and teammates held signs that said “Mountain West Champions� as confetti fell from the sky.

A few moments later, coach Bryan Harsin sent the crowd into a frenzy as he hoisted the Mountain West Championship trophy high into the air.

It was a scene that not even the most optimistic Boise State fan could have expected so soon.

A year to the day since former coach Chris Petersen shocked the college football world by leaving for Washington, the Boise State football team announced its return to the national stage with a 28-14 win over Fresno State in the Mountain West Championship at Albertsons Stadium. “We’re back,� Vallejo screamed as he tried to talk over screaming fans that had stormed the field moments earlier. “It’s surreal. This was our goal at the beginning of the year, and it just feels great to be back on top. I don’t know what to say, honestly. This is why everybody came here and now we did it. It’s amazing.�

Greg Kreller/IPT

Boise State defensive tackle Armand Nance (40) holds up

Please see BSU, B4 a bag of Tostitos during the postgame celebration.

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

Idaho Press-Tribune • Sunday, December 7, 2014

BOISE STATE 28, FRESNO STATE 14

B5

BLUE TURF F

QUARTER BY QUARTER

Greg Kreller/IPT

Greg Kreller/IPT

Greg Kreller/IPT

Adam Eschbach/IPT

Boise State receiver Chaz Anderson (6) hauls in a deep pass Saturday during the first quarter.

Jay Ajayi carried for a 9-yard touchdown during the second quarter.

Boise State quarterback Grant Hedrick (9) runs for a touchdown.

Boise State’s Corey Bell gets up after tackling Fresno State’s Greg Watson.

FIRST QUARTER

SECOND QUARTER

THIRD QUARTER

FOURTH QUARTER

SUMMARY: Chaz Anderson caught a 46-yard pass from Grant Hedrick on the Broncos’ opening drive to set up a 20-yard touchdown run by Hedrick two plays later. Late in the quarter, Tanner Vallejo intercepted a pass from Fresno State quarterback Brian Burrell at the Boise State 37 and returned it 63 yards for the score.

KEY STAT: Burrell was 9 of 12 with two interceptions.

SUMMARY: Fresno State started the quarter in Boise State territory, but came away with no points after Armand Nance blocked a field goal. Donte Deayon recovered. On the ensuing drive, Boise State marched down the field and had the drive capped off by a 9-yard touchdown run by Jay Ajayi, putting him one TD short of Brock Forsey’s single-season rushing touchdown record of 26 in 2002.

KEY STAT: Boise State’s defense had five tackles for a loss and two sacks in the first half.

SUMMARY: Grant Hedrick picked up his second touchdown run of the game, scoring from 21 yards out on a quarterback keeper.

The run capped off a 7-play, 86-yard drive for Boise State to open the second half. Fresno State got on the board late in the quarter when Josh Quezada ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 3:18 left in the quarter.

KEY STAT: Fresno State’s scoring drive lasted 19 plays as the Bulldogs matched 96 yards down the field. It took 8:10 off the clock.

SUMMARY: Fresno State made things interesting late in the game when Greg Watson caught a 25-yard pass from Brian Burrell, to cut the Broncos’ lead down to two touchdowns, then recovered the onside kick. But Boise State allowed just two yards on the ensuing drive and forced a turnover on downs. Beau Martin clinched the game with an interception with 1:16 left.

KEY STAT: After rushing for 70 yards on 13 carries in the first half, Jay Ajayi was held to 0 yards on nine carries in the second half.

BOISE STATE 14, FRESNO STATE 0

BOISE STATE 21, FRESNO STATE 0

BOISE STATE 28, FRESNO STATE 7

BOISE STATE 28, FRESNO STATE 14

Ajayi stopped short of records

By JOHN WUSTROW jwustrow@idahopress.com

© 2014 Idaho Press-Tribune

BOISE — If Jay Ajayi is going to get his name in Boise State’s record book a couple more times, he will have to do it in the Broncos’ bowl game and not on the blue turf.

Ajayi had 22 carries for 70 yards in Saturday’s 28-14 win against Fresno State in the Mountain West Championship game, falling short of breaking Ian Johnson’s school record for rushing yards in a single season.

Ajayi needed 95 yards to break Johnson’s record. He will enter Boise State’s bowl game with 1,689 yards on the year, 24 yards shy of Johnson’s 2006 mark of 1,713.

It looked as if Ajayi would break the record Saturday after the first half, where he had 70 yards on 13 carries. But in the second half, his 0 yards on his nine carries hurt him.

“I think our defensive coaching staff had a really nice game plan against him,” Fresno coach Tim DeRuyter said. “Obviously we knew that given the way he’s played all year long that he was going to be a focal point of their offense, and we were able to slow him down. He got his yards early.

I thought he ran extremely hard.

But our guys played extremely hard on defense.”

The junior already had a pair of single-season records entering the game. He had 303 rushing attempts entering the game and 2,155 all-purpose yards, both

Greg Kreller/IPT

Boise State running back Jay Ajayi (27) tries to get past Fresno State defender Derron Smith (13) in the second quarter of the Saturday evening Mountain West Football Championship game at Albertsons Stadium in Boise. school-bests. pulled him within one of Brock He also scored on a 9-yard run Forsey’s record of 26 set in 2002. in the second quarter for his 25th Ajayi entered Saturday’s game touchdown of the season. That second in the nation in touch-

downs, rushing attempts and He is a semifinalist for the scores, tied for second in rushing Doak Walker Award, awarded to touchdowns and third in the na- the top running back in the nation in all-purpose yards per game. tion.

Wustrow Continued from B1 When Petersen left, the Broncos had four losses, a rarity at Boise State. A couple weeks later, they lost their fifth game of the season in the Hawaii Bowl, an even greater rarity.

After the bowl game, Harsin took over, and things haven’t been the same since.

Today, Boise State is expected to pick up an invitation to one of the New Year’s access bowls, most likely the Fiesta Bowl.

What a crazy year it has been, indeed.

“The last year, it’s been crazy,” quarterback Grant Hedrick said. “It just goes to show you what type of team we have, the culture we have, the chemistry we have. The brotherhood kept this thing together.”

When Harsin was introduced as the new head coach on Dec. 13, 2013, he talked about Boise State being a national brand.

He talked about his belief that Boise State could still be an elite program. He brought up a phrase which has been a battle cry for Bronco Nation since: “Attack the future.”

Well, the future is now.

“I knew it was going to be a lot of hard work with the new coaching staff,” linebacker Joe Martarano said. “Harsin and his staff did an awesome job, and we love to have them as our coaches.”

For the last year, Harsin has done all the right things and said all the right things to keep his team’s sight on its No. 1 on-field goal: Winning the Mountain West Conference title.

After a season-opening loss in Atlanta to Ole Miss, and even more so after the Broncos lost a shocker in conference play to Air Force, Harsin never let his team C M Y K

Greg Kreller/IPT

Boise State’s Tanner Vallejo (20) and a group of Boise State defenders knock down a fourth-down pass to Fresno State’s Chad Olsen Saturday in the fourth quarter at Albertsons Stadium. believe that this goal was out of reach.

Each week, Boise State players preached about going 1-0. Every time the Broncos had a conference game, they would refer to it as “championship week.”

And as Boise State came into this week, the actual championship, the Broncos adopted the motto “one more.”

I think in life that’s what’s important,” said defensive end Beau Martin. “When you work hard for something, you want to achieve your goal. When I think about this team, and this brotherhood, achiev-

ing that goal, it’s an unbelievable feeling.

Coach Harsin has done an unbelievable job with us.”

Boise State still has the second half of its on-field goals to complete. In addition to the Mountain West title, the stated goal, written on the wall of the team meeting room, is to win its bowl game.

And if everything goes as expected today, it could be a very big bowl victory the Broncos will be going for on Dec. 31.

What a crazy year it has been, indeed.

Adam Eschbach/IPT

Boise State cornerback Donte Deayon is held up by Armond Nance after Deayon’s interception against Fresno State Saturday in the Mountain West Championship game at Albertsons Stadium in Boise.

NO LETDOWN FOR NO. 1 ‘CATS SEATTLE DOMINATES PHILLY Kentucky men’s hoops cruises past Eastern Kentucky for 11th win SPORTS, B2

‘Legion of Boom’ defense stifles Eagles in 3rd straight win SPORTS, B3

SPORTS idahopress.com/sports Monday, December 8, 2014

Idaho Press-Tribune

Return to Glendale

Section B

Broncos set up for more access bowls in future N

Greg Kreller/IPT

Boise State receiver Chaz Anderson hugs Tyler Wilkinson, 8, the son of director of football operations Brian Wilkinson, as the team watches the Fiesta Bowl announcement Sunday at the Double R Ranch Club at Albertsons Stadium.

No. 20 Boise State will play No. 10 Arizona in 3rd Fiesta Bowl appearance in past 9 seasons Boise State Football

By B.J. RAINS

bjrains@idahopress.com

© 2014 Idaho Press-Tribune

BOISE — In the lobby of the Bleymaier Football Complex sit a pair of Fiesta Bowl championship trophies just feet from the main entrance.

Arguably the biggest and most recognizable symbols of Boise State’s rise as a college football power, the shiny glass cases are the first thing visitors see when they arrive and the

last thing players and coaches see when they leave.

For a program built high on tradition and embracing past success, the hardware serves as a nod to Ian Johnson, Kellen Moore and the Boise State greats that paved the way for the $22 Fiesta Bowl ticket information, See B4 million facility to be built.

It also has been a source of motivation for players that committed would have a chance to play on the to Boise State in part because of the biggest of stages.

YouTube clips from the 2007 Fiesta Bowl and the promise that they too Please see Glendale, B4

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl selects W. Michigan, Air Force College Football IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE STAFF

Mountain West Conference’s Air Force and Western Michigan of the MidAmerican Conference have accepted invitations to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, scheduled for 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise.

Air Force enjoyed the best turnaround in program history, finishing the regular season 9-3 and 5-3 in the Mountain West, including upsets against Mountain West Champion Boise State on Sept. 27 and then-ranked No. 21 Colorado State on Nov. 28. The Falcons went only 2-3 in 2013.

Senior Will Conant was named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year as a kicker, and five other Falcons were named to the all-conference team.

Western Michigan went 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the MAC, also a complete turn-

around for the program, which went 1-11 record in 2013. Head coach P.J. Fleck, who was named MAC Coach of the Year, guided the Broncos to the top of the MAC in scoring offense (34.6 points per game) and the best pass rush in the conference (2.33 sacks per game). Running back Jarvion Franklin rushed for more than 1,500 yards — a conference record — which earned him MAC Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. Franklin, along with 10 other Broncos, made the All-MAC team.

