(AUTHOR'S NOTE: My first attempt to put the Vandal's situation to music was unfortunately garbled due to my inability to use the fanshot. The following is submotted to compensate.)

(to the tune of Janis Ian's "At Seventeen") (as sung by the Vandal "faithful", not to be confused with Marianne Fatihful, who had great pipes and big (bw) commensurate with them, and was found naked wrapped in a rug at Mick Jagger's house)

"AT 2013"

We learned the truth at 2013

That schools like ours are never seen

On Div 1 fields of play

Those programs wish we'd go away

When Aggies down at NMSU

are able to get away from you

you know your program aint' worth (bw)

you'll always be suckin' hind tit

at 2013

(chorus) And those of us in bad locations,

with lousy fans, and desperation

Wait for someone else to call

to let us play somewhere this fall

so we're not on the road all year

weekly getting one in the rear

for everyone to see

at 2013

A crummy school with no support

finds it hard to gain a port

so on it sails until it sinks

and sees how really bad it stinks

(second chorus) We played the game and no one cared

playing games of solitaire

in the stands, or e'en at home

and now we're left to play alone

it isn't all it seems

at 2103

(finale-mezzo tempo)

It was long ago and far away

the world was younger than today

and we could play competiv'ly

not in 2013.

ed's note: This FanPost from tmunson is a solid gold recap of Boise State's fantastic NFL Draft weekend and what it means to the program. I agree 1,000 percent.

I was having coffee today with some Boise High school friends of mine. One had a yearbook from the year we graduated, 1970. The girls had all been drill team members, and while I didn't bring it up, I vividly recalled the last time I saw them in unform for a Boise High football game. It was our last game and we were beating Meridian (a not undexpected thing in those days). They were all crying; I asked why and they said this is our last football game as Thunderbirds. Workmen were already assembling to start to tear down those wooden bleachers in what was the first of several renovations to Bronco Stadium in the modern era, i.e. as a collegiate competitor.

I thought about last week's draft in conjunction with that evening, and many I experienced following the Broncos. If you had told me then we would land two first round NFL (not CFL) draft choices whilst schools like Florida, Florida State, Texas, Ohio State (who am I missing?) landed NONE, ZIP, NADA, BIPCUS, NIENTE, NUTTIN', ZERO, I wouldn't have even laughed. It would have been a remark with such low credibility it would be beneath ridicule. And I do not care if it had been qualified with "in so and so many years" - it just would not have registered.

Continue reading this post »

When I wrote my first "return" GAZETTA, I expected I would resume writing here as I did in the past albeit on a reduced scale. I think maybe I did post one. Anyway, my energy wanes, my focus is not clear, and clarity was my overall goal above all, even at the expense of good taste, modesty and decorum. My treatment makes even the modest goals in that regard very difficult. Heck, even my renowned typing skills have suffered.

I wanted to tell you all this lest you harbor doubts about my sincerity in returning as a NUGie. I read posts, but before I can comment I lose the train of thought; hell, I can't even see the caboose. I am still working and that has drained me too. I am also writing a very limited, very personal sort of narrative in the manner of a memoir on a non-sports related blog. Limited in scope, and limited in audience, it is very important to me, if not vital to, finish it.

So that is my explanation for my reticence. I still read here, and I am gratified to say this is still as informative-and-yet-off-the-wall as it gets anywhere on SB as far as I can tell. I'm glad I was a part of it; y'all have kicked it higher.

Many of you may wish inquire about my status. It is not good, not good at all. But I, as you, remain a Bronco. We know that though the clouds be dark, there is a wondrous BLUE sky above them. We know that though the sun sets, it it showers resplendent ORANGE across the universe, announcing that this day existed, and nothing that comes after that can ever erase it. This fall, when many of you do as the above quoted song says to see our Boise State team, remember, I will be there. Until then, I am here with you now, and will try to let you know as often as I can.

And as always, keep in your hearts the motto of our city and university:

SPLENDOR SINE OCCASU

We lost our starting QB, a great one. We return decent receivers, but who's going to throw to them?. Defense is questionable; some important spots to fill. D-line lacks depth, or at least experience. Secondary returners look to have something to prove. Depth an issue at RB too. O-line is quick, versatile, with some experience but not large nor overpowering. A lot of questions need to answered, the kind of questions fans don't like to have to even ask.

