boise state

December 13, 2013

Spartan and MWC notes: Faulkner emerges in CFL and Winston wins MWC top freshman award

Courtesy of the Ottawa Redblacks Twitter account (original source TBA)

Courtesy of the Ottawa Redblacks Twitter account (original source TBA)

Matt Faulkner, perhaps best remembered the serviceable but unremarkable starter in 2011 for San Jose State, has signed as the first quarterback for the expansion Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League. He is the first quarterback under contract for the team, which will begin building its team in earnest on Monday with the expansion draft.

In his one year starting for the Spartans, he completed a shade under 65 percent of his passes for 3,149 yards, throwing as many touchdowns (13) as he did interceptions (13). He had transferred from Fresno State and Mt. San Antonio College.

The Ottawa Citizen places him as likely third on the depth chart, since the Redblacks will at least get two QBs with CFL experience in the expansion draft.

This is the third attempt at a CFL franchise in the Canadian capitol. The Ottawa Rough Riders went for more than 75 years before folding in 1996. The Ottawa Renegades went from 2002 to 2005 before the league forced the team to cease operations.

Winston is MWC freshman of the year; 3 more on first team

Tyler Winston parlayed a strong freshman year as Noel Grigsby’s replacement into an award from the Mountain West Conference this year, winning the conference’s freshman of the year award after a strong first season.

He caught 58 balls this season for five touchdowns and 858 yards, a 14.8 yards/catch average. Not bad for someone who was needed as an emergency replacement for the senior Grigsby, who was lost for the season in the early going.

He leads a class of three other Spartans on the all-Mountain West first football team, with David Fales predictably losing out on the first QB spot to Derek Carr from Fresno State. Receiver Chandler Jones, cornerback Bene Benwikere and linebacker Keith Smith all earned first team honors.

Fales was the second team quarterback along with offensive lineman Nicholas Kaspar and kicker Austin Lopez. Freshman tight end Billy Freeman and offensive lineman Ryan Jones were honorable mention.

The conference awards were: Offensive player of the year, Derek Carr, Fresno State; Freshman of the year, Tyler Winston, San Jose State; Special teams player of the year, Carlos Wiggins, New Mexico; defensive player of the year, Shaquil Barrett, Colorado State; Coach of the year, Matt Wells, Utah State.

In other news from San Jose State and the conference …

  • More awards for San Jose State’s young’uns: Tyler Winston earned another honor this week to. He and three other San Jose State freshmen and sophomore kicker Austin Lopez earned honorable mention on the College Football News’ freshman and sophomore all-America teams. Winston, running back Jarrod Lawson, linebacker Christian Tago, tight end Billy Freeman earned spots on the freshman team, while Lopez was honorable mention on the sophomore team.
  • Jon Wilner doesn’t waste your time this time: Taking time away from his stumping for the big conferences, he writes about why San Jose State didn’t deserve a bowl game.
  • Check out the recruiting class: Not bad so far, all things considered. Mission Viejo QB and 3-star recruit Ian Fieber leads the class so far (we hope.)
  • From Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, next Saturday’s Las Vegas Bowl will be a reunion for two Bakersfield products in USC quarterback Cody Kessler (who graduated from Bakersfield Centennial) and Fresno State’s Derek Carr (who went to Bakersfield Christian.) The two are good friends.
  • Step 1 for UNLV: Make bowl game. Step 2: ?????. Step 3. Profit? So writes Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which has its postseason berth and now much figure out how it will pay for things like travel and the likes.
  • Side note: No one from UNLV earned first team All-Mountain West honors this year, despite the team’s 7-5 record. Three made the second team: lineman Brandon Boyko, receiver Devante Davis and running back Tim Cornett. My thought: The Rebels got their bowl game, they can deal with it.
  • San Diego State is busily preparing for its bowl game in Boise by trying to practice outdoors as much as possible, reports the Union-Tribune. Two problems: San Diego is rather balmy this time of year compared to Boise (which might not get over freezing for game time), and they are having to share practice facilities with Boise State as they prepare for the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas eve.
  • Bryan Harsin is back home with Boise State, the Idaho Statesman writes, after the school essentially purchased him from Arkansas State. the Red Wolves, in an interesting note, have now had four different coaches in four straight years (Steve Roberts was fired after the 2010 season, Hugh Freeze bolted for Ole Miss after the 2011 season, Gus Malzahn left for Auburn after the 2012 season, and Harsin left after the 2013 season for Boise State.)
  • Colorado State sophomore running back Kapri Bibbs was named second team All-American this year.
  • In a wild bit of speculation from the Fort Collins Coloradoan, reporter Kelly Lyell looks into whether Rams coach Jim McElwain could be an option to replace Nick Saban at Alabama should he leave the Crimson Tide for, say, Texas. McElwain won two national titles as offensive coordinator for Saban in 2009 and 2011. But the reality is, with his buyouts at $4 million this year and $3 million next year, he’s probably not leaving Fort Collins this year.
December 6, 2013