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is the fourth game of the opening day of the 2014-15 bowl calendar and will be televised on ESPN and broadcast on ESPN Radio (96.5 FM or 730 AM).

The bowl pits teams from the Mountain West and MAC. Tickets are on sale now at boisestatetickets.com or by phone at 426-4737 or at the Albertsons Stadium ticket office.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF Semifinals

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Alabama QB Blake Sims

AP Photo/Ben Margot

Oregon RB Ayele Forde

AP Photo/Chuck Burton

Florida St. QB Jameis Winston

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Ohio State QB Cardale Jones

‘Bama, Oregon, FSU, OSU star in powerful playoff

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer

GRAPEVINE, Texas — The first College Football Playoff expanded the national championship race, made the regular season even more intriguing and produced a final four with major star power.

Nick Saban’s No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Urban Meyer’s No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes at the Sugar Bowl.

Marcus Mariota, this season’s Heisman Trophy front-runner, and second-seeded Oregon vs. Jameis Winston, last season’s Heisman Tro-

on the web: idahopress.com CC M M Y YK K

early every chance to be a part day, Jay Ajayi of.” walks by the The talent two Fiesta Bowl Boise State will be trophies sitting able to recruit as in the Bleymaier a result of a third Football Complex, Fiesta Bow should commemorating help the Broncos the Boise State JOHN WUSTROW sustain this level football team’s two of success, sure. jwustrow@ BCS victories.

But a bigger factor idahopress.com The opportunity should be the way to add to that colthe current bowl lection motivated structure is set up and the the Boise State running level of opponents they back every day. The chance have scheduled for the to add to the lore and the future. history of the Broncos’ The bowls are set up so football program was an that the highest-ranked attractive prospect. champion from the Group It was one of the reaof Five gets an automatic sons, he said, he came to bid to one of the six access Boise from Texas. bowls. At No. 20, Boise “Coming from Texas, State was the lone Group I really didn’t know too of Five team ranked by the much about Boise State,” College Football Playoff said Ajayi. “When they first committee in the top 25 at recruited me, I looked them the end of this season. up on YouTube, and the In the BCS era, a twofirst thing that you saw was loss Boise State team them going undefeated, probably never could have the Statue of Liberty play, dreamed of going to one of and just seeing them in the the big bowl games. Now Fiesta Bowl. Those were the with the way it is set up, a things that brought me to Bronco team that wins the Boise State. It was the tradi- Mountain West will probtion of playing in those big ably be in the conversation games and the tradition of nearly every year. winning.”

“This year, the formula Ajayi and the rest of the and how it worked has 2014 Broncos will get the been in our benefit,” Harsin chance to add to the legacy said. “The teams that we of the program when they played — and the way we take on Arizona in the played — has helped us get Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, in this position. Right now, Arizona. They will be part yes, it’s a good formula for of a legacy where nearly Boise State, and we hope every player who has suited that continues to work in up since 2006 will get the our favor if we can conchance to appear in a bigtinue to do the things we’re money bowl game. doing now.”

“There are great opOne of the things that portunities here to come helped Boise State get to this play for a great program Fiesta Bowl was its schedule. and have success,” Boise The Broncos had non-conState coach Bryan Harsin ference games against three said, “to have an opportubowl teams — Ole Miss, nity to play for championBYU and Louisiana — with ships. And if you do play wins over the Cougars and for championships, there the Ragin’ Cajuns. is a legitimate, large major Please see Wustrow, B4 bowl game that you have a

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phy winner, and defending national champion Florida State at the Rose Bowl.

The winners will meet on Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas, at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

A new era, indeed, but with the same old problems: What is the best way to pick the teams and what should be the criteria?

After six weeks of ranking teams, the selection committee shuffled its deck Sunday and dealt the Big 12 out of the playoff.

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“We’re smarting today,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said.

TCU, which had been third in the rankings last week, ended up sixth. Big 12 co-champion Baylor moved up a spot to No. 5, but both were squeezed out by Ohio State, which won over the committee with a doozy of a closing statement in its conference championship game: a 59-0 victory against Wisconsin for the Big Ten title.

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SPORTS

Idaho Press-Tribune • Monday, December 8, 2014

Glendale Continued from B1 What seemed likely the past two weeks became official on Sunday afternoon — the Broncos are headed back to the Fiesta Bowl and will have a chance write yet another chapter in his program’s storied history.

With players, coaches, athletic department personnel and others close to the program watching during a gathering on the fourth floor of the Stueckle Sky Center, the College Football Playoff committee announced that No. 20 Boise State will play No. 10 Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. on ESPN. “It was always motivation just because of the legacy of what Boise State has done in the past of going to two Fiesta Bowls and winning those games,” Boise State running back Jay Ajayi said. “For us to get back there and have an opportunity to bring another one of those trophies back to our trophy case, it’s a big opportunity for us, and we’re really blessed.”

Boise State (11-2) will be making its third trip to the Fiesta Bowl in the past nine seasons. The Broncos used a trio of trick plays late in regulation and overtime to stun Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl before topping TCU to win the 2010 Fiesta Bowl four years later.

“We have a chance to really leave our legacy at Boise State,” Ajayi said of the current team.

“We brought the first outright Mountain West Championship to Boise State, and now we have another opportunity — and that’s to bring another Fiesta Bowl championship back to

Basketball

National Basketball Association

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic W L Pct GB Toronto 15 5 .750 — Brooklyn 8 10 .444 6 Boston 7 11 .389 7 New York 4 18 .182 12 Philadelphia 2 18 .100 13 Southeast W L Pct GB Atlanta 13 6 .684 — Washington 13 6 .684 — Miami 9 11 .450 4½ Orlando 9 14 .391 6 Charlotte 5 15 .250 8½ Central W L Pct GB Cleveland 11 7 .611 — Chicago 12 8 .600 — Milwaukee 11 11 .500 2 Indiana 7 13 .350 5 Detroit 3 18 .143 9½ WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest W L Pct GB Houston 16 4 .800 — Memphis 16 4 .800 — San Antonio 15 5 .750 1 Dallas 16 6 .727 1 New Orleans 9 10 .474 6½ Northwest W L Pct GB Portland 16 4 .800 — Denver 9 11 .450 7 Oklahoma City 7 13 .350 9 Utah 5 15 .250 11 Minnesota 4 15 .211 11½ Pacific W L Pct GB Golden State 17 2 .895 — L.A. Clippers 14 5 .737 3 Phoenix 12 9 .571 6 Sacramento 10 10 .500 7½ L.A. Lakers 5 16 .238 13 Sunday’s Games Boston 101, Washington 93 Atlanta 96, Denver 84 Memphis 103, Miami 87 Oklahoma City 96, Detroit 94 Dallas 125, Milwaukee 102 Portland 103, New York 99 New Orleans 104, L.A. Lakers 87 Today’s Games Boston at Washington, 5 p.m.

Atlanta at Indiana, 5 p.m.

Denver at Toronto, 5:30 p.m.

Cleveland at Brooklyn, 5:30 p.m.

Golden State at Minnesota, 6 p.m.

Utah at Sacramento, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at L.A. Clippers, 8:30 p.m.

NBA Development League

East Conference Central W L Pct GB Iowa 4 3 .571 — Fort Wayne 5 5 .500 ½ Grand Rapids 4 4 .500 ½ Sioux Falls 3 4 .429 1 Atlantic W L Pct GB Maine 6 2 .750 — Erie 5 4 .556 1½ Canton 4 4 .500 2 Westchester 4 5 .444 2½ Delaware 3 4 .429 2½ West Conference Southwestern W L Pct GB Texas 6 3 .667 — Austin 4 3 .571 1 Rio Grande Valley 5 4 .556 1 Oklahoma City 3 5 .375 2½ West W L Pct GB Santa Cruz 5 3 .625 — Bakersfield 5 4 .556 ½ Reno 3 4 .429 1½ Idaho 3 5 .375 2 Los Angeles 2 8 .200 4 Sunday’s Games Texas 106, Iowa 84 Fort Wayne 97, Westchester 86 Today’s Games Los Angeles at Bakersfield, 8 p.m.

Bowling

Caldwell Bowl

Sunday Nite Mixed: Tyrel Aberasturi 235-27-659; Mike Marose 256-657; Dustin Hammons 607; Tyrone Prough 279-701 Monday Seniors: Rich Day 208; Ken Jones 202-504; Merv Michael 214-519; Dale Morgan 203-506; Larry Wentland 224-563; Bill Lobb 221-576; Pearl Ahnstedt 200; Tom Hill 517; James Haymond 213-524; Bud Becker 211-561; AC Winslow 223-575; Arlen Hebner 512; Jerry Lee 545; Wayne Oyama 500 Mon. Mixmasters: Carl Wilson 601; David Shada 229-237685; Carol Lenz 512; Brian Rapp 233 Monday Scratch: David Shada 237-620; Jacob Tollman 225; Janelle Ford 533; Bubba Ford 627; Kaylyn Tollman 258-234-652; Kris Decker 604; Dean Hayashida 225-632; Don Burns 226-608; Tim Schuler 637; Colt Loon 237-643 Tues. A.M. Ladies: Kay O’Krakel 535; Paula Hylinski 505 Tues. Early Bird: Kay O’Krakel 221-557; Phyllis Jewett 532; Cindy Tollman 232-584; Kaylyn Tollman 224-567; Margie Little 203-502; Megan Hashagen 222-594; Gretchen McGee 223-542 After Lunch Bunch: John Kelso 202-514; Steve Clymer 204-561; Dan Martz 520; Jerry Lee 211-556; Judy John 208225-572; Kay O’Krakel 523; Dale Eis 204-529; Alex Brown 203-219-605; Dale Morgan 212-547 Men’s City: Sam Robison 236-233-648; AC Winslow 228610; Tony Clark 238; Kevin Erskine 259-602; Dave Dale 625; Don Burns 602 Wed. Night Ladies: Tammy Weber 510; Brandy Schuler 221-564 Wed. Majors: Jason Serratos 249-656; Nate Freeman 232616; Tony Tolsma 257-671 Treasure Valley Travel League: Karen Serratos 215-506; Jason Hall 212-211-566; Bill Matney 553; Merle Stutheit

FIESTA BOWL TICKET INFORMATION Tickets to the Fiesta Bowl can be purchased on BroncoSports.com or by contacting the Boise State ticket office. Boise State has an allotment of 12,500 tickets that it is required to sell. The university will be on the hook for any that go unsold, which will reduce the school’s financial profit from playing in the game. n Nearly all of Boise State’s tickets cost $162 each and are located in sections 101-108 (lower level) and 403-412 (upper level). The school is also selling 500 student tickets for $57. Students can purchase a maximum of two tickets, but one is allowed to be used by a non-student. n Season-ticket holders have until 9 p.m. on Tuesday to reserve their tickets.