Sound familiar? Thought it would. Well, the year is 1972, and the QB is Eric Guthrie. 40 years ago I began cataloging the pre-season jitters of Bronco fans, not in a formal way but just a loose memory. I had to do a little research for '72, and I'll grant that going into the '72 season we had not last as many starters on D as now. But we did not substitute as now, our recruiting of young talent was no where near as high, and our coaching was very good, but now it's excellent. I had to piecemeal the running game from '72. No one knew who John Smith was; they learned he was "Super Needle", an amazing RB (and receiver out of the back field) but he hadn't had a down going into that season. We had won the Camellia Bowl in '71; we felt glum looking at '72.

My point? I have heard "what are we going to do?" for 40 years as a Bronco ('68-70 in high school didn't follow them hard; '71 at C of I I was an erstwhile opponent). I could think of dozens who were irreplaceable, like Jimmy Mac, Brock Forsey, but I really don't need to do. Because we've had very recently a year (or was it 2?) when we didn't replace ANYBODY and we still had short-stroking on a major scale and if that doesn't prove my point nothing will.

My point II? My point is that Boise State has emerged for reasons that as I have previously explained are somewhat mystical (I'll need to revisit that; feeling a tad more mystical these days) but also grounded in a very basic premise-this program has built solid teams since I arrived here in 1968. One of the consistent deals has been, through generations of staff, the coaches have looked at what they have and been able to decide, correctly, whether to make chili, goulash, beef stew, hash or chicken parmigiana with it. Just one small example: in last year's fall scrimmage (only one; c'mon Coach Pete) the best catches were made by Troy Ware IMO. One was the best I saw by Bronco ALL YEAR, and may have been the vest catch period but it was a long season. There is talent simmering here like the dishes I mentioned above.

The '72 team? It struggled. But it's nucleus went on to 3 consecutive Div II championship series appearances, two with the legendary Jimmy Mac who's '72 appearance was inauspicious. Faith to the faithful-go Broncos.

I had been meaning to do this since Monday, my wife's birthday, when we learned I am fatally ill with adenocarcinoma which has metastisized (sp?-I hate the word so I'll mispell it) to my liver. I go to Seattle for a second opinion probably towards the end of the month. DIAGNOSIS: one year. Bad news like that tends to put things in perspective, tends to remind us of what is important, how we do have little time, and it's never a good idea to disconnect to prove anything. Now most of that applies to me except for perspective; as we all know the sine qua non of my writing is I KEEP NOTHING IN PERSPECTIVE, AM CONSTANTLY ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE SLIGHTEST THING WHICH WE PISS ME OFF AND THUS LEAD TO RANTS AND RAGES BY TURNS FUNNY, INSCRUTABLE AND JUST PLAIN OLD BARE KNUCKLE OFF THE WALL.

BTW I have been commenting at hookingupsmart.com and theprivateman.com; hook even dedicated an article to me, in fact both did (privateman did too). So if you like a taste of what I been a doing check them out. I really tore the roof off hook; those Bostonians just couldnt' get used to me (ref "Jeremiah Johnson" Will Geer's character telling him about a pal who had a grizzly for a wife but 'she never got used to him)

Gotta' take things slow and would love to respond to each of you who were so kind in your expressions of support.I'm already up past my bedtime; I need oxycodone and it takes the starch out of me. I lose focus easily and it also affects my typing which is the hallmark of my journalistic contribution here such that my high standards have been immortalized.

BTW Toots and I have been corresponding a lot. What a guy.

Bedtime now; I'll try to get back on line tomorrow. Love to all

Tom

P S

I'm tvmunson over at the other sites; I was here too. I forgot m password and it didn't recognize my hotmail account; I hit facebook and here I am. Will wonders never cease?

And no, compleat is not munson'd it is Olde English.After more than 2 years of being degraded I come to the readership with the astonishing news that there are NO munsons, just a failure of the readership to utilize the unique faculties of munsonese, a derivative form of, but no less valid extension of, the English language. An understandable oversight, partially corrected today with the first installment of this The Compleat Munson Dictionary and Reference Guide. Now, whenever a reader comes across a word that heretofore would engender the appellation "munson'd", a quick referral to this source will clear up the confusion.In most cases I provide not only translation but derivation and cultural context. There is also a reference guide to some terms and concepts which may be unfamiliar to the newer NUGies. Caveat: the list is partial, and growing (I know I said "compleat", but that's because it looked cool in the title. Sue me.)

 

psot: n. post;early Latin. Related to poslq, as in Would bb be my poslq?