Breaking down Chris Petersen’s decision to leave Boise for Washington (with edits)

Chris Petersen is leaving Boise State after eight seasons, ESPN reports.

Chris Petersen is leaving Boise State after eight seasons, ESPN reports. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

This is some serious deja vu for Boise State.

ESPN is reporting that Boise State head coach Chris Petersen has finally decided to leave the Broncos. His choice? Washington, which is heading to a bowl game after a 7-5 year under Steve Sarkisian, who just bolted for USC (former Raiders QB and Washington alum Marques Tuiasosopo will coach the team in the bowl game.)

Petersen’s path here is not far off from his predecessor, Dan Hawkins, who had three straight one-loss seasons from 2002 to 2004 before losing four in 2005, finishing outside the top 25 for the first time in three years, and bolting for Colorado.

Here’s what you need to know about Petersen’s move:

Why Washington?

Here’s why I think he’s finally leaving after rejecting so many overtures over the years, including the same USC gig his predecessor with the Huskies took:

  • Money. Washington essentially offered to make Petersen one of the highest paid coaches in the Pac-12. And they did not disappoint, giving Petersen $3.6 million per year. That’s a strong offer from a program not looked upon as elite. He made $2.2 million at Boise State, the most in the Mountain West, but that’s small compared to what the Huskies are allegedly throwing on the table.
  • He gets a team on the rise. Washington, in essence, presents a strong chance to do special things with someone else’s recruits, and use it to build a dynasty. Sarkisian recovered the Huskies from the ash heap of irrelevance after a winless season in 2008, and what he’s done there last few years is nothing short of amazing. Petersen likely sees a team he doesn’t have to rebuild or reload, because the previous coach has left for another reclamation project. He can win now and take all the credit.
  • Top level talent doesn’t want to come to Boise any more. It was already hard enough for Petersen to pull in top-level talent given factors like location, but being in a reduced Mountain West has likely made it intolerable. He can offer up a premiere stage to the same recruits he was pursuing now as well as an extremely appealing metropolis in Seattle.
  • Boise State may finally be a program in decline. After seven great years, the Broncos lost more games this year than they have since Dan Hawkins was coach. They will finish outside the top 25 for the first time in Petersen’s tenure. He lost as many games this year than he has in the last four years combined. The team hasn’t had many bad recruiting classes, but a few recent ones have not lived up to expectations. Petersen may have seen the writing on the wall, especially since recruiting to Boise isn’t getting any easier despite more than a decade of success for the program.
  • The Mountain West’s prestige as a conference has gone way down. Boise State remained rather than jump to the then-Big East because the Mountain West threw money at them (and the Big East became a less appealing choice after getting raided by everyone.) The problem is that all the good teams left for other conferences: TCU is in the Big 12 now, Brigham Young is an independent and Utah is happy in the Pac 12. The conference replaced them with the old vestiges of the WAC — Nevada, Fresno State, and later Utah State and San Jose State. These teams may have good seasons, but don’t bring to the table the year over year success the three that left did, and certainly aren’t name brands. This effects everything: Gate receipts, value of their independent TV contracts, ability to get into big time bowl games, and, most of all, recruiting. The Pac-12 is, I would say, the second or third best conference in the nation. The Mountain West is still in the middle when it comes to the 11 FBS conferences, but realignment opened the break between top and middling programs into a chasm.

So what are his prospects with the Huskies?

If history holds for Boise State coaches who have moved on, it’s not good. Houston Nutt had good years at Arkansas, but never did better than OK at Arkansas. Dirk Koetter had mixed success in six seasons at Arizona State. Dan Hawkins was an abject failure in Colorado.

