Hawaii Bowl Thoughts

I really haven't been avoiding posting here... I promise. I was just real busy at Christmas time (what with a family gathering and the Bowl at our house, followed by other family events pre- and post-Christmas, and then a couple days with an apparent stomach flu). Now that things have slowed down a bit, I'm back.

So, what worried me the most leading up to the game came true. The boys did not take care of the "rock" in Hawaii. East Carolina, on the other hand, was turnover-free for most of the year, but turnover-greedy when it came to their competition. So, the tale of the tape is - the Broncos lost a squeaker.

Now, I'm not one to belittle the team or competition. Fact is, the Pirates did what pirates do - pillage and plunder. The Broncos were just not ready for East Carolina's speed and athleticism (that Chris Johnson is phenomenal), and the Pirates were all-to-ready to prove themselves. We saw the "real" Broncos start to emerge in the second half, but one half of football just doesn't cut it.

I don't think the coaches are to blame. Knowing this coaching staff, I'm sure how dangerous East Carolina could be was drummed into the players' heads for an entire week. I'm just not sure how much the players really bought into it.

So, on to next year. The positives about this year are many. The team, as a whole, was fairly young, and many of them learned a heck of a lot this year. A loss in the final game of the season will leave the kind of taste in their mouths that should lead to extra hard work in the months to come. The last time it happened - 2005 - it lead to a far greater team effort in 2006 and eventually a big win in the Fiesta Bowl. Hopefully, history does repeat itself.

Stay tuned for more interesting tidbits during the approaching off season.

Congratulations Hawaii Warriors

Hawaii 39, BSU 27. As predicted by quite a few, first team to 40 wins it.

All hail the new king (at least until next fall :). It had to happen sometime. Boise State is no longer the reigning 5 year WAC champs. I thought we'd lose it in '05 - we needed a bit of help to retain it that year. In '07, it was ripped from us by a very talented - definitely NOT overrated - Hawaii team.

No excuses. I don't believe BSU played it's best game against Hawaii, true, but Hawaii has to be credited with playing great. Their offense was unstoppable, and their defense stopped the Broncos when it needed to. Our special team "victories" were not enough to make up the difference.

Golly gee whiz, smash-mouth football in the WAC. Who would thunk it. Hardest hitting game I've seen in quite awhile.

Attention Warriors - finish the job! A loss next week against the Washington Huskies would make everything you've accomplished this year for naught. You need to beat the Huskies, get the automatic BCS berth, and beat whomever you get matched up against. The WAC will be well represented in the bowls this year overall.

And I promise I won't call you the Rainbows anymore. You've earned that at least.

Game Notes

Uh, 52-0 on the road. 'Nuff said.

I know everyone wanted to vote Taylor Tharp MVP for the game after his outstanding 26 of 29 passing effort, but I have a different idea. I have to award my game ball to Orlando Scandrick. He blocked one Utah State field goal attempt, and came inches from blocking a second one. I think the kicker shanked his second attempt because he saw Scandrick coming again, and he hurried it up. It begs the question - how many freakin' kicks is he going to end up blocking by the time his career is over?

Ian Johnson looked like he was back up to speed. Which is good, because freshman Jeremy Avery didn't even make the trip because of a bum ankle. The special teams were superb, and the defense played very well. I saw a number of new wrinkles on offense - Coach Pete and Coach Harsin continue to fine-tune as the season continues. I'm not sure - at this point - if anyone outside of the top 10 could slow down the BSU offense.