 

 

ocme: v. come; Slavic. derives from Acme, from Road Runner cartoons.

 

bogationary: adj.; jiveacious

 

jiveacious:adj.; see bogationary

 

munson'd: archaic.;never to be used again term; no one even knows what it means

 

liek: adj; (?) Slavic. liked or licked; derives from Martina Navratilova, who did both to her opponents.Used: No more munson's;liek hell.

 

karma gods: n.pl.;Munson; lesser gods responsible for traffic tickets, superficial acne, and football. Only ones to be prayed to concerning latter as Big Guy gets pissed.Hate swagger,and if they hear it, must be supplicated.

 

goat sacrifice: n.Munson; Only known method of supplicating karma gods, and only Munson knows how to do it, God help us all! OOPs! Sorry! See-it's easy to slip up.

 

reflectivity: Proper noun; Blogger whose entries, at least some anyway,must be followed by stanza from song "Personality"

 

yoru: your; Swahili

 

yo:p.n. you; Ebonics

 

adn: conj. and: Middle English as in "Do adenoids dream of tonsiliary sheep?" Well, do they?

 

jsut: just; Latin; GESU Church in Rome derives from this. Really; also my grade school in Cleveland.

 

abotu: about; Swahili; Not to be confused with ab out, which spcecial section of Men's Health (so I'm told)

 

beign: v. begin; Jamaican mon; from song "When they begin the Begin"

 

soem: n. some: French; derives from Somme, area hotly contested in WWI, but not by the French (see below)

 

rec'd: received; misinterpreted by OBNUG to mean recommend, which is hard to spell

 

knwo: know; Hawaiian;Dan Rather may have heard this when he reported "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"

 

seh: p.n.: she

 

abotu: prep.; about: Derives from the directive given to the robot Gort in "The Day the Earth Stood Still"-"Klaatu barada nikto"

 

eharing: v. hearing; Irish/Gaelic, esp. on St. Patrick's Day, another excuse for an Irishman to get drunk, which he needs like the Pope needs a bigger hat

 

ahve:v. have; Israeli; derives from that song Jews sing whenever Palestinians stop shooting at them (sounds like they're singing "I'll ahve tequila"; can't say I blame 'em)

 

em: me,except when used like above, when it means them (keep up people; learning a new language is hard)

 

attitudinal: adj. something we don't tolerate on the Boise State team, esp. from recruits

 

amn: man Not to be confused with that dopey little eastern Idaho town

 

form: from

 

from:form-unless I use it correctly; see context

 

encoruagement: encouragement; French; something no amount of will get the French to do, like defend Paris

 

furhter:further German; derives from the Furher, a no-nonsense guy who helped Germany set new standards in lampshade-making, soap generation, and oven recipes that included large portions of the indigenous populations of central and southern Europe

 

dwon: down; African/ebonics; Munson known to crack 'hood with phrases like "I's dwon wid' it yo'"; Munson hangs wid' da' brudda's all da' tiem

 

tiem: time; English; see previous "It be tiem yo'"

 

Moore: more; da' amn (see above-I said keep up)

 

 

And it be tiem know homies. I haven't exhausted the list but I'll update from tiem to tiem. Tell me what you think and be sure to rec me to the top so all can see. It's a beautiful day in the OBNUG hood.

The option in football is what fighting a leftie is in boxing; even a far superior conventional fighter looks lousy against a southpaw (ref "Rocky" I-VI). The option is equivalent to 2 chess players trading queens in the opening moves, thus reducing the game to a dreary set match based on pawn (read yawn) development.The option is equivalent, in war, to a WWI Verdun-style ugly nasty trench warfare,the triumph of attrition over glory, a contest for mere survival where the outcome is never glimpsed and ultimately not even imagined by those trapped in it.

 

I compared it initially to getting a circumcision/colonoscopy; that was off. It's more like going to Mexico for dental work and having some Tijuana poser with watered-down novocaine and a set of lousy x-rays that he can't read drilling on every single tooth in your head while you, partially numb but still aware of the low level throbbing pain and pressure, squirm in the chair, content to let the situation play out whilst the monotonous droning drill worms its way into your very skull and then ZAP!!! the idiot quack dentist hits a nerve and you jolt from the chair, electrified in the moment with the exquisite sharp needle-like intensity of a nerve hit directly registering in your brain while his slatternly slutty ersatz dental "assistant" tries to reassure you in broken English that "heets hohkay", her breath redolent of the rat-meat taco she's gotten from a street vendor whose grill wouldn't pass muster in a Calcutta whorehouse.