Who’s going to coach the Broncos next?

Again, if recent tradition holds true, they’ll stay in house and offensive coordinator Robert Prince will be the man. After all, Hawkins was Koetter’s offensive coordinator, and Petersen was Hawkins’ OC. Prince, who has been OC for the Broncos the last two years, could be in line for a promotion, especially since he’s been around the team off and on since 2001. This seems unlikely given the other options available.

At this point, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the Broncos to go out of house for their next coach. The conference may be down and the team may have had a down year by its standards, but Boise State still brings a name brand to the table that could attract a savvy assistant looking to strike out on his own.

[Edit – Petersen is likely to take much of his coaching staff with him, but there are some intriguing former assistants on the table. The Idaho Statesman’s Chad Crippe seems to be zeroing in on two particular former assistants as the leaders: Bryan Harsin, Arkansas State’s coach and a former Boise State offensive coordinator, and Justin Wilcox, Washington’s current defensive coordinator and a former Boise State defensive coordinator under Petersen. Harsin may be intriguing but unlikely since his buyout is expensive; Wilcox has options on the table since two of his former bosses are building staffs. For now, Bob Gregory will serve as the team’s interim coach.]

What does this mean for San Jose State?

Right now, not much. It could mean more later on, especially in the money department.

Boise State is the Mountain West’s cash cow, the best team year over year in the conference. If Petersen’s leaving signals a declining program, then it could equal less for everyone.

There’s also the remote chance that the Spartans could lose someone in this whole coaching realignment. Ron Caragher isn’t going anywhere, but offensive coordinator Jimmy Daugherty has ties to Washington (he was a position coach there last year) and to Steve Sarkisian (whom he worked for), which could mean he could be moving on after just one year for understandably greener pastures.

November 29, 2013

Week 14 MWC football picks: Utah State, Boise State battle to end for Mountain division

Breaking down who I think is going to win in this weekend’s Mountain West football games.

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November 27, 2013

MWC men’s hoops power rankings: UNLV disappoints, Spartans in last to start

UNLV was picked to finish at or near the top of the Mountain West by almost everyone, but the luster of those predictions seems like a long, long time ago.

The Rebels are 2-3 to open the season, not really putting up much of a fight against stronger competition they were supposed to go toe-to-toe with, and losing badly to two teams that no business coming to the Thomas and Mack Center and doing such things.

UNLV is lucky one of those games didn’t count.

San Jose State has won two in a row with a strong win over Pepperdine. It still isn’t enough to get them out of the rankings early doldrums.

Here are this week’s Mountain West Conference men’s basketball rankings for the first few weeks of the season.

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November 19, 2013

MWC Roundup: ‘Ice cream fixes everything’ for San Jose State edition

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011San Jose State coach Rob Caragher has stolen a page out of the kindergarten handbook in an attempt to lighten the dour mood around the South Campus.

After a lifeless performance in a loss to Nevada on Saturday,  he decided to bring some levity to this week’s practices by having the fat guys on the offensive and defensive line participate in a kicking contest, with ice cream as the prize.

It ended in a tie, so everyone got sweets, writes Jimmy Durkin of the Mercury News. It makes the players take their mind off the task at hand at least, but it doesn’t necessarily fix the fact that the Spartans let the last really good opportunity to wrap up a bowl berth escape and run for a touchdown.

Now, it means having to do it against a 6-4 Navy team that runs the ball as well as anyone or an undefeated Fresno State program that is firing on all cylinders.

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November 15, 2013

Football predictions, Week 12: Three teams seek bowl eligibility, get cupcakes

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011Colorado State, San Diego State and San Jose State can all reach the pivotal six-win mark this week by performing coup de gras on teams from the Mountain West’s doldrums.

The Spartans face a Nevada team that hasn’t won in five weeks and is hurting on both sides of the ball. The Aztecs face a winless Hawaii team that will at least have the benefit of looking pretty in throwbacks while likely getting nailed to the wall on Saturday. Colorado State’s run-stopping defense has to love seeing a team that can do only one thing right: run the ball.

This will be the week the conference finally shakes out its bowl teams from its bad teams.

