Not the same Boise State

Tommy · 09-07-06, 08:46 PM

The Boise State Broncos might look the same to the untrained eye. They still have that ridiculous blue "smurf turf" at Bronco Stadium (now thankfully made of AstroPlay). But look at the sideline, and you'll see a major difference.

Dan Hawkins has moved on from Boise to take the reins of the much-maligned University of Colorado football program. It's a deserved "promotion" to a major conference after leading the Broncos to a 53-11 record in five seasons. Taking over for Hawkins is former offensive co-ordinator Chris Petersen. Offense was the name of the game while Hawkins was in charge, so the Broncos should be just fine in that department. The question will be whether Petersen can be the great motivator that Hawkins proved to be.

That question should be answered Thursday when the Oregon State Beavers come to town. Oregon is the only team on the Broncos' schedule that hails from a BCS conference - although not the best team Boise State will face. That honor goes to the Utah Utes; still, the Beavers are easily better than the rest of the WAC on paper. They beat the Broncos 30-27 in last year's matchup at Corvallis, although that was only good enough for a push.

This year's colony of Beavers should be stronger after returning its entire starting offensive line, plus junior running back Yvenson Bernard, who romped for over 1,300 yards in 2005. He'll have the benefit of sharing the workload with Clinton Polk, a JUCO transfer from Scottsdale who lit up the spring session. The duo combined for 160 rushing yards in last week's 56-17 dismantling of Eastern Washington. They should give Boise State's defensive line enough headaches this Thursday to keep things close, if not win outright.

The Broncos are 8-point faves in this matchup. The total was off the board at the time of publication; Las Vegas linemakers have it in the neighborhood of 59 points. The UNDER was 5-1 for Boise State to close out last season, and also went 7-3 for the Beavers in their last 10 September outings. ESPN has the action starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Click here to bet on all games and view all lines and odds .

09-07-06, 08:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tommy Now go get your shinebox Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sportscapper Island Posts: 15,109	Not the same Boise State The Boise State Broncos might look the same to the untrained eye. They still have that ridiculous blue "smurf turf" at Bronco Stadium (now thankfully made of AstroPlay). But look at the sideline, and you'll see a major difference. Dan Hawkins has moved on from Boise to take the reins of the much-maligned University of Colorado football program. It's a deserved "promotion" to a major conference after leading the Broncos to a 53-11 record in five seasons. Taking over for Hawkins is former offensive co-ordinator Chris Petersen. Offense was the name of the game while Hawkins was in charge, so the Broncos should be just fine in that department. The question will be whether Petersen can be the great motivator that Hawkins proved to be. That question should be answered Thursday when the Oregon State Beavers come to town. Oregon is the only team on the Broncos' schedule that hails from a BCS conference - although not the best team Boise State will face. That honor goes to the Utah Utes; still, the Beavers are easily better than the rest of the WAC on paper. They beat the Broncos 30-27 in last year's matchup at Corvallis, although that was only good enough for a push. This year's colony of Beavers should be stronger after returning its entire starting offensive line, plus junior running back Yvenson Bernard, who romped for over 1,300 yards in 2005. He'll have the benefit of sharing the workload with Clinton Polk, a JUCO transfer from Scottsdale who lit up the spring session. The duo combined for 160 rushing yards in last week's 56-17 dismantling of Eastern Washington. They should give Boise State's defensive line enough headaches this Thursday to keep things close, if not win outright. The Broncos are 8-point faves in this matchup. The total was off the board at the time of publication; Las Vegas linemakers have it in the neighborhood of 59 points. The UNDER was 5-1 for Boise State to close out last season, and also went 7-3 for the Beavers in their last 10 September outings. ESPN has the action starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Click here to bet on all games and view all lines and odds .
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