The general public can request tickets online, but won’t find out until Wednesday if they are able to purchase them. Some $75 tickets are available on the Fiesta Bowl website, but Boise State encourages fans to buy from their allotment to help maximize the school’s profit. n The Boise State ticket office will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Each person who enters the stadium, regardless of age, is required to have a ticket. University of Phoenix Stadium does not allow re-entry if fans leave at any point during the game. n Parking passes are also being sold on Boise State’s website for $31. n

Boise State.

“We’re really excited for the opportunity to leave that mark at Boise State that said ‘Hey, that 2014 team, they were one of the best Boise State teams to come through here.’”

The Broncos knew they were likely headed to the Fiesta Bowl after taking down Fresno State in the Mountain West Championship on Saturday night. But they had to wait until this afternoon to find out for sure — and to find out their opponent.

Arizona (10-3) suffered a 5113 loss to No. 2 Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday night. The Wildcats beat the Ducks earlier this season on the road — they are the only team to beat Oregon this season — and also have wins over ranked teams Utah and Arizona State.

“You’re going to be on the biggest stage against one of the best teams in the country,” said Boise State coach Bryan Harsin, who was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator in the previous two Fiesta Bowls. “That’s a great challenge. … We’re going to enjoy the moment and enjoy the opportunity to play in the Fiesta Bowl, but at the same time, we have a lot of work to do.

“Arizona is a tremendous team. They are very well coached and a team that has played very good competition the entire season, so we’re going to need to be on point when we go out there and play.”

Sunday’s announcement validated a remarkable turnaround for the Broncos, who have won eight-straight games since committing seven turnovers in a stunning 28-14 loss

at Air Force on Sept. 27 that dropped their record to 3-2.

Boise State, which was ranked No. 20 in the CFP’s final top 25 poll, won the program’s first outright Mountain West title on Saturday night — one year to the day since former coach Chris Petersen departed for Washington.

“We didn’t look past any teams. We just took it one game at a time, and we all just played together,” defensive back Donte Deayon said. “We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs this season. … It just feels surreal. It’s just real exciting to see that we’re going back to the Fiesta Bowl.

“We wanted to get back to that level, so it’s real exciting.”

The Cotton Bowl and Peach Bowl were also possibilities for the Broncos, who clinched a spot in one of the “New Year’s Six” bowls by finishing as the highest-ranked champion from the Group of Five conferences.

But the news flashed on the screen about 12:50 p.m. that the Broncos were headed back to

COMMUNITY CORNER Baseball/Softball Spring/summer fastpitch softball: Sign-ups for programs for various area organizations will be beginning as early as December.

If you are interested in a more optimal skill development opportunity for your 8-, 9- or 10-year-old daughter and in having her enjoy a more competitive level of playing experience, check out the Hot Shots before you go along with what options you have. Call Dan Noble at 550-1068.

Christmas hitting camps: Hitting camps for boys and girls are scheduled for December. Boys ages 7-11 and 13-18 are on Dec. 22 and 23.

Contact Jeff Mace at 208-941-3968 to sign up. Girls ages 7-12 and 13-18 are on Dec. 20. Contact Julie Coert at 989-8979 to sign up.

Basketball 5th & 6th grade select league: Caldwell Recreation is holding a select basketball league for 5th and 6th graders. This league offers a higher level of competition for kids in this age group.

Each team will play 10 games and compete in a single-elimination tournament at the end of the season. Games will be played in Caldwell and Middleton.

Games will start Jan. 10. The fee is $450 per team. Deadline to register is Dec. 12.

Call 455-3060 for more info.

Men’s rec league: Caldwell Recreation’s men’s basketball league offers nine games and a double-elimination tournament at the end.

This league is $420 per team with no player fees.

Play will begin Jan. 7. The deadline to register is Dec. 19.

Call 455-3060 for more info.

Boise Slam Winter Break Grades K-2 Basketball Camps: Registration is open for the Boise Slam Winter Break Basketball Camps for kindergarten, first and second grade boys and girls. There is a 40-player limit. The camp will run from 2-4 p.m. on Dec. 22-23 and 29-31.

The cost is $40 per player for Dec. 22-23 and $55 per player for Dec. 29-31 or $80 for all five days.

Each day, camp sessions will vary in instruction, fundamentals and drills.

Register online at boiseslam.com or contact Kyle Wilson at kyle@ boiseslam.com or 250-2420 for more information.

209-205-593; Wayne Simpson 549; Thomas Gatchel 234-576 Ladies Thurs. Night: Nancy Fleetwood 514; Cindy Hastriter 531; Kathy Abel 205-590; Vicki Larsen-Luna 513; Becky Bly 507; Juanita Pearson 214; Bev Lobb 508 Friday Night Mixed: Louise Fuqua 533; Kimberly Erskine 203; Steven Snow 245-607; Colt Loon 236; Susie Winder 208-557 Nevada Travelers: Chylzee Handerson 222-234-653; Tim Schuler 243-632; Linda Doty 504; Phillip Hathaway 613; Kaylyn Tollman 217-600 High Scores for the Week of Nov. 30-Dec. 6 Women’s High Game: Kaylyn Tollman 258; Women’s High Series: Chylzee Handerson 653 Men’s High Game: Tyrone Prough 279; Men’s High Series: Tyrone Prough 701 Junior Bowlers Wed. Youth: Tate Freeman 109; Keaton Freeman 101; Matthew Mikelson 108; Jayden Waltman 114-110-318; Justen Allen 193-179-506; Will Bourne 180; Duncan Dye 195-188-168-551; Nathan Tollman 210-169-256-635

Football

College Football Playoff Top 25

1. Alabama 2. Oregon 3. Florida State 4. Ohio State 5. Baylor 6. TCU 7. Mississippi State 8. Michigan State 9. Ole Miss 10. Arizona 11. Kansas State 12. Georgia Tech 13. Georgia 14. UCLA 15. Arizona State 16. Missouri 17. Clemson 18. Wisconsin 19. Auburn 20. Boise State 21. Louisville 22. Utah 23. LSU 24. USC 25. Minnesota Dropped: Oklahoma.

AP Top 25

1. Alabama (27) 2. Florida St. (25) 3. Oregon (8) 4. Baylor 5. Ohio St. 6. TCU 7. Michigan St. 8. Mississippi St. 9. Mississippi 10. Georgia Tech 11. Kansas St. 12. Arizona 13. Georgia 14. UCLA 15. Arizona St. 16. Missouri 17. Wisconsin 18. Clemson

idahopress.com

Record Pv 12-1 1 12-1 2 13-0 4 12-1 5 11-1 6 11-1 3 10-2 10 10-2 8 9-3 12 10-3 7 9-3 9 10-3 11 9-3 14 9-3 15 9-3 17 10-3 16 9-3 18 10-3 13 8-4 19 11-2 22 9-3 21 8-4 23 8-4 24 8-4 25 8-4 NR

Record Pts 12-1 1,452 13-0 1,436 12-1 1,426 11-1 1,265 12-1 1,262 11-1 1,257 10-2 1,105 10-2 1,070 9-3 976 10-3 876 9-3 875 10-3 819 9-3 745 9-3 663 9-3 602 10-3 599 10-3 542 9-3 509

Pv 1 2 3 5 6 4 7 10 13 12 9 8 15 16 17 14 11 19

Canyon/Owyhee County youth basketball: Registration is open for third- and fourth-grade boys and girls youth basketball teams in Middleton. Play begins in February, and each team will play one game per week for six weeks. The deadline to register is Jan. 15, 2015.

There are two locations for registration: 7-8 p.m. on Dec. 15 at Greenleaf School and 7-8 p.m. on Dec. 16 at Middleton Purple Sage School.

The fee is $55, and no refunds will be issued 10 days after the registration date. Parents may volunteer to coach teams.

Teams will consist of nine or 10 players with separate teams for boys and girls, not coed. The league is expected to have teams from Homedale, Parma, Marsing, Wilder, Notus, Middleton, Nampa, Vallivue and Greenleaf.

Participants will play one-half of every game regardless of skill or ability.

Football Cunningham to speak at FCA Bowl Breakfast: Former 16-year NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham is the keynote speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bowl Breakfast from 7:30-9 a.m. Dec. 19 at the Boise Centre on Front Street.

Ticket costs are as follows: Student ($25 each), adult ($40) and coach ($25). Impact sponsors can purchase a 10-seat table for $375.

Registration is due by Dec. 15 and can be done online at fcaidaho.com.

Players from the MAC and Mountain West Conference teams who are participating in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 20 will give their testimonies during the FCA Bowl Breakfast.

Cunningham, who is a pastor in Las Vegas, was named NFL MVP by the Pro Football Writers Association in 1990 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

He still ranks second on the all-time NFL rushing list for quarterbacks with 4,928 career yards.

Wrestling Marsing High partners with Clothes for the Cause: The Marsing High wrestling team is participating in a Clothes for the Cause fundraising drive through Dec. 14. Clothes for the Cause collects clothes in exchange for cash and is measured in dollars per pound. The fundraiser will accept clothing, shoes, hats, gloves, towels, sheets, blankets, quilts, drapery, purses, belts, rugs and stuffed animals of any kind and in any condition to raise money for the Marsing High wrestling team’s purchase of new warm-up uniforms. Donations may be dropped off at the Marsing High Gym at 800 W. Main St. Hwy 55 in Marsing.

19. Auburn 8-4 450 20 20. Louisville 9-3 406 21 21. Boise St. 11-2 368 22 22. LSU 8-4 221 23 23. Utah 8-4 134 24 24. Southern Cal 8-4 112 NR 25. Nebraska 9-3 79 25 Others receiving votes: Minnesota 58, Oklahoma 46, Marshall 36, Memphis 34, Duke 32, Colorado St. 13, N. Illinois 11, Air Force 7, Cincinnati 5, UCF 4, West Virginia 4, Stanford 1.