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November 14, 2013

MWC Roundup: A building boom at two of conference’s Calif. schools

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011These are boom times for the Cal State’s football schools, at least in terms of athletics, with San Diego State and San Jose State are each building up their facilities.

The Vermeil-Walsh Athletic Complex, which will be the new North end zone at Spartans Stadium, is set to break ground soon at San Jose State and will make the stadium in general more hospitable. Spartan Gym, which houses the volleyball and gymnastics teams, is also getting a sorely needed facelift along with the rest of the Spartan Complex. The facility is also privately financed which, considering the hard times the school has fallen on financially, is a relief.

Athletic director Gene Bleymaier hopes its the first step of a rebuild of Spartan Stadium, he said back in May. The stadium hasn’t had significant renovations since the 1980s.

San Diego State is building a new basketball practice facility on campus. But with the future of Qualcomm Stadium uncertain and likely short, the Aztecs are looking at all options, including building an on-campus stadium.

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November 12, 2013

Where will San Jose State go bowling? Breaking down the MWC’s potential postseason

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011The Mountain West Conference is has six bowl tie-ins to fill this year, and potentially a seventh if the Pac-12 comes up short. San Jose State, as of right now, is still likely to be playing in December when this is all said and done, but Saturday’s loss really did a number to where. Before that, one of the higher bowls wasn’t out of the question.

After … It’s looking bleak on the money end, at least. But still likely.

But with the rest of the conference having two or three games left, it’s time to start untangling the Mountain West’s bowl list, and figure out who’s in, who’s out and where the hell they are going.

For the record, things are just as unsettled at the top as they are at the bottom of the bowl picture. Fresno State could still ruin its BCS chances with two and almost certainly three games left, and there’s still some unlikely silliness with New Mexico, UNLV and Wyoming to sort out that could determine where the Spartans play.

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November 8, 2013

Football predictions, Week 11: How did that game end up on TV?!

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011 Somehow, Air Force and New Mexico found its way onto national TV on Friday night. What that is telling people, as a colleague of mine said, is “go watch a high school football game.”

There are some matchups from the Mountain West that you’ll have to hold your nose to watch, even if you pull for either one of those teams. Nevada against Air Force earlier this season, or anytime the 2013 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors take the field, which also made it onto national TV this week against Navy.

Seriously, who decides which games make it on TV from this conference? Because they need to be fired.

Air Force (2-7, 0-5) at New Mexico (2-6, 0-4), 6 p.m. Friday, TV: ESPNU

Someone is coming away with a conference win in Albuquerque on Friday whether they want it or not. These are two teams that do everything the same: Strong running offenses with no passing attack and no defense to speak of. Air Force is riding the high of a big win over Army, while the Lobos made a spirited attempt at a comeback Saturday against San Diego State, but fell short.

New Mexico’s running attack has proven to be multifaceted, while Air Force’s, when it has worked, has been more or less Anthony LaCoste. New Mexico  just strikes me as a deeper team right now, although Air Force is finally finding stability in the back field in an offense that sorely needs it going forward. I would expect LaCoste to have another big game, even if the Falcons do lose.

Prediction: New Mexico wins 49-45.

Fresno State (8-0, 5-0) at Wyoming (4-4, 2-2), 7:15 p.m. Saturday, TV: ESPN2

If the Bulldogs are going to get tipped before the Mountain West championship game, this is where it’s most likely to happen (Sorry Spartans). It’s a night game, and the temperatures are most likely going to be in the 30s for game time. The one saving grace for Fresno State? No snow or rain.

Derek Carr set an almost 30 year old team record for passing yardage in the closing seconds of Saturday’s game against Nevada, one that was way closer than it should have been. Fresno State has spent way too much time playing down to its competition (Nevada, Hawaii, San Diego State), which suggests to me that they are listening to the hype. Wyoming has a potent offense that, thanks to Shaun Wick, can run the ball effectively all evening long. They are 21st in the nation in both rushing yards and passing yards.

It’s foolish to pick against the Bulldogs until they actually lose. But Wyoming is going to give Fresno State’s defense all they can handle, and it may well break them. This is the first time all season where a potentially close game has all side factors — weather, crowd, time — trending in the opponents direction (remember, the Bulldogs got Boise State and Rutgers at home, and didn’t have to play Colorado). This is the game we finally learn if Fresno State is a true BCS buster or just another pretender.

