12/9/08
Like many bigger schools who perform consistently well year-in and year-out, Boise State has earned a birth right in every preseason poll until they demonstrate they don't belong here. Since 1999 the Broncos have yet to finish with anything less than an eight win campaign. In seven of those ten seasons, they have racked up double-digit wins (ten or more). Even during seasons where it appears the Broncos have the personnel cupboard depleted, they return with another fantastic product. Fortunately, that won't be the case for 2009. The WAC's No. 1 rated defense (nation's No. 3 scoring defense) loses a few of its pieces, especially within the front seven. But the secondary returns almost completely intact and young quarterback Kellen Moore will be working behind an experienced group. The offensive line is a great place to start, and these young hogs only gave up an amazing 11 sacks in ‘08. The running game has room for improvement. Johnson is gone, but what remains is still a committee of quality runners with plenty of carries on their resume. Leading receiver Jeremy Childs will help to elevate this passing game for Moore. Moore himself has a great future with plenty of eligibility left. If his improvements continue, Boise State will continue to dominate the WAC, and head coach Chris Petersen will continue to be in high demand for coaching vacancies at bigger schools. Again, the front seven on defense is full of new faces that had to earn their stripes as freshmen part-timers. Outside of LB Derrell Ackrey and All-WAC DE Ryan Winterswyk, the rest will be sophomores. The home opener against Oregon, a team they beat in Eugene last fall, will set the stage for how good this bunch can be. They are more than capable of running the table should they pull out the win over the Ducks. Death, taxes and Boise State’s gridiron success...some things never change.