 

MUNSON IN HELL I die and go to Hell, where I meet the Devil. "Hello Lucifer; you look smaller in person." "I hear that all the time, Tom. Look, you're in Hell. We both know why. That's the bad news. The good news is while the Big Guy didn't have anything to say, the karma gods put in a plug for ya', and I'm partial to those little dudes. So here's the deal: you're going to have the option (the hairs in the back of my neck stand up at the very mention of that word)of choosing your eternal damnation. Let's go."

 

We head to a big cavern and there is Option 1, The Inferno, just like in my Catholic catechism, flames, coal, dudes stepping on each other forcing their heads right down into it,devils with red-hot pitch forks giving it up the you-know to everyone right and left. (I shudder) Lucifer:"Yeah, we call it Hell Classic, more or less the old style stuff.We've left it pretty much the same since its Inception;hey,why mess with perfection?"

 

We leave and head towards Option II, which I can smell WELL before I can see it. It's just a pit, full of bull(bw), and out of it I can see feet sticking up, maybe an inch or so of ankle; some have socks that appear to be the same as those worn by the refs at last Saturday's game. "That's it?" I say. Lucifer nods. "All eternity-like that?" He nods again. "What do the people in there think about it?" "Dunno',don't care" he responds.

 

We head to Option III, which I am surprised to find is the Kibbie Dome.Standing outside, while it's absolutely quiet, I can tell a game is being played (silence during a game being a Kibbie Dome tradition because no one is in attendance).There is an inscription above the entrance that reads "Abandon All Hope" which of course is a useful Vandal mindset.Puzzled, I ask "Can I look inside?" "No, you have to choose based on what you see here and what you have seen before. And, once you choose, it's final."

 

So there I am, in Hell, with the Devil Himself, having to choose my punishment. I equivocate, until finally he says "Look, make up your mind- we haven't got forever; well, actually, we do, but you're pissing me off."

 

I calculate my options (ugh!- hate that word) quickly. Burning Hell-no way. Upside down in bull(bw) forever-no can do. So I say-"I'll take Option 3".

 

Suddenly I find myself inside the Kibbie Dome, quiet and tomb like as usual, and, yes, there, as I suspected, are the Vandals on the field playing some unknown unnamed anonymous team and getting their asses kicked. But what's this? The opposing team is running THE OPTION over and over and over and over and over and over and over(well, you get the picture)!!!NO!!!!NO!!! I WILL BE FORCED TO WATCH THE OPTION FOR ALL ETERNITY RUN AGAINST THE VANDALS WHO CAN NO MORE STOP IT THAN MOTHER THERESA COULD GIVE BIRTH TO A KANGAROO!!! I HEARD SATAN LAUGHING WITH DELIGHT!!!!(ref "American Pie" Don McClean @1971)

I thought the readership might benefit from my over 50 years of football watching in light of the recent contretemps following the Niners/Lions game. I had watched the game, a very good one, but turned it off once the outcome was decided and missed seeing the flareup live. It involves the "traditional" coaches post game handshake; if you stick around the planet long enough, you can actually comment on one or two "traditions" as you saw them evolve. Memory is a fallible thing, and I may be off, but I offer this background for the good of the order.

 

BASIC POINT: I do not believe that the coaches handshake was a traditional post game "ceremony"; I think it gradually came to be one and fairly recently, although I can't pinpoint when. Here's my take: in the "day", as I recall, following your average game everyone bolted to the locker rooms, players, coaches, ball boys, receptive cheerleaders.I picture in my mind that, on occasion, a coach would look over and find his opposite number,make eye contact, and give an acknowledging nod of the head, which may or may not be returned. Not to get too "Miss Manners" about it, but the situation allowed the "receiving" coach (starting to sound like the NFL Rules Committee) to ignore it and pretend he didn't see it if he was pissed at the outcome, the other coaches conduct, or just plain hated the guy. This handshake stuff was reserved for significant games, championships & bowls, and there weren't a whole lot of those back then. The other time you might see it, and I stress might, was important rivalries (more below). I think acknowledging the other coach was more often done in some other way in the average game.