Prediction: Fresno State wins 42-38.

Utah State (5-4, 4-1) at UNLV (5-4, 3-2), 5 p.m. Saturday, TV: ESPNU

This is a big one for both teams. The Aggies and the Rebels are each a win away from bowl eligibility, but that means different things for both teams.

For the Aggies, it’s a continuation of recent excellence, but it also keeps alive their chances for the Mountain division title should Boise State stumble. For the Rebels, a win would likely end a streak of 13 years without a bowl berth (and another would guarantee it) and probably saves coach Bobby Hauck’s job.

The thing is, this one isn’t going to be close. The Aggies have underachieved a lot this year, but are statistically a top 40 offense (37th in passing yardage per game at 266.3 and 28th in rushing yards at 203.2) and a strong defense that punished Utah and USC, even in defeat. Imagine how bad this would be if Aggies quarterback Chuckie Keeton hadn’t been hurt against BYU?

UNLV just doesn’t have the defense to slow Utah State down. If Tim Cornett rebounds from a bad performance, and that’s a big if given how good the Aggies are, the Rebels can make a game of this. They will also need Caleb Herring to be the dual threat he showed glimpses of being against the Spartans, sans the interceptions.

Prediction: Utah State is going to run the Rebels off the field, 45-16.

Hawaii (0-8) at Navy (4-4), 12:30 p.m. Saturday, TV: CBSSN

You know what time it is in Hawaii when this game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. In Annapolis? 10:30 a.m. It could be worse, but for a team that’s already logged a lot of air miles this year with little to show for it wins wise, that’s a pain.

Sean Schroeder will get another start, and maybe Hawaii finds enough defense to slow down the Midshipmen’s top ranked running game.

Unlikely, but maybe?

Yeah, no. The Warriors’ sad defense has struggled all year, and facing a team that has some pretty impressive showings under their belt (and a bad loss or two also, but that’s not the point) doesn’t figure to end their misery this week.

Maybe next week when they bust out the retro unis against San Diego State?

Prediction: Navy 31, Hawaii 17.

Nevada (3-6, 2-4) at Colorado State (4-5, 2-2), 12:30 p.m. Saturday

Colorado State had a chance to grab control in the Mountain division last week, but couldn’t slow Boise State down enough to win. Now, they just need to win in order to avoid missing out on a bowl game for the fifth straight season. That three-point loss to Tulsa early in the season is really beginning to hurt Colorado State, that’s for sure. Rams coach Jim McElwain has made a lot of progress this season, but this season would feel like a loss if the Rams can’t seal the deal and make a bowl game.

Enter Nevada. A team going in the opposite direction as Colorado State.

Cody Fajardo is a big concern for them, especially since he’s been a reasonably efficient passer this season and is more than capable of running too. He’s one of the few bright spots for a beleaguered Nevada team that just can’t catch a break this season. They’ve been in each of the last four losses, including leading Boise State at the half and staying close to Fresno State through three quarters.

Colorado State is just a far more talented team than the down-on-its-luck Wolf Pack, whose defense hasn’t done it any favors this year. The Rams should get back on track in this one.

Prediction: Colorado State wins this one 33-24.

San Diego State (4-4, 3-1) at San Jose State (5-3, 3-1), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, TV: CBSSN

Every conference game — all three of them — for the Spartans are extremely important, and not just because of bowl eligibility. Winning out in conference, which means beating Fresno State to close the regular season, means a berth in the Mountain West title game against more than likely Boise State.

San Diego State needed a little extra oomph from Adam Muema to beat lowly New Mexico last week. San Jose needed its running game to beat UNLV, and will need it again against the Aztecs, who will be gunning for David Fales the same way they effectively game planned for Derek Carr.

David Fales has never been down long. Each time he’s turned in a poor effort, he’s bounced back and put up at least a decent game. San Diego State, though, isn’t as bad on the defensive side of the ball as many other Mountain West teams, and can certainly stop high octane offense (just ask Fresno State).

This one is going to be a close one, but I think the Spartans should come away with a win. San Diego State seems to be the perpetually in a state of almost and not quite against decent teams. San Jose State has made a habit this year of being on top of those battles.

Prediction: San Jose State wins but doesn’t beat the spread, 30-27.