Amway Top 25

Record Pts Pvs 1. Alabama (28) 12-1 1486 1 2. Florida State (25) 13-0 1450 2 3. Oregon (7) 12-1 1439 3 4. Ohio State 12-1 1307 6 5. Baylor (1) 11-1 1277 4 6. TCU (5) 11-1 1276 5 7. Michigan State 10-2 1143 7 8. Mississippi State 10-2 1079 10 9. Georgia Tech 10-3 922 12 10. Kansas State 9-3 915 9 11. Arizona 10-3 903 8 12. Mississippi 9-3 882 14 13. Georgia 9-3 759 15 14. Missouri 10-3 676 13 15. UCLA 9-3 661 17 16. Arizona State 9-3 599 18 17. Wisconsin 10-3 566 11 18. Clemson 9-3 518 19 19. Auburn 8-4 395 21 20. Louisville 9-3 381 20 21. Boise State 11-2 325 22 22. Nebraska 9-3 200 23 23. LSU 8-4 173 24 24. Oklahoma 8-4 100 16 25. Utah 8-4 72 NR Others receiving votes: Minnesota 71; Southern California 59; Marshall 55; Duke 39; Northern Illinois 29; Memphis 18; Cincinnati 14; Colorado State 9; Central Florida 8; Stanford 7; Air Force 6; Brigham Young 6.

Bowl Glance

University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and the room erupted in applause and celebration.

Harsin, athletic director Mark Coyle and president Bob Kustra spoke to the group to congratulate them on their accomplishment. Then, after they finished lunch, the team returned to the facility for a team meeting.

It was time to get back to work.

“I feel like for us to finish this season off right, we need to win this game,” Ajayi said.

“Arizona, they are a great team.

I mean, they beat Oregon, and that’s very hard to do — I don’t think anybody else has done it besides them this year — so we’re going to be playing a great team.

“We kind of slipped up against Ole Miss (in the season opener), and they were up there in the rankings. So now we have another opportunity to play a big-name team, and it’s a chance for us to get another signature win in the Fiesta Bowl.”

Saturday, Dec. 20 New Orleans Bowl Nevada (7-5) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4), 9 a.m. (ESPN) New Mexico Bowl UTEP (7-5) vs. Utah State (9-4), 12:20 p.m. (ESPN) Las Vegas Bowl Colorado State (10-2) vs. Utah (8-4), 1:30 p.m. (ABC) Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Western Michigan (8-4) vs. Air Force (9-3), 3:45 p.m. (ESPN) Camelia Bowl Bowling Green (7-6) vs. South Alabama (6-6), 7:15 p.m.

(ESPN) Monday, Dec. 22 Miami Beach Bowl BYU (8-4) vs. Memphis (9-3), Noon (ESPN) Tuesday, Dec. 23 Boca Raton (Fla.) Bowl Marshall (12-1) vs. Northern Illinois (11-2), 46 p.m. (ESPN) Poinsettia Bowl Navy (6-5) vs. San Diego State (7-5), 79:30 p.m. (ESPN) Wednesday, Dec. 24 Bahamas Bowl Western Kentucky (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (7-5), 10 a.m.

(ESPN) Hawaii Bowl Rice (7-5) vs. Fresno State (6-7), 6 p.m. (ESPN) Friday, Dec. 26 Heart of Dallas Bowl

Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4), 11 a.m. (ESPN) Quick Lane Bowl Rutgers (7-5) vs. North Carolina (6-6), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl UCF (9-3) vs. N.C. State (7-5), 6 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday, Dec. 27 Military Bowl Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Cincinnati (9-3), 11 a.m. (ESPN) Sun Bowl Duke (9-3) vs. Arizona State (9-3), Noon (CBS) Independence Bowl Miami (6-6) vs. South Carolina (6-6), 2 p.m. (ESPN2) Pinstripe Bowl Boston College (7-5) vs. Penn State (6-6), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) Holiday Bowl Nebraska (9-3) vs. Southern Cal (8-4), 6 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Dec. 29 Liberty Bowl West Virginia (7-5) vs. Texas A&M (7-5), Noon (ESPN) Russell Athletic Bowl Clemson (9-3) vs. Oklahoma (8-4), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) Texas Bowl Texas (6-6) vs. Arkansas (6-6), 7 p.m. (ESPN) Tuesday, Dec. 30 Music City Bowl Notre Dame (7-5) vs. LSU (8-4), 1 p.m. (ESPN) Belk Bowl Louisville (9-3) vs. Georgia (9-3), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN) Fosters Farm Bowl Stanford (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Wednesday, Dec. 31 Peach Bowl Mississippi (9-3) vs. TCU (11-1), 10:30 a.m. (ESPN) Fiesta Bowl Boise State (11-2) vs. Arizona (10-3), 1 p.m.

(ESPN) Orange Bowl Mississippi State (10-2) vs. Georgia Tech (10-3), 6 p.m. (ESPN) Thursday, Jan. 1 Outback Bowl Wisconsin (10-3) vs. Auburn (8-4), 10 a.m. (ESPN2) Cotton Bowl Classic Michigan State (10-2) vs. Baylor (11-1), 10:30 a.m. (ESPN) Citrus Bowl Minnesota (8-4) vs. Missouri (10-3), 11 a.m. (ABC) Rose Bowl Playoff semifinal: Oregon (12-1) vs. Florida State (13-0), 3 p.m. (ESPN) Sugar Bowl Playoff semifinal: Alabama (12-1) vs. Ohio State (12-1), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN) Friday, Jan. 2 Armed Forces Bowl Pittsburgh (6-6) vs. Houston (7-5), 10 a.m. (ESPN) TaxSlayer Bowl Iowa (7-5) vs. Tennessee (6-6), 1:20 p.m. (ESPN) Alamo Bowl UCLA (9-3) vs. Kansas State (9-3), 4:45 p.m. (ESPN) Cactus Bowl Oklahoma State (6-6) vs. Washington (8-5), 8:15 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday, Jan. 3 Birmingham (Ala.) Bowl Florida (6-5) vs. East Carolina (8-4), 11 a.m. (ESPN2) GoDaddy Bowl Toledo (8-4) vs. Arkansas State (7-5), 7 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday, Jan. 10 Medal of Honor Bowl American vs. National, 12:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 12 College Football Championship Sugar Bowl winner vs. Rose Bowl winner, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wustrow Continued from B1

No other Group of Five champion — or in the case of the American Athletic Conference, three co-champions — had multiple non-conference wins against teams heading to bowl games.

On the season as a whole, Boise State had eight wins against bowl teams.

Northern Illinois, UCF and Cincinnati each had three and were the next closest among Group of Five champions.

No doubt, strength of schedule will play a role in how the College Football Playoff committee ranks teams. Just look at Alabama and Oregon being ranked higher than Florida State and Ohio State getting into the playoffs over Baylor and TCU. And in that category, Boise State has set itself up well for the future. The Broncos have two games scheduled against teams from power conferences each season for the next three years.

Boise State has at least one scheduled each season through 2023.

Non-conference home-and-homes with the likes of Florida State, Michigan State and Oklahoma State — paired with a game each year scheduled against BYU — should boost Boise State’s strength of schedule for the next decade.

“Not just us, but if you look at what they’re talking about right now on the selection committee, they’re talking about strength of schedule,” Harsin said. “I don’t know how all that works in teams’ favors. Some teams, you schedule them and they change. There’s so many moving parts, but the bottom line is you want to have a successful year, you want to win.”

Boise State’s top goals will always be to win the Mountain West Conference and its bowl game. Not necessarily a big-time bowl game.

But if Boise State can continue to win Mountain West titles, the bowl game that comes with it may be a bigtime one, more often than not.

Hockey

National Hockey League

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 28 18 7 3 39 98 72 Detroit 28 17 6 5 39 88 70 Montreal 29 17 10 2 36 74 76 Toronto 26 14 9 3 31 89 79 Boston 28 15 12 1 31 72 72 Florida 25 11 7 7 29 56 64 Ottawa 27 11 11 5 27 70 74 Buffalo 27 9 16 2 20 47 85 Metropolitan GP W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 26 18 6 2 38 85 60 N.Y. Islanders 27 19 8 0 38 86 74 Washington 26 12 10 4 28 74 71 N.Y. Rangers 25 11 10 4 26 73 73 New Jersey 27 10 13 4 24 64 79 Philadelphia 26 9 13 4 22 68 82 Columbus 26 9 15 2 20 61 88 Carolina 26 8 15 3 19 58 74 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central GP W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 27 18 8 1 37 85 53 Nashville 26 17 7 2 36 70 54 St. Louis 27 17 8 2 36 76 63 Winnipeg 28 14 9 5 33 64 64 Minnesota 25 14 10 1 29 71 61 Dallas 27 10 12 5 25 79 95 Colorado 27 9 12 6 24 72 89 Pacific GP W L OT Pts GF GA Anaheim 29 18 6 5 41 85 79 Vancouver 28 18 8 2 38 87 78 Calgary 28 17 9 2 36 89 72 Los Angeles 27 14 8 5 33 72 59 San Jose 29 14 11 4 32 81 79 Arizona 28 10 15 3 23 66 90 Edmonton 27 7 15 5 19 60 91 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

Sunday’s Games Anaheim 4, Winnipeg 3, OT Detroit 3, Carolina 1 Ottawa 4, Vancouver 3, OT Edmonton 2, San Jose 1 Today’s Games Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers, 5 p.m.

New Jersey at Carolina, 5 p.m.

Florida at St. Louis, 6 p.m.

ECHL Glance

EASTERN CONFERENCE East GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Florida 18 14 3 0 1 29 69 46 Elmira 22 12 7 0 3 27 64 63 Greenville 22 13 9 0 0 26 70 62 Orlando 23 11 10 2 0 24 79 81 Reading 20 10 8 1 1 22 67 68 S. Carolina 23 9 10 0 4 22 60 67 Gwinnett 17 6 10 1 0 13 43 53 North GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Fort Wayne 20 16 4 0 0 32 77 56 Toledo 18 14 3 0 1 29 85 56 Wheeling 18 11 7 0 0 22 59 57 Cincinnati 18 8 6 1 3 20 60 60 Evansville 19 8 9 1 1 18 53 62 Kalamazoo 20 7 11 1 1 16 55 67 Indy 20 5 11 2 2 14 57 72 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Allen 19 14 4 0 1 29 84 51 Tulsa 22 11 8 1 2 25 78 83 Wichita 21 9 8 1 3 22 56 58 Quad City 20 8 7 3 2 21 58 55 Missouri 19 9 10 0 0 18 46 69 Brampton 16 7 8 1 0 15 40 59 Rapid City 20 6 12 0 2 14 50 56 Pacific GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Idaho 23 13 8 2 0 28 73 64 Ontario 22 12 8 0 2 26 66 51 Bakersfield 23 11 9 1 2 25 73 71 Colorado 18 11 7 0 0 22 56 50 Alaska 20 10 10 0 0 20 57 63 Utah 21 8 9 2 2 20 54 73 Stockton 22 9 12 1 0 19 68 84 NOTE: Two points are awarded for a win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss.