 

I could very well be wrong. There were no where near the number of games televised back then, and the coverage was different. Football was not the Roman gladiatorial spectacle/pageant it has become (guess where I've been)and when a game ended bam! you cut to commercial, back for quick wrap up, then lights out usually. The pre and post game analysis, daylong gabfests,all of the hand wringing thimble-eyed dorky examination has elevated every game to an unheard of level of importance. So it could well be I dont' remember it because a) I never actually saw it b) there was no emphasis on it. But I think this handshake stuff was more of a spontaneous gesture following some especially significant contest, or when the coaches actually knew each other. Players never shook hands.

 

The "handshake" as it pertains to Bronco history:I remember the 1977 Boise State/U of I game. 2 things occurred, which lent considerable animosity to what was becoming the nasty (ref Kustra) interaction we have now. Terry Hutt, the Bronco's leading receiver and all around great guy, was playing his last game. He needed around 160 yards to set the school record, and all the team wanted him to do it. BOTTOM LINE:we were going with stretch plays to him well after the contest was settled, which appeared to Vandals as a gratuitous "piling on".Plus, the emphasis on Terry meant when we did go to other guys they were wide open. It looked ugly. OK, that you can explain. It's harder to explain the game's ending. Leading 41-14, with like a minute to go, Coach Criner calls an on-side kick, which we recover and then we kick a meaningless 40 something field goal to make it 44-14.I can still see Idaho Coach Troxell's bewildered, indignant look as he left the field and if memory serves he did NOT shake Criner's hand or even look in his direction. Under the circumstances, can't say I blame him (and my Bronco bona fides brook no gainsaying here I dare say).

 

So my 2 cents, offered as I said for the good of the order. I'll admit I'm shaky on this NUGies, but I still think all this Kumbia make the coaches do lectures, kiss and make-up on tv etc. is the same pencil-necked Miss Gertrude's Polishing Academy for Metrosexuals crap, unnecessary, possibly detrimental in fact. Boys know you don't fight; they also now that sometimes you do, because you don't want to carry the weight of a particular insult the rest of your life. Like the Bible says, "There is a time to refrain, and a time to fill the air with uppercuts". Becoming a man means learning the difference.

Today's journal is prompted by a discussion we had pre-season concerning the departure of Young & Pettis. At the time I made the remark that since I started watching Boise State we've ALWAYS had good WRs, and Al was one of the guys I was thinking about.CAVEAT: my writings are not histories, but impressionistic reminisces. I check a few things, but if rigorous number crunching is what you're after see Tom Scott.

 

I already wrote about the legendary Don Hutt, some of whose records were eclipsed by Austin only last year. Al lined up on the other side, and we had then the '70s version of the Young/Pettis dynamo. Al would be Titus, but with a twist.In those days a Titus Young would have had more challenges as defensive backs were allowed to pound them until the ball was thrown, anywhere on the field, plus pass interference was not called like it is now. You had to almost pull the guy off the pass to get one. We're used to it, but at least 60% of the calls you see now would not have been made in the day, and I'm being conservative. So while Al may not have been as fast (he weren't slow), he was taller, bigger, lean in the Drew Pearson fashion- nothing but blood, bone and muscle. Angular, quick, sports car responsive, he had total body control. He could tangle up with the DBs and never lose stride, and most learned not to try to jam him too often, 'cuz a miss meant 6. In those days you could get much closer to the field and I remember seeing him catch a tough sideline pass, catching air like Baryshnikov in a "petit saut", and coming down with both feet barely in bounds, right on the last of the green (he was thinking pro-more below). Eric Guthrie, our QB, was the exact opposite of Kellen, a big, strapping all-around athlete with a strong arm but not so much accuracy. Al had to make up for that, and did, often.His 90+ yrd reception in '72 stood until Bady's 99 yarder (which was a TD, not a 99 yard pass).

 

I never saw him around Boise, none of the haunts where the jocks hung out. I know nothing about him personally.But he and Hutt made us a very imposing offensive team, and it is noteworthy that both were drafted albeit in late rounds. We were a Div II school (if that) and to get any guys into a camp was a big deal. Al was drafted by Denver in '73, and I remember he played for New England,and then I seem to recall he was in the CFL.I thought he had a long career there, but do not know. Limited google search doesn't reveal much.

 

 

My point about our always having good receivers needs some amplification. With the rules changes, speedy body types (5'7", 170 lbs.) have a chance to play on Sunday. Back then, Eddie Bell notwithstanding, it was a much harder deal. For Al to even get in camp from a small school,let alone play some time in the NFL, was extraordinary. The big, fast and rare guys played WR, so he had to be very very good.

