Summer Filler #4: Boise State

Since it ain't my style to boast on other people's blogs and a healthy amount of time has passed since Pack Friday, I may as well take this opportunity to indulge in a little belated bravado:

"AWW HELL YEAH, BABY!! WOO!! How do you like them apples, Bronco fans? HOW DO YOU LIKE 'EM?! 'Best Team Ever'? I don't THINK SO!! 'National Champions' my ASS!! We put up with ten years' worth of your crap and guess what? You ain't never gonna live THIS ONE down! Now the shoe's on the other foot, ya smug, self-righteous pricks! Hurts, doesn't it?! From Pasadena on New Year's Day to Las Vegas before Christmas! And don't EVER forget who put you there! Who's your daddy?! CHRIS MOTHERFUCKIN' AULT, THAT'S WHO!!"

Ahem. Let us now move forward.

Boise State Broncos

Like Coen Brothers movies or U2 albums, a sub-par season by Boise State's own standards is still pretty damn good to the rest of us. The Broncos spent the majority of their season in top fifteens, be it in national rankings or a host of statistical categories. Though it came up short for reasons we all know, the fact remains that this program will likely stay at or near this same level of excellence for at least another year.

Offense

Scoring: 45.1 ppg (2nd)
Rushing: 200.2 ypg (21st)
Passing: 321.1 ypg (6th)
Total: 521.3 ypg (2nd)
First Downs: 25.1 pg (8th)
Third Downs Converted: 49.0% (11th)
Red Zone Conversions: 85.3% (38th)

Defense

Scoring: 12.8 ppg (2nd)
Rushing: 103.8 ypg (7th)
Passing: 150.9 ypg (4th)
Total: 254.7 ypg (2nd)
Sacks: 48.0 (t-1st)
Tackles for Loss: 109.0 (2nd)
Turnover Margin: +8 (t-22nd)

Special Teams

Touchbacks: 9 (t-58th)
Kickoff Returns: 23.6 ypr (23rd)
Punts: 42.9 ypp (32nd)
Punt Returns: 12.7 ypr (16th)

Some Numbers to Ponder: 507 - yards of total offense Kellen Moore accounted for in a game against Hawai'i last year; 5,901 - combined career receiving yards of departing wide receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis AND the total number of points the Broncos have scored since 2000, the most of any team in the country in that time; .818 - Boise State's overall winning percentage since 1997, also the highest of any team in the country in that period.

What can you honestly say about Boise State football that hasn't already been said dozens of times before? They get it done on offense, they get it done on defense, they get it done on special teams, and more often than not, they get it done in big games on big stages. They can annoy the ever-loving hell out of you if you root for anyone else, but if you're a fan, they're likely the center of your universe.

And why not? They play an appealing brand of confident, mistake-free football that deserves respect in spite of how stupid they sometimes look while doing it. They're the kind of team that you have to beat entirely on your own, as they don't make enough stupid mistakes to give their opponents even a sliver of unconditional hope. In the time they've shared the WAC with Nevada, they've been like the Ned Flanders to our Homer Simpson: gratingly chaste and perfect in so many ways that you can't help but gloat a little bit on the occasions that they do fall from grace.


After winning gobs of games with what seemed like a perpetually young team for a couple of years, the Broncos finally sustained some losses at key positions after the 2010 season. This is most evident on defense, where end Ryan Winterswyk, MIKE linebacker Derrell Acrey, nickel back Winston Venable, cornerback Brandyn Thompson (I call "illegal use of a superfluous 'y'", by the way) and safety Jeron Johnson all depart. Aside from the aforementioned duo of Young and Pettis, the offense's only other losses of note are linemen Will Lawrence and Matt Slater and back-up running back Jeremy Avery. Kicker, punter and all-around object of pity Kyle Brotzman rounds out the losses.

We should all know by now that no matter who they lose from one year to the next, the Broncos will likely remain very good. But with that said, it'll still be interesting to see the composition of next year's team coming off of what was supposed to have been their "best team ever" the prior year.

Tune in for another Summer Filler next week when we begin the Slog Through Red October. Our first patsy? The Nevada Southern Rebels.