Sunday’s Games Wheeling at Brampton, ppd., Transportation issues Elmira 5, Wichita 1 Reading 2, South Carolina 0 Allen 6, Missouri 2 Today’s Games No games scheduled

Rodeo

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas Sunday Round 4 Bareback riding: 1. (tie) Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s On Tap, and Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., on Andrews Rodeo’s Rylee’s Raisin Cain, 84 points, $17,010 each; 3. (tie) Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., and Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas, 83, $9,654 each; 5. Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, 82, $4,904; 6. (tie) Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas, and Jake Vold, Ponoka, Alberta, 81.5, $1,532 each; 8. Kaycee Feild, Spanish Fork, Utah, 80.5; 9. Justin McDaniel, Porum, Okla., 80; 10. Caleb Bennett, Tremonton, Utah, 77; 11. (tie) Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb.; Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., and J.R. Vezain, Cowley, Wyo., 76.5 each; 14. Jessy Davis, Power, Mont., 72.5 (Steven Peebles injured-DNC). World standings: 1. Kaycee Feild, $195,370; 2. Steven Peebles, $145,932; 3. Austin Foss, $143,405; 4.

Bobby Mote, $128,563; 5. Tim O’Connell, $119,900; 6. Will Lowe, $113,571; 7. Justin McDaniel, $110,641; 8. Richmond Champion, $91,467; 9. Jake Vold, $89,649; 10. Winn Ratliff, $88,057; 11. Steven Dent, $85,664; 12. Caleb Bennett, $84,225; 13. Tilden Hooper, $78,499; 14. J.R. Vezain, $70,208; 15. Jessy Davis, $67,686.

Steer wrestling: 1. Seth Brockman, Wheatland, Wyo., 3.6 seconds, $19,002; 2. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 3.7, $15,018; 3. Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore., 4.0, $11,340; 4. (tie) Casey Martin, Sulphur, La., and Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev., 4.1, $6,436 each; 6. Dru Melvin, Hebron,

Neb., 5.5, $3,065; 7. (tie) K.C. Jones, Decatur, Texas, and Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont., 6.0 each; 9. Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis., 6.6; 10. Clayton Hass, Terrell, Texas, 6.9; 11. Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala., 8.8; 12. Bray Armes, Ponder, Texas, 14.3; 13. Cole Edge, Durant, Okla., 16.5; 14. Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 17.7; 15. Wyatt Smith, Rexburg, Idaho, NT. World standings: 1. Luke Branquinho, $122,539; 2. Nick Guy, $113,001; 3. Trevor Knowles, $108,048; 4. Casey Martin, $102,959; 5. Kyle Irwin, $100,653; 6. K.C. Jones, $82,055; 7. Bray Armes, $80,249; 8. Clayton Hass, $76,576; 9. Cole Edge, $72,424; 10. Seth Brockman, $71,935; 11. Dru Melvin, $70,897; 12. Dakota Eldridge, $69,452; 13. Curtis Cassidy, $65,418; 14. Ty Erickson, $63,503; 15. Wyatt Smith, $57,188.

Team roping: 1. Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas/Kollin VonAhn, Blanchard, Okla., 3.6 seconds, $19,002; 2. Dustin Bird, Cut Bank, Mont./Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo., 3.9, $15,018; 3. Riley Minor, Ellensburg, Wash./Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 4.5, $11,340; 4. (tie) Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz./ Cory Petska, Marana, Ariz., and Brandon Beers, Powell Butte, Ore./Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M., 4.6, $6,436 each; 6. Nick Sartain, Dover, Okla./Rich Skelton, Llano, Texas, 4.8, $3,065; 7. Jake Barnes, Scottsdale, Ariz./Junior Nogueira, Scottsdale, Ariz., 6.1; 8. Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Ariz./ Clay O’Brien Cooper, Gardnerville, Nev., 9.4; 9. (tie) Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas/Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., and Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont./Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., 9.6 each; 11. Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla./Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 13.9; 12. Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas/Dakota Kirchenschlager, Morgan Mill, Texas, 19.1; 13. (tie) Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga./Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texas; Charly Crawford, Prineville, Ore./Shay Carroll, La Junta, Colo.; and Tom Richards, Humboldt, Ariz./Cesar de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz., NT. World standings (headers): 1. Clay Tryan, $139,144; 2. Dustin Bird, $124,663; 3. Trevor Brazile, $121,321; 4.

Erich Rogers, $110,923; 5. Turtle Powell, $107,314; 6. Riley Minor, $98,214; 7. Brandon Beers, $97,267; 8. Kaleb Driggers, $96,028; 9. Coleman Proctor, $94,712; 10. Luke Brown, $92,065; 11. Charly Crawford, $86,577; 12. Jake Barnes, $83,375; 13. Nick Sartain, $80,028; 14. Aaron Tsinigine, $68,074; 15. Tom Richards, $66,744. World standings (heelers): 1. Jade Corkill, $139,144; 2. Paul Eaves, $127,755; 3. Travis Graves, $121,321; 4. Cory Petska, $111,270; 5.

Dakota Kirchenschlager, $103,954; 6. Brady Minor, $98,214; 7. Jim Ross Cooper, $97,267; 8. Patrick Smith, $96,028; 9. Jake Long, $95,712; 10. Kollin VonAhn, $89,065; 11. Shay Carroll, $87,636; 12. Rich Skelton, $80,028; 13. Junior Nogueira, $73,367; 14. Clay O’Brien Cooper, $60,255; 15. Cesar de la Cruz, $58,515.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah, 84 points on Calgary Stampede’s Mata Fact, $19,002; 2.

Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La., 83.5, $15,018; 3. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, 82, $11,340; 4. Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D., 81, $7,969; 5. Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M., 76.5, $4,904; 6.

Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb., 75, $3,065; 7. Cole Elshere, Faith, S.D., 73; 8. (tie) Jacobs Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, and Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 71 each; 10. (tie) Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La.; Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa; Bradley Harter, Loranger, La.; Tyler Corrington, Hastings, Minn.; Jake Wright, Milford, Utah, and Dustin Flundra, Pincher Creek, Alberta, NS. World standings: 1. Taos Muncy, $141,437; 2. Cort Scheer, $139,499; 3. Cody Wright, $122,425; 4. Heith DeMoss, $120,771; 5. Jacobs Crawley, $120,450; 6. Wade Sundell, $105,942; 7. Spencer Wright, $100,415; 8. Tyler Corrington, $84,130; 9. Cole Elshere, $82,449; 10. Cody DeMoss, $81,701; 11. Chad Ferley, $81,674; 12. Jesse Wright, $77,495; 13.

Bradley Harter, $74,836; 14. Dustin Flundra, $70,697; 15.

Jake Wright, $67,764.

Tie-down roping: 1. Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas, 6.7 seconds, $19,002; 2. Cade Swor, Winnie, Texas, 7.4, $15,018; 3. (tie) Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho, and Timber Moore, Aubrey, Texas, 7.5, $9,654 each; 5. Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah, 7.6, $4,904; 6. (tie) Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas; Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas, and Ryan Watkins, Bluff Dale, Texas, 8.3, $1,022 each; 9. Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas, 8.7; 10. Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 9.0; 11. (tie) Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, and Tyson Durfey, Colbert, Wash., 9.6 each; 13. Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, 10.0; 14.

Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., 10.2; 15. Cody Ohl, Hico, Texas, NT. World standings: 1. Tuf Cooper, $159,748; 2. Trevor Brazile, $131,854; 3. Matt Shiozawa, $131,541; 4. Marty Yates, $124,257; 5. Cade Swor, $115,243; 6. Clint Robinson, $102,137; 7. Hunter Herrin, $99,309; 8. Shane Hanchey, $92,867; 9. Cody Ohl, $92,253; 10. Timber Moore, $85,472; 11. Clint Cooper, $81,958; 12. Tyson Durfey, $72,209; 13.

Adam Gray, $69,401; 14. Ryan Watkins, $69,218; 15. Reese Riemer, $66,317.

Barrel racing: 1. Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas, 13.85 seconds, $19,002; 2. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 13.88, $15,018; 3. Trula Churchill, Valentine, Neb., 13.90, $11,340; 4. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 13.91, $7,969; 5. Jana Bean, Fort Hancock, Texas, 13.99, $4,904; 6. Michele McLeod, Whitesboro, Texas, 14.00, $3,065; 7. Britany Diaz, Solen, N.D., 14.01; 8. Mary Walker, Ennis, Texas, 14.02; 9. Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo., 14.04; 10. Kassidy Dennison, Tohatchi, N.M., 14.15; 11. Samantha Lyne, Cotulla, Texas, 14.19; 12.

Kaley Bass, Kissimmee, Fla., 14.23; 13. Christine Laughlin, Pueblo, Colo., 18.99; 14. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas, 19.03; 15. Nancy Hunter, Neola, Utah, 23.79. World standings: 1. Fallon Taylor, $180,816; 2. Lisa Lockhart, $163,606; 3. Kaley Bass, $160,183; 4. Kassidy Dennison, $126,072; 5. Nancy Hunter, $122,372; 6. Sherry Cervi, $117,261; 7.

Michele McLeod, $115,050; 8. Britany Diaz, $102,947; 9.

Mary Walker, $102,777; 10. Trula Churchill, $102,233; 11.

Carlee Pierce, $101,464; 12. Christy Loflin, $96,640; 13.

Christine Laughlin, $93,135; 14. Jana Bean, $83,288; 15.

Samantha Lyne, $70,577.

Bull riding: 1. Sage Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., 87 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Kojack, $19,002; 2. Elliot Jacoby, Fredericksburg, Texas, 85, $15,018; 3. Trey Benton III, Rock Island, Texas, 84.5, $11,340; 4. Beau Hill, West Glacier, Mont., 78, $7,969; 5. (tie) Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas; J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas; Tim Bingham, Honeyville, Utah; Aaron Pass, Dallas, Texas; Josh Koschel, Nunn, Colo.; Reid Barker, Comfort, Texas; Joe Frost, Randlett, Utah; Brennon Eldred, Sulphur, Okla.; Ty Wallace, Collbran, Colo.; Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo., and Jordan Spears, Redding, Calif., NS. World standings: 1. Sage Kimzey, $192,510; 2.Trey Benton III, $151,905; 3.

