In 2005 the Boise State Broncos, coming off a close Liberty Bowl game loss to Louisville went to Athens, Georgia to take on the SEC’s Georgia Bulldogs. It was a game for all to gage how far the 18th ranked team had come.
Not to reopen old wounds for Bronco Nation, but the game proved to be a disaster for the Broncos. It is a game that people, college football media, coaches and fans outside of Bronco Nation will always mention when Boise State’s name is considered in the same breath as “BCS” or “National Champion.”
To briefly recap, Jared Zabransky threw an interception on the Broncos’ first play of the game and continued to turn the ball over ending the game with a total of 6 turnovers as Boise State fell to the Bulldogs 48-13.
Later Z attributed cramping and trying to do “too much” as the reasons for his poor play. Chris Petersen, a psychology major, took the rest of that year and the 2006 season trying to get Z’s mind straight. Some would argue that it is the only thing Petersen has ever failed to win.
What do the 2005 Georgia game and this year’s Virginia Tech game have in common? The obvious is the Bronco’s record against BCS teams since joining the bowl championship subdivision or 1-A. Boise State can boast a strong road win versus the Oregon Ducks. Additionally, the Broncos have the dramatic win versus the Oklahoma Sooners on a neutral site, with a three additional wins at home versus Oregon State and Oregon.
Counting Bowl games on the Blue the Broncos have one win versus Iowa State and one loss versus Boston College. In the same time period the Broncos have 10 additional losses versus BCS schools with the last loss coming on the road against the Washington Huskies in 2007. For those keeping score at home that is 6 wins versus 11 losses.
On September 6th the Broncos head to another “neutral” site and open against BCS opponent, the Virginia Tech Hokies, raising the question of, “what will be different this time?”
An obvious difference is one Chris Petersen. Coach Pete, as he is known by Bronco Nation, has only one loss against BCS teams versus 4 wins. Oh and consider he has only lost 4 games in 4 years as the Broncos head coach. In 4 bowl games as head coach, the Broncos have 2 wins and 2 losses, with each game being decided by an average of 3 points. To say Coach Pete’s teams are prepared for the big game is an understatement.
Then there is the Defense of the Broncos. We should consider that defensive mastermind Justin Wilcox is looking to see if the grass is greener in Tennessee and Kyle Wilson is in New York City, a concrete jungle where dreams come true. Despite these 2 key losses during the off season the Broncos will return 10 defensive starters and are reloading. I am not saying the Bronco Defense is perfect, but in the big game they are down right nasty.
The Broncos are led by Senior Safety Jeron Johnson, who over his college career has lost only 2 games as a starter. In the epic 4 OT game again the Nevada Wolfpack, number 23 was out with an injury. The other 2 games he started against the Pack, well let’s just say the results were much different.
In case you still are not convinced Jeron led the team with 91 tackles in 2009, was second in interceptions, not to Kyle Wilson, but Brandyn Thompson. He led the team in tackles in 2008 with 98 and 54 tackles in 2007 despite playing in only 9 games. Yes he is that good.
Also consider that the great Oregon Duck offense of 2009 was held to 8 points 152 total yards, with their first 1st down coming in the middle of the 2nd half. Adrian Peterson was held to 77 yards in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl and 25 of those yards were on one play in overtime. Then top it off with the 2010 defensive masterpiece versus TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.
So if Coach Pete is good and the Defense rises up to challenges, what will be the biggest difference this year? Two words – Kellen Moore.
The Junior quarterback with be the difference versus Va Tech. Why Kellen? Well the easiest response it, he isn’t Jared Zabransky.
Not to hate on Z, but when have you heard Kellen blame a poor performance on body cramps and trying to do too much? How many times has Kellen forced something that led to something terrible? I bet you don’t use all 10 fingers to count them.
Not to put too much pressure on one player, but does anybody worry about Kellen making mistakes? Now football is a team game and Kellen isn’t the most dominant player on the field (though he is dominant), but the stats speak for themselves.
I concede Kellen has been bailed out by the likes of Austin Pettis, the defense and at times the running game can be as dominate as any in college football. As a Bronco Fan, it has been refreshing knowing that Kellen is leading the offense. He is football smart and he knows his limitations, you know the Anti-Zabransky.
The game against Va Tech will speak for itself, but most of Bronco Nation can agree that having Kellen Moore as the starting QB will be the biggest difference in the Bronco’s next most important game in history. Go Broncos!!
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