 

So while I'm writing about Al, I'm also writing about our program. I'm guessing, but I'll bet one of the things that attracted Al to come here (and I KNOW caused Don to stay) was we threw the ball, a lot, and he knew he could showcase his talents. Over 40 years ago, I noticed the quality at WR, and even my LA buddy who was not so impressed with our dinky stadium and low rent opponents had to admit our guys were well coached, got open,made catches, and could probably make roster at a lot of (non-elite) Div I schools (we rarely even said Div I then; there were the "real" schools, everyone knew who they were, and the raggedy-ass remnants, which was us).

 

Coming in to this season I had that perspective, but I'll admit the level of execution has surprised me. Matt Miller's redshirt freshman inaugural catch was a 18 yard slant for a TD against Georgia in the Georgia Dome, in front of nearly 80,000, on national tv, and he made it look easy. His performance since then has been stellar, as have the other WRs and TEs (and RBs occasionally). Moore makes them look good, but the discipline, effort and consistency I see at this position has been a hallmark here since before Kellen's mom & dad could ride a bicycle.And Al, wherever you are, and Don, and his brother Terry, and Motormouse, and too many others to name-you began this tradition. Take a bow, and know that it remains in (literally) good hands.

All of the major points have been made. Here's my 2 cents (American, not Euro):

1) Moore as "king": I've compared Kellen to the king on the chessboard. The king can move only one space, but in any direction,  and it is a remarkably effective defensive quality when used by a skilled player. Moore moves just enough, at just the precise time, to get the job done. He gave a clinic Sat.

2) Colorado had 1 penalty, a motion call. At least 2 we had were bogationary; the late hit, and Iloka's pass interference. Meanwhile Kellen was complaining about late hits and not getting any attention from the refs.

3) Dextrell Simmons should get credit for a fumble. He chopped Thomas before his arm went forward. 

4) I didn't see Ioane at all-am I missing something?

5) For those of you who wanted to burn Ajayi's shirt even when we still had Johnson, does Drew Wright's running change your perspective at all? Even w/o Johnson, we have a hard time keeping our 2 primary & hungry RBs happy, and I think #39 could play some $ downs. Reminds me of Carpenter. In the back of my mind I seem to recall noting that Drew can catch out of the backfield as well.

5) What's with that announcer and the 50 cent (Euro) words? The Broncos were going to "matriculate" down the field? Did he think matriculate means "roll"? Did he glance to quickly at his pocket dictionary? Matriculate means enroll; I should know I did it 15 times at Boise State alone. I wonder if he had a 34 score in reading comprehension on his ACT? 

6) Why the wild with Mitch? Everything was working, we had it going on. They got the ball and scored. I know in the scheme of things blah blah, but this is where we get down to details. Explain the call. No don't. I guess we gave Air Force something else to work on.

7) Lucky Seven! It was a phenomenal effort. Anytime you can obliterate a Div I team, esp. at their "home", it's significant. I know Rams have issues yada yada (my fave "Seinfeld" episode), but we crushed them like King Kong on a tomato can. I especially liked our momentum killing gadget (although it was not as signficant as the 2 short-stroking announcers made it out to be). It's like "ok, we're up 22, but we've gotten stopped on our last 3 possessions of the 1st half, and we made one 1st down and got stopped here, let's do this". Big nod to Percy who, as he did on "Riddler" in Fiesta II, made the read and the call. Walk-on from Blackfoot shows what this program is about; staff coaches players "up", and then has confidence in them to make the call and execute.

8) Mitch has at least one miscue per game. He was in  a lot of plays though. So a push; but I'd be lying if I said I haven't noticed.

9) Chandler Koch on phone. Curious.

10) On Rams last gadget you can see Iloka trying to signal something, and then everyone kinda' ices, including him.

11) Gotta' nod to Rams fans. At first I thought they were being derisive when they cheered Rams first 1st down, but realize they were trying to cheer something. They fumbled next play. Seemed like they stuck around a long time, but I did hear our chant clearly at some point.

12) Martin has perfected a wicked spin move; probably helps that he bench presses garbage trucks. Kind of a judo thing where he uses other guy's momentum and leverage to go where Doug wants to go. That is, when they get him at all; on one TD the safety literally did not touch him despite Doug going directly at him. 

13) #15 WR Tyler Jackson has beefed up.