Cody Teel, $128,947; 4. Joe Frost, $104,498; 5. Tim Bingham, $100,652; 6. J.W. Harris, $90,179; 7. Beau Hill, $86,467; 8.

Aaron Pass, $85,548; 9. Elliot Jacoby, $80,057; 10. Brennon Eldred, $77,830; 11. Reid Barker, $76,227; 12. Tyler Smith, $73,105; 13. Josh Koschel, $72,837; 14. Jordan Spears, $72,139; 15. Ty Wallace, $67,577.

Total payout: $6,375,000.

C M Y K

SPORTS idahopress.com/sports Monday, November 17, 2014

Idaho Press-Tribune

Section B

Mystique or not, something special brewing on The Blue COMMENTARY BOISE ven after witnessing first-hand Boise State’s largest comeback victory in recent memory Saturday night at Albertsons Stadium, San Diego State coach Rocky Long doesn’t buy into the mystique of the Broncos.

“They supposedly have this mystique,” Long told reporters after Boise State’s 38-29 victory. “They don’t have mystique.”

The comments were consistent with ones Long made earlier in the week, when he suggested that the Broncos had it “three, four years ago,” but that it was no longer there.

If any coach was qualified to make those comments, it would have been Long, whose team had a two-game winning streak against the Broncos coming into Saturday night’s game, and also had a victory on The Blue in last season’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

E

Greg Kreller/IPT

Boise State running back Jay Ajayi gets up after a rushing attempt in the first half of Saturday’s game against San Diego State at Albertsons Stadium.

Cards build on division, NFC leads Arizona improves NFL-best record to 9-1 with 14-6 win over Detroit

But back in Boise, those comments rang loud and clear. And Boise State was ready to respond. Running back Jay Ajayi posted photos from the 2012 and 2013 losses to the Aztecs on TwitJOHN WUSTROW ter, along with the jwustrow@ hashtag “#NoMotivaidahopress.com tionNeeded.” Inside the Broncos’ locker room, coach Bryan Harsin said, a large 80-inch television screen displayed the message “Believe in your brand.”

All week, Boise State set out to prove that what it had during its glory days of the last decade was still there.

“That was the mindset,” cornerback Cleshawn Page said. “Coach Harsin, he put up that exact quote, saying what that coach said, that we’re not what we used to be. All week we’ve seen that in practice. Every day before

BSU picks up running back commit Boise State picked up a commitment Sunday from Arlington (Texas) High running back Raymond Sheard. Sheard committed after visiting the Boise State campus over the weekend.

Sheard says he picked the Broncos over Oregon State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Texas State.

Read more at BlueTurfSports.com practice, every day after practice, every day walking through the facilities.

It was kind of drilled into us like ‘OK, they don’t respect us, so we’re going to make them respect us.’”

Maybe mystique wasn’t the right word or phrase to describe Boise State’s success over the past 15 years.

Perhaps there’s a better one to explain why what the Broncos had on The Blue during their runs to the Fiesta Bowl was present this week.

Please see Wustrow, B4

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

WALK-OFF WIN

By BOB BAUM AP Sports Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. — A new starting quarterback, the same result for Arizona.

The Cardinals win again.

Drew Stanton was good enough, Arizona’s defense was excellent and the Cardinals beat the Detroit Lions 14-6 on Sunday to improve to an NFL-best 9-1.

Stanton threw touchdown passes to Michael Floyd on Arizona’s first two possessions and the Cardinals held the Lions without a touchdown, the first time that’s happened to Detroit since 2009, in a matchup of teams with two of the best records in the league.

“When you score six points, you’re not going to win a lot of ball games,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said.

Detroit got inside the Arizona 20-yard line only once, and that was after one of Stanton’s two interceptions. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Detroit (7-3).

Stanton, starting after Carson Palmer was lost for the season with a knee injury, threw TD passes of 42 and 12 yards. After that, Arizona’s offense stalled and Stanton threw two interceptions. But the Lions couldn’t convert either turnover into a touchdown.

“It was a great win for us,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said, “and solidifies the belief in our locker room that whoever steps in steps up.”

Arizona won its sixth in a row and has its best record through 10 games since 1948. The Cardinals, 6-0 at home, also have a three-game lead over Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC West.

Arizona held an opponent without a TD for the first time this season.

“When a team doesn’t score seven points,” Cardinals linebacker Larry Foote said, “there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to come out on top.”

Please see NFL, B3

AP Photo/Alan Diaz

Kevin Harvick raises his trophy as he celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship Sunday in Homestead, Fla.

Harvick takes victory at Homestead to claim Sprint Cup championship

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

AP Photo/Matt York

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) pulls in a pass for a game-clinching first down as Detroit Lions defensive back Mohammed Seisay defends during the fourth quarter Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kevin Harvick charged through the field, picking off car after car, passing two other title contenders on a series of restarts. As he aggressively chased the victory and his first Sprint Cup title, it was clear that winning did indeed matter most in NASCAR’s new championship formula.

Harvick won Sunday night’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a desperate drive from 12th to first over the final 15 laps. He didn’t have to

ON THE WEB: idahopress.com C M Y K

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win the race, he only had to finish higher than the other three title contenders in this revamped Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

But nothing short of a win was going to get it done on a night in which Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano all showed up determined to claim their first career championship.

“You had all the championship guys show up at the front of the pack,” Harvick said. “I was just going to hold the pedal down and hope for the best.”

The four drivers all found themselves racing each other at the front of the field after the sun went down on the 400-mile race. It was Hamlin, the Charlotte Bobcats season-ticket holder who had Michael Jordan cheering from his pits, who seemed to have the race in control until a caution with 20 laps to go.

All four teams were forced to make tough strategy decisions that ultimately decided their fate.

REPORT SPORTS SCORES : 465-8111 or sports@idahopress.com

Please see NASCAR, B2

B4

SPORTS

Idaho Press-Tribune • Monday, November 17, 2014

AUTO RACING NASCAR Sprint Cup-Ford EcoBoost 400

Sunday At Homestead-Miami Speedway Homestead, Fla. Lap length: 1.5 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (5) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267 laps, 132.7 rating, 43 points, $346,498. 2. (21) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267, 108.2, 42, $244,450. 3. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267, 104.5, 41, $231,758. 4. (16) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 267, 87.1, 40, $172,664. 5. (19) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 267, 84.9, 39, $165,239. 6. (3) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267, 101.5, 38, $160,151. 7. (8) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267, 118.7, 37, $108,315. 8. (6) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 267, 97.2, 36, $127,481.

9. (12) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, 105.7, 35, $135,001.

10. (1) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 267, 138.2, 36, $143,626.

11. (2) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 267, 85.8, 34, $82,340. 12.

(23) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 267, 91.7, 32, $96,640. 13. (27) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267, 88.5, 31, $109,085. 14. (11) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 100.4, 30, $88,890. 15. (14) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 267, 74, 29, $108,523. 16. (9) Joey Logano, Ford, 267, 105.1, 28, $116,356. 17. (10) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 79.4, 27, $107,873. 18. (32) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 267, 67.7, 26, $87,665. 19. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 267, 66.6, 25, $116,276. 20. (29) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 267, 55.3, 24, $104,373.

21. (38) Michael McDowell, Ford, 267, 48.4, 23, $75,290. 22.

(22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 267, 58.6, 22, $114,265. 23.

(13) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 267, 77.7, 21, $110,215. 24. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 267, 48.7, 20, $91,998. 25. (24) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267, 67.5, 19, $123,751. 26. (42) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 267, 44.5, 18, $77,290. 27. (17) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 267, 58.7, 17, $103,335. 28. (30) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 267, 53.3, 0, $85,448. 29. (33) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 267, 47.4, 0, $76,590. 30. (31) David Ragan, Ford, 267, 41.2, 14, $94,912.

31. (35) David Gilliland, Ford, 267, 37, 13, $81,165. 32.

(37) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 267, 35.7, 12, $72,940. 33. (41) Alex Bowman, Toyota, 264, 40.5, 11, $72,740. 34. (15) Carl Edwards, Ford, 263, 62.8, 10, $91,540. 35. (39) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 263, 30.7, 9, $72,340. 36. (43) Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 262, 28.9, 8, $80,115. 37. (34) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, accident, 254, 30, 0, $71,888. 38. (40) Blake Koch, Ford, accident, 254, 27.9, 0, $66,730. 39. (7) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 246, 73.7, 5, $110,571. 40. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, accident, 235, 60.6, 4, $58,730.

41. (20) Greg Biffle, Ford, 220, 52.5, 3, $99,305. 42. (26) Trevor Bayne, Ford, accident, 204, 46.6, 0, $50,730.; 43. (28) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, accident, 182, 46, 1, $81,388.

NHRA Auto Club

Sunday At Auto Club Raceway Pomona, Calif.

Final Results Top Fuel — Morgan Lucas, 3.704 seconds, 325.14 mph def.

Tony Schumacher, 3.742 seconds, 324.98 mph.

Funny Car — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.076, 310.77 def.

John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.086, 276.58.

Pro Stock — Erica Enders-Stevens, Chevy Camaro, 6.480, 213.43 def. Jason Line, Camaro, foul.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.832, 195.08 def. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.977, 176.37.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Duane Shields, 5.412, 264.13 def.

Cameron Ferre, 5.625, 265.74.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Steve Harker, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.489, 266.21 def. John Lombardo Jr., Ford Mustang, 5.519, 263.36.

Competition Eliminator — Aaron Strong, Chevy S-10, 8.116, 165.44 def. Clint Neff, Bantam Roadster, 10.668, 78.17.

Super Stock — Jeff Taylor, Chevy Cobalt, 9.634, 124.03 def.

Marion Stephenson, Pontiac Sunbird, foul.

Stock Eliminator — Bobby DeArmond, Chevyt Camaro, 10.128, 128.18 def. Paula Cotten, Plymouth Duster, foul.

Super Comp — Gabriel Torres, Dragster, 8.907, 168.16 def.

Alan Kenny, Dragster, 8.905, 170.08.

Super Gas — Trevor Larson, Chevy Corvette, 9.917, 158.04 def.

Tommy Phillips, Chevy Camaro, 9.894, 160.63.

Summit Super Pro — Steve Sisko, Dragster, 9.648, 113.04 def.

Cliff Carr, Dragster, foul.

Summit Pro — Gerald Halle, Chevelle, 9.506, 140.85 def.

Dustin Moore, Chevy Nova, foul.

Summit Bike — Roy Hagadorn, Suzuki, 8.862, 142.60 def.

Brenda Kay, Suzuki, 8.606, 150.56.

Summit Sportsman — Bill Crutcher, Chevy Nova, 12.490, 107.35 def. Scott Smith, Chevy Malibu, foul.

BASKETBALL National Basketball Association EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Toronto Brooklyn Boston New York Philadelphia Southeast Washington Atlanta Miami Charlotte Orlando Central Chicago

W L Pct GB 8 2 .800 — 4 5 .444 3½ 3 5 .375 4 3 8 .273 5½ 0 9 .000 7½ W L Pct GB 7 2 .778 — 5 4 .556 2 5 5 .500 2½ 4 6 .400 3½ 4 7 .364 4 W L Pct GB 7 3 .700 —

Cleveland 5 3 .625 1 Milwaukee 5 5 .500 2 Indiana 4 7 .364 3½ Detroit 3 7 .300 4 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest W L Pct GB Memphis 9 1 .900 — Houston 9 1 .900 — Dallas 7 3 .700 2 New Orleans 5 3 .625 3 San Antonio 5 4 .556 3½ Northwest W L Pct GB Portland 7 3 .700 — Utah 4 7 .364 3½ Oklahoma City 3 8 .273 4½ Minnesota 2 7 .222 4½ Denver 2 7 .222 4½ Pacific W L Pct GB Golden State 8 2 .800 — L.A. Clippers 5 3 .625 2 Sacramento 6 4 .600 2 Phoenix 5 5 .500 3 L.A. Lakers 1 9 .100 7 Sunday’s Games New York 109, Denver 93 Milwaukee 91, Miami 84 Houston 69, Oklahoma City 65 Golden State 136, L.A. Lakers 115 Today’s Games Dallas at Charlotte, 5 p.m.

Denver at Cleveland, 5 p.m.

Orlando at Detroit, 5:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Boston, 5:30 p.m.

Miami at Brooklyn, 5:30 p.m.

Houston at Memphis, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at San Antonio, 6:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Portland, 8 p.m.

Chicago at L.A. Clippers, 8:30 p.m.

NBA Development League

EAST CONFERENCE Central W L Pct GB Iowa 2 0 1.000 — Sioux Falls 1 0 1.000 ½ Fort Wayne 0 2 .000 2 Grand Rapids 0 2 .000 2 Atlantic W L Pct GB Erie 2 0 1.000 — Maine 2 0 1.000 — Delaware 1 0 1.000 ½ Canton 0 1 .000 1½ Westchester 0 1 .000 1½ WEST CONFERENCE Southwestern W L Pct GB Rio Grande Valley 2 0 1.000 — Texas 2 0 1.000 — Oklahoma City 1 1 .500 1 Austin 0 2 .000 2 West W L Pct GB Bakersfield 1 1 .500 — Reno 1 1 .500 — Santa Cruz 1 1 .500 — Idaho 0 2 .000 1 Los Angeles 0 2 .000 1 Sunday’s Games Oklahoma City 91, Westchester 84 Maine 81, Fort Wayne 80 Reno 127, Grand Rapids 116 Tuesday’s Games Rio Grande Valley at Bakersfield, 8 p.m.

BOWLING Caldwell Bowl

Nov. 9-14 scores Treasure Valley Travel League: James Maryatt 527; Tom Gatchell 213-511; Tina Pate 211-507; Bill Matney 562; Kay O’Krakel 210-515; Terri Simpson 234-210-224668; Jason Hall 203-534; Karen Serratos 202; Wayne Simpson 216-577; Kaylyn Tollman 205-586; Kris Decker 202-579 Sunday Night Mixed: Mike Marose 225-628; Shad Dayton 227; Dustin Hammons 235; Pancho Garibay 237; Eric Saunders 230-626; Gloria Griffith 531 Monday Seniors: Jerry Lee 203-204-600; Ray Wilsey 209-553; Don DeLong 206; Larry Wentland 200-535; Arlen Hebner 202-569; Marvin Voss 204-563; Wayne Oyama 500; Bill Lobb 535; AC Winslow 536; Del Oswald 501; Merv Michael 535 Monday Mixmasters: David Shada 225; Clint Tackett 243-227-643; Rob Sykes 237-267-693; Shari Greenwalt 233-530; Ashlee Ford 543; Carl Wilson 228-279-700 Monday Scratch: David Shada 613; Don Burns 631; Tiim Sschuler 246-651; Jason Serratos 235-268-703; Kevin Erskine 225; Janelle Ford 216-213-621 Tuesday A.M. Ladies: Kay O’Krakel 504; Michelle Caddy 513 Tuesday Early Bird: Cindy Tollman 518; JoJo Eisenhauer 550; Kaylyn Tollman 227-568; Margie Little 216-517; Megan Hashagen 200-572; Judy Subia 211; Annerose Hernandez 516; Kathy Wnagsgard 225-525; Sue Shaddy 204-501; Nikki Matney 202-558 After Lunch Bunch: Michelle Caddy 201-554; Kim Davenport 508; Barb Quinlan 214-566; Ken Frye 211506; Sam Nava 533; Dale Morgan 204-568; Gene Meri 512; Jim Jefferies 212-205-613; Dale Eis 214-559; Juan Tamayo 514; Dan Martz 516

Wustrow Continued from B1

Maybe it’s blue-collar work ethic. After more than seven inches of snow covered Boise on Thursday and Friday, Harsin and athletic director Mark Coyle joined a group of employees from Boise State’s athletic department and helped clear the snow from Albertsons Stadium in preparation of tonight’s game.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to help ourselves be successful,” Harsin said. “And then we’ll go out there and work to get it done.”

It could be the determination to win, the same one that has led Boise State to a 163-28 record since 2000, including an eye-popping 90-4 record at home in that span. On Saturday, Boise State found itself down 20-0 in the first half before turning things around and

idahopress.com

COMMUNITY CORNER BASKETBALL BOISE SLAM CAMP: Boise Slam Basketball Club will be hosting a Thanksgiving Basketball Camp for boys & girls in kindergarten through second grade on Nov. 24-26.

For more information go to www.boiseslam.com or email Mike Chatterton at boiseslam@gmail.com.

5TH & 6TH GRADE SELECT LEAGUE: Caldwell Recreation is holding a select basketball league for 5th and 6th graders. This league offers a higher level of competition for kids in this age group.

Each teams will play 10 games and compete in a single elimination tournament at the end the season. Games will be played in Caldwell and Middleton.

Games will start Jan. 10. The fee is $450 per team.

Deadline to register is December 12th.

Call 455-3060 for more info.

CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT The Caldwell Recreation Christmas Classic men’s basketball tournament will be held Dec. 1-11. The tournament has a three-game guarantee. Fee is $190 per team.

Call 455-3060 for more info. Deadline to register is Saturday.

MEN’S REC LEAGUE Caldwell Recreation’s men’s Men’s City: Kevin Erskine 258-245-237-740; AC Winslow 227; Jedd Stanwood 241-624; Nate Freeman 225; Dean Hayashida 606; Gene Schmitt 258-626; Rob Luna 226; Rob Sykes 228; Kyle Morris 607; Russ White 617; Terry Fisher 253-677 Wednesday Majors: Jeff Dale 235-653; Jason Serratos 244-689; Bobby Aden 265-665; Nate Freeman 639 Thursday Night Ladies: Terry Burnett 212-512; Tanya Shafer 201-552; Kathy Abel 504; Vicki Larsen-Luna 513; Eleanor Lee 504; Cindy Hastriter 221-550 Nevada Travelers: Candie Elkington 500; Paige Weast 217-541; Brandy Schuler 204-538; Don Burris 2235; Chylzee Handerson 201-204-599; Elias Handerson 630; Virgle McAbee 24-604; Dee Tollman 236-637; Michelle Klemish 201-504; Kim Davenport 200-505; Tammy Fox 211- 549; Rich Fox 244-628; Jason Bosier 236; Adrain Ramirez 245; Andy Allison 234-646; Trevor Vlcek 235629; Kris Decker 654; Kaylyn Tollman 203-203-597 High Scores for Week Of Nov. 9-14 Women’s High Game: Shari Greenwalt 233; Women’s High Series: Janelle Ford 621 Men’s High Game: Carl Wilson 279; Men’s High Series: Kevin Erskine 740 Youth Bowler Saturday Pinblasters: Jacob Scott 170-198; Colby Cruz 187-182-516; Dana Sturm 176; Tyler Vanderpool 185-198-518; Jarrod McIntyre 169; Nathan Tollman 192-189-544 Saturday Trailblazers: Kailyn Bobbitt 115; Altagracia Gallup 132-128-146-406; Andreus Gallup 133; Rankin Gallup 153-144-115-412; David Greer 127-104-309; Breanna Greer 105-104-121-330; Cathryn Greer 162168-117-447 Wednesday Youth: Jared Mikelson 100; Mickayla Black 168-192; Duncan Dye 174; Nathan Tollman 269-267-223-759; Taylar Campbell 169; Justen Allen 199-520

FOOTBALL College Football AP Top 25

1. Florida St. (43) 2. Alabama (16) 3. Oregon (1) 4. Mississippi St. 5. TCU 6. Baylor 7. Ohio St. 8. Mississippi 9. Georgia 10. Michigan St. 11. UCLA 12. Kansas St. 13. Arizona St. 14. Wisconsin 15. Arizona 16. Auburn 17. Georgia Tech

Record Pts 10-0 1,476 9-1 1,439 9-1 1,385 9-1 1,289 9-1 1,237 8-1 1,232 9-1 1,167 8-2 1,064 8-2 948 8-2 941 8-2 876 7-2 868 8-2 720 8-2 707 8-2 695 7-3 531 9-2 523

Pv 2 4 3 1 5 6 8 10 16 12 14 13 7 22 17 9 24

basketball league offers nine games and a double elimination tournament at the end.

This league is $420 per team with no players fees.

Play will begin Jan. 7. The deadline to register is Dec. 19.

Call 455-3060 for more info.

FOOTBALL CUNNINGHAM TO SPEAK AT FCA BOWL BREAKFAST: Former 16-year NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham is the keynote speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bowl Breakfast from 7:30-9 a.m. Dec. 19 at the Boise Centre on Front St. Ticket costs are as follows: Student ($25 each), adult ($40) and coach ($25). Impact sponsors can purchase a 10-seat table for $375.

Registration is due by Dec. 15 and can be done online at www.fcaidaho.com.

Players from the MAC and Mountain West Conference teams who are participating in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 20 will give their testimonies during the FCA Bowl Breakfast.

Cunningham, who is a pastor in Las Vegas, was named NFL MVP by the Pro Football Writers Association in 1990 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He still ranks second on the all-time NFL rushing list for quarterbacks with 4,928 career yards.