FINAL NOTE, ANCILLARY: I know we hate the Vandals, but I enjoyed reading about Mike Stoop's unceremonious, undignified "get-your-bitch-ass-outta'-here" firing. Never forgot how he ran up the score on them a few years ago, using gadgets to score every possible point, and only to save his pathetic job. It was the worst display of that kind of behavior I've ever witnessed. These players are someone's sons, brothers, husbands. They risk their lives, their limbs, for our entertainment, getting precious little recompense. To rub that in that way, for that purpose, was disgraceful. If you feel differently, I don't want to hear about it. It just happened to be the Vandals Stoops was using. I don't need to hear any puerile Vandal carping on this point. I've gone off too often for one week.

Ciao!

The readership, with one regrettable exception, has been most generous in its welcoming back of Your Humble Correspondent (ref "A Clockwork Orange"). I am inspired to write today from the perspective gained by the longest stretch in my entire life of no football at all (I do not count, of course, the rugby playoffs or the inscrutable soccer whatever-it-is that seems to never end, or when it does, the fans kill each other). It has also been decades since I have not watched, or even heard, a Boise State contest. But as is my wont I shall keep my discussion focused and today's Midway article provides that structure-the depth chart.

I left for Europe concerned in several areas; Gavins gone, no deep threat,injuries throughout the O-line-these were the main ones. Upon my return, my varied sources confirmed what I'd been suspecting for a long time: to put it colloquially, we done put the depth in depth chart. I can't even go back to "the day"; it is ridiculous to compare our depth now to anything that ever existed in the times I write most about here, those early days. I say this with complete respect to the men on those teams; I knew many, and was aware of all.But it is simply not fair to them, or honorable for us, to make that comparison; it's tedious to even explain why. In fact, the jump in talent is so precipitous that the only coherent way to approach is to arbitrarily pick the Div I years for discussion, and even then it's a challenge, maybe beyond me. I'll give it a try.

There was a time (2004) when I thought we were blessed to have a Gilligan AND a Fanucchi. I look out now and see 5, 6, possibly 7 (the best catches in the scrimmage were made by redshirt Troy Ware IMO) WRs that are interchangeable in their effectiveness, if not precisely in their style. Before we lost Johnson we had 3 stout, bona fide above-average/good Div I RBs in an offense that struggles to find ways to keep 2 satisfied and has a very capable-looking redshirt chomping at the bits. We lose an outstanding DB and replace him, not just seamlessly, but surpassingly. I remember when (2006) I was ecstatic that we had 2 strong, relatively big DTs; now, although we don't go as deep as we once did (T-n-T phone home), we are stocked, and a 275 lb DE with 4.53 speed blurs the increasingly academic distinctions along our front 4. An appraisal of our LB strength I'll candidly confess is beyond my pay grade; we had to go to a redshirt, but he's been fine. In scrimmage I thought he looked liked he'd played here a while. Our O-line has suffered, but when an O-lineman with 2 ACLs, who's missed 2 seasons, can hang in and start for us at center-well, the program is doing something right, as in getting guys with a seriously dialed in attitude. I thought Yiarte had retired; 17 out of 18 other players would have. The safeties and nickels remind me of chain mail armor, each link reacting to any stress on the line, forming a solid, responsive whole despite being comprised of contiguous, distinct parts. Our D-line play is so good the safeties/nickels are rarely challenged, but when they are, they rise to it, comprehensively. At every level I see quality, and even where we are a little "thin", we are thin in the way the old Levi Strauss denim jeans were, where, despite being worn down to the barest white threads, there were still several years of good honest work left in them before the knees finally gave out. Where thin, we are tough, and with a little luck, we'll be o.k. And anyone who says elite programs don't need some luck is lying, and stupidly at that.

Are we complete,perfect, level by level, at every position? No. But it cannot be gainsaid by anyone possessing knowledge of college football that we are not an elite team and, by extension, since we have done this now for several seasons, an elite program. As to the latter point, I suppose an onion-pealer could say that we are a non-elite program that has, for a time, created some elite teams, whereas Notre Dame is an elite program that has, for a somewhat more substantial period, produced non-elite ones. This sentiment, or something very close to it, lies at the heart of the anti-Boise State bias. It fails to account for what I see now, a program that was able to develop promising but limited athletes increasingly recruiting athletes neither limited nor "promising', whose qualities are extant, apparent, immediate and whose development creates not simply Div I players, but excellent ones.