18. Marshall 10-0 383 21 19. Missouri 8-2 376 NR 20. Utah 7-3 349 25 21. Nebraska 8-2 291 11 22. Colorado St. 9-1 281 23 23. Oklahoma 7-3 206 NR 24. Southern Cal 7-3 195 NR 25. Duke 8-2 85 19 Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 74, Clemson 52, Boise St. 29, Louisville 29, LSU 26, Minnesota 10, West Virginia 8, Miami 3, Texas A&M 3, Arkansas 2.

State Championship Friday Mountain View (9-2) vs. Highland (11-0) at Albertsons Stadium, TBA

Amway Top 25 Poll

Record Pts Pvs 1. Florida State (39) 10-0 1518 2 2. Alabama (17) 9-1 1494 3 3. Oregon (6) 9-1 1434 4 4. Mississippi State 9-1 1296 1 5. TCU 9-1 1279 5 6. Baylor 8-1 1272 6 7. Ohio State 9-1 1228 7 8. Mississippi 8-2 1041 10 9. Michigan State 8-2 1030 12 10. Georgia 8-2 981 14 11. Kansas State 7-2 880 13 12. UCLA 8-2 862 15 13. Arizona 8-2 726 18 14. Arizona State 8-2 721 8 15. Wisconsin 8-2 715 22 16. Georgia Tech 9-2 511 23 17. Auburn 7-3 508 9 18. Marshall 10-0 427 21 19. Nebraska 8-2 409 11 20. Missouri 8-2 406 NR 21. Utah 7-3 286 NR 22. Oklahoma 7-3 265 24 23. Colorado State 9-1 259 25 24. Southern California 7-3 132 NR 25. Duke 8-2 130 19 Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 118; Clemson 69; LSU 43; Boise State 32; Minnesota 29; Louisville 19; Iowa 7; Miami (Fla.) 6; Texas 5; Cincinnati 3; Texas A&M 3; Northern Illinois 2; Stanford 2; Arkansas 1; West Virginia 1.

3A State Playoffs State Championship Friday Snake River (10-1) vs. Fruitland (9-2) at Albertsons Stadium, TBA

NAIA Football Playoff Glance

First Round Saturday Georgetown (Ky.) (8-2) at Marian (8-2), 11 a.m.

Northwestern (Iowa) (8-2) at Missouri Valley (8-2), 11 a.m.

Langston (7-3) at Grand View (9-1), 11 a.m.

Campbellsville (Ky.) (7-3) at Saint Xavier (8-2), noon Valley City State (9-1) at Carroll (Mont.) (9-1), TBA Ottawa (Kan.) (9-2) at Morningside (Iowa) (9-1), TBA Faulkner (9-2) at Lindsey Wilson (9-2), TBA MidAmerica Nazarene (9-1) at Southern Oregon (9-2), TBA

HIGH SCHOOL Football

5A State Playoffs

rallying for the win.

“We didn’t start as fast as we wanted to,” said Ajayi, who was limited to 26 rushing yards in the first half, but finished with 134 yards and a trio of second half touchdowns.

“But we knew if we got going, we were going to come out and get a win.”

Perhaps it’s the attitude of not making excuses. Even though the nine degree temperature at kick off was the coldest for a Boise State game, home or away, since at least 2001, the Broncos were out on the field an hour before kickoff, warming up without any shirts on.

“We tried to let everyone know it wasn’t that cold,” said safety Darian Thompson, a southern California native.

Or just maybe Long was wrong. Perhaps it is mystique. Boise State now has two comefrom-behind victories in a row to maintain control of its own Mountain West title hopes.

Last week, it was a 14-point deficit at New

4A State Playoffs Semifinals Saturday’s late game Blackfoot 48, Middleton 15 State Championship Friday Bishop Kelly (9-2) vs. Blackfoot (10-0) at Holt Arena, 8:15 p.m.

2A State Playoffs Semifinals Today Aberdeen (8-2) vs. Orofino (9-1) at Holt Arena, 5:30 p.m.

State Championship Time, Date, Location TBA West Side (11-0) vs. Aberdeen-Orofino winner 1A Div. I State Playoffs State Championship Time and Date TBA Prairie (11-0) vs. Valley (10-1) at Kibbie Dome 1A Div. II State Playoffs State Championship Time, Date, Location TBA Wilder (9-1) vs. Lighthouse Christian (11-0) at Holt Arena

HOCKEY National Hockey League

All Times MST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic GP W L OT Pts GF GA Montreal 19 14 4 1 29 55 47 Tampa Bay 18 12 4 2 26 66 48 Boston 19 11 8 0 22 51 49 Detroit 17 8 4 5 21 45 42 Ottawa 17 8 5 4 20 47 45 Toronto 18 9 7 2 20 56 51 Florida 15 6 4 5 17 33 37 Buffalo 19 4 13 2 10 30 68 Metropolitan GP W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 16 12 3 1 25 60 35 N.Y. Islanders 17 11 6 0 22 54 50 N.Y. Rangers 17 7 6 4 18 49 53 New Jersey 18 8 8 2 18 46 53 Washington 17 7 7 3 17 50 49 Philadelphia 16 7 7 2 16 51 53 Columbus 17 6 10 1 13 44 59 Carolina 17 5 9 3 13 37 51 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Mexico that Boise State erased.

“It definitely could have went the other way,” quarterback Grant Hedrick said. “Guys would have hung their heads, you split sidelines, offense and defense. You see lot of teams do that, and we didn’t do that (Saturday), that’s great.”

But the truth is Boise State doesn’t really care what Long, or anyone else outside the program, calls it. All they care about it — whatever it is — is whether or not it will get them to their goal of a conference title. Boise State hasn’t won an outright conference title since its 2009 WAC title, which came the same season as the Broncos’ second Fiesta Bowl win.

And if the pieces fall in the right place, perhaps that will yield something else that’s familiar to Bronco Nation: Another New Year’s bowl trip to Glendale, Arizona.

And if that happens, it can only add to the mystique of the Boise State football program.

St. Louis 17 12 4 1 25 49 33 Nashville 17 11 4 2 24 43 35 Chicago 18 10 7 1 21 51 36 Winnipeg 19 9 7 3 21 37 42 Minnesota 17 10 7 0 20 50 39 Colorado 19 6 8 5 17 47 61 Dallas 18 6 8 4 16 49 61 Pacific GP W L OT Pts GF GA Anaheim 19 11 4 4 26 51 46 Vancouver 18 12 6 0 24 53 52 Calgary 19 11 6 2 24 59 50 Los Angeles 18 9 5 4 22 45 40 San Jose 20 10 8 2 22 56 53 Arizona 18 8 9 1 17 47 57 Edmonton 18 6 10 2 14 44 60 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

Sunday’s Games San Jose 2, Carolina 0 Minnesota 4, Winnipeg 3, OT Montreal 4, Detroit 1 Chicago 6, Dallas 2 Florida 6, Anaheim 2 Arizona 2, Edmonton 1 Today’s Games Tampa Bay at N.Y. Rangers, 5 p.m.

ECHL

All Times MST EASTERN CONFERENCE East GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Florida 12 9 2 0 1 19 44 31 Elmira 12 7 3 0 2 16 39 35 Greenville 13 8 5 0 0 16 36 34 Orlando 14 6 6 2 0 14 46 45 Reading 11 6 5 0 0 12 40 37 South Carolina 14 4 7 0 3 11 36 47 Gwinnett 11 5 6 0 0 10 31 35 North GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Fort Wayne 12 10 2 0 0 20 50 37 Toledo 11 8 2 0 1 17 43 29 Kalamazoo 12 6 4 1 1 14 39 37 Cincinnati 9 4 3 0 2 10 30 33 Wheeling 10 5 5 0 0 10 31 35 Evansville 10 4 5 0 1 9 29 34 Indy 11 3 5 2 1 9 32 39 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Allen 9 6 3 0 0 12 34 28 Tulsa 10 5 4 1 0 11 42 43 Quad City 10 4 3 2 1 11 34 29 Rapid City 13 5 7 0 1 11 37 36 Missouri 10 5 5 0 0 10 31 36 Wichita 11 4 5 1 1 10 29 36 Brampton 9 3 5 1 0 7 24 38 Pacific GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Idaho 14 10 3 1 0 21 50 33 Bakersfield 15 8 5 1 1 18 42 39 Colorado 11 8 3 0 0 16 39 32 Ontario 13 7 4 0 2 16 42 30 Alaska 15 6 9 0 0 12 39 48 Utah 12 4 5 1 2 11 31 40 Stockton 14 4 10 0 0 8 34 58 NOTE: Two points are awarded for a win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss.

Sunday’s Games Brampton 5, Quad City 4, OT Florida 6, Gwinnett 3 South Carolina 2, Greenville 0 Allen 3, Rapid City 1 Reading 4, Toledo 3, SO Wichita 3, Missouri 1 Alaska 3, Stockton 1 Today’s Games Ontario at Utah, 9 p.m.

TRANSACTIONS BASEBALL

National League CHICAGO CUBS — Acquired INF Tommy La Stella and a number four international signing bonus slot from Atlanta for RHP Arodys Vizcaino and three (numbers two, three and four) international signing bonus slots.

FOOTBALL

National Football League BALTIMORE RAVENS — Released RB Cierre Wood from the practice squad.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — Released G Jarrod Pughsley from the practice squad. Signed OT Curtis Feigt to the practice squad.

MIAMI DOLPHINS — Placed S Will Davis on injured reserve.

Signed DB Jalil Brown.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Placed S Jimmie Ward on injured reserve.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS — Assigned C Dana Tyrell to Springfield (AHL).

COLLEGE

FLORIDA — Announced the resignation of football coach Will Muschamp, effective at the end of the regular season.

Announced men’s basketball G Dillon Graham will transfer after the fall semester.

LOCAL ROUNDUP NNU to host volleyball regionals The Northwest Nazarene volleyball team was selected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II national volleyball tournament and will host the first three rounds of the west regionals.

NNU will host games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The Crusaders will face No. 8 seed Dixie State in the first round on Thursday. Other teams coming to Nampa are No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage, No. 3 Western Washington, No. 4 Central Washington, No. 5 BYU-Hawaii, No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino and No. 7 Sonoma State.

First round times will be announced today.

BLUE TURF STATS F VIDEOS H STORIES F STANDINGS ROSTERS H SCHEDULES F BRONCO BANTER BEST BOISE STATE SPORTS COVERAGE.

PERIOD. 9

17

32

11 C M Y K