Ancillary Footnote: I'm already hearing the "We Miss Kellen" drumbeats. Yes, playing after Kellen is a bit (I didn't go to Britain; why do I sound like a limey? Our new limey recruits perhaps? woops-there I go again) like having The Beatles as your opening act. But long memories make for quiet stomachs, and I recall a very jittery Ryan Dinwiddie, and excitable Bart Hendricks, even a callow and unprepared Jim McMillan (it's true!). Kellen's poise and accuracy is uncommon, practically supernatural, and it seems like he's been our QB forever. But we've got stock. No guarantees, but don't bet against this program. I've got history to back me up.

I first saw Coach Knap in the fall of 1968 at Municipal Park a block or so from my home. It was my first year in Boise, Boise State's first year as a college, and his first year as its head football coach. Not a tall man, but prepossessing nonetheless; a full head of snow white hair that contrasted with his deep tan, handsome, manly, even his glasses accentuated his vitality somehow. When I first saw the Reverend Schuller of "Hour of Power" I thought he was a dead ringer for Coach Knap and both had near overwhelming charisma.  We had just lost to Weber State 44-3, and he was speaking to a rally of supporters in the park. I can't remember his words 43 years later, but listening to him you forgot about the loss and got carried away by his enthusiasm for the upcoming game against Eastern Washington. Defeat was not a stranger, but Coach Knap never let it be a guest, and his animating energy allowed him to "move on" and take you with him. Just being around him made you feel more alive, aware, open to possibilities.

 

"Open to possibilities"; Coach Knap brought that to Boise State, and then some. Before Lavell Edwards, Coach Knap was a passing game coach extraordinaire back when "3 yards and a cloud of dust" ruled the day/night/weekend/holidays. He found good QBs and receivers, the biggest,quickest linemen he could coax here, and schemed up plays, variations of plays, inversions of the variations, and decoy versions of the inversions of the variations in case he had a particularly adept D-coordinator playing him that week. He recruited in Hawaii and American Somoa (I didn't know there was a Somoa, let alone an American version of it) well before anyone else, including BYU.Bronco games were always a kick,and most often the offense was explosive and dynamic.Hook and laterals, reverses on kickoffs (best one I ever saw was in our first post season game at Bronco Stadium as a college against Univ. of South Dakota)-I can't say our gadgets ALWAYS worked, but I'll say this:Coach Knap ALWAYS called them at the perfect time. I'm stretching my mind here,but I honestly do not recall a team he coached here not being emotionally up for a game. Not saying they always won, but Everret Carr's take on our demolishing at the hands of Utah State in '75 was emblematic:"That game was the most FUN!!"

 

But I don't want to give the impression that Coach Knap didn't take football or, for that matter, competition seriously-he did, very much.My only other time in his immediate presence was in the TV lounge at the Student Union building in '73 the week after we beat South Dakota 53-10, and it wasn't even that close. Coach and his staff had eaten in the dining hall, and they came in to relax and watch the football game I was watching.They were exchanging technical remarks about the game,and I congratulated Coach on the victory, adding, "I felt sorry for those Coyotes." He looked at me (he was sitting next to me) levelly, and very very coldly remarked "I did not-they thought they were going to whoop us."He made it quite obvious that he relished the shellacking his team had meted out, and I sensed that raw animal emotion-vengeance, a dash of cruelty perhaps-was a necessary ingredient to the performance of his job.

 

I'll confess I felt a certain betrayal when he left us in '76 to coach at UNLV. I guess it's the tradition at all (successful) college football programs-we love our coaches when they're here, hate them when they leave.I was in the stands when he returned with the UNLV team in '77, and I joined in the crowd chant (taunt) as they game ended in our 45-14 rout: "Welcome home Tony WELCOME HOME!!!" It went on for quite a while: I was on the opposite side of the field and so could not see his reaction as this registered, but I doubt he had one.He would have done all he could to prepare his team and at this point would have his post game speech lined out, anticipating the challenge of getting his team ready for the following week.

 

Coach Knap was 96 when he died, and I understand had severe cognitive limitations in his last years. But I know that most of the years preceding that were active ones, that he remained engaged, alert and responsive. It would be presumptuous of me to add too much here,since I didn't know him personally.So, attorney like, I'll let the record speak for itself. You don't live 96 years without an effective strategy for coping with life. You have to be a remarkable man to leave your mark on an institution such that it's felt over 40 years later. I only glimpsed him, briefly, decades ago, but I'll say of him what I have said of very few others:"He was a man such as God meant men to be." R I P Coach Tony Knap