January 4, 2010
BCS Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, 8pm on FOX
No. 6 Boise State Broncos (13-0) vs. No. 4 TCU Horned Frogs (12-0)
For the first time in BCS history there are two teams from non-automatic qualifying conferences, the “BCS Busters” as we call them; the problem is—they’re playing each other instead of one of the BCS-schools. A Boise State vs. Iowa Fiesta Bowl and a TCU vs. Florida Sugar Bowl was something I really wanted see along with a lot of other people, but instead for the first time we also have two undefeated teams playing each other in a BCS bowl game that isn’t for the national championship. The winner of this game might be on the fast track to crashing the BCS again next year. This game ultimately means more than playing against Iowa, Georgia Tech, or Cincinnati.
Boise State has the nation’s number one scoring offense; TCU has the nation’s number one scoring defense. Boise’s defense is 13th in scoring, and TCU’s offense is 4th, but also have a special teams unit that is ranked number one; TCU is the only team to be in the Top 4 in offense, defense, and special teams which is why we all believe TCU is the most complete and balanced team in the country and I along with select ESPN people, believe TCU is the best team in the country and deserve a chance to play for the national title. That said, the BCS is what it is and these smaller schools might never get a chance to win a championship. All they can do is continue to schedule tough opponents and win decisively.
As we recall, these two teams played each other last year in the Poinsettia Bowl. Boise State was undefeated last year, but left out of the BCS. That put the Broncos in San Diego against TCU where they really didn’t want to be and it showed in the game, but quarterback Kellen Moore is determined to redeem the Boise State image after the loss to TCU last year. TCU dominated the game and outgained Boise in total yards 472-250, but the final score was only 17-16 and it was a sloppy game.
Both of these teams thrive on offense with precision and I expect a much better matchup this time. Both want to finish undefeated and in the Top 5, but only one can. That should be motivation enough, but for Boise, with a win they would become the second team ever to go 14-0 in a season (even though there will be another team to go 14-0 later because Texas and Alabama are both 13-0 and play each other for the BCS title).
Boise State has more to prove because they started the season ranked ahead of TCU and before midseason the Horned Frogs had jumped Boise in the rankings so Boise has some doubters out there. It’s all because of the schedule they played and some bumps in the road they hit in that schedule. We all know they beat Oregon back in September 19-8, and Oregon just played in the Rose Bowl, but that was a messy game and really if they played again today, Oregon might win. Boise’s only other tough games were against Fresno State, who just lost to Wyoming and Nevada who got dominated by SMU so Boise’s body of work is looking pretty weak right about now.
TCU on the other hand played three of its four non-conference games against tough opponents winning at Virginia and at Clemson, and at home against SMU. Then they came into conference play and dominated the two other ranked teams they played: BYU and Utah. After watching that Utah game, that’s when it hit me that TCU is simply the best team in the country.
TCU has a chance to make another statement against Boise State and aside from maybe playing Florida, Boise is tougher competition than the other teams in the BCS bowls. The X-factor in the game is TCU receiver and return man Jeremy Kerley. He is their most explosive playmaker and they like to get him the ball with short passes and run reverses and use him in the “Wild Frog” formation. Boise did a nice job of shutting down Kerley last year, but it just seems like TCU has too many weapons back from last year’s team on offense and on defense after losing seven starters, the defense is better than it was last year. Jerry Hughes and the TCU pass rush is going to be key against a Boise State offensive line that has only allowed five sacks this season, that’s the best in the nation. When given time Kellen Moore is deadly accurate with the ball, he’s only thrown three interceptions, and he might have top receiver Austin Pettis back from a leg fracture in this game. If not though, Boise has a lot of playmakers at receiver and keep an eye on Titus Young. Boise’s got themselves a nice run game two with the 1-2 punch of Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin. If TCU shuts that down and makes Boise dimensional, then Hughes becomes more valuable and TCU can drop seven or eight into coverage and force Moore into mistakes like they did last year, but you can never fall asleep on Boise’s “gadget offense.” I’m sure Chris Peterson and the Boise State coaching staff will have some new wrinkles in the offense ready for the TCU that they haven’t seen before. Remember last year, Boise tried the hook-n-lateral play at the end, and credit to TCU’s scouting, they knew it was coming. This time Boise needs new something new.
Prediction: TCU 35, Boise State 28
Result: Boise State 17, TCU 10
BOISE STATE. Boise just thrives in the underdog rule and no can doubt them. I wanted them to win, btu I really didn't they would. It was "deja vu" for TCU Quarterback Andy Dalton as he threw three interceptions just like he did against Boise last year. The third was a tipped ball by Brandyn Thompson and into the arms of Winston Venable to end the game when TCU had drive over 50 yards in under a minute but it all came to an abrupt end.
I thought this year the game would exploit some of the wholes in both of these great defenses, but the complete opposite happened and the two defenses exploited all the flaws in the two offenses and Boise's defense surprisingly dominated TCU.
TCU's offensive line proved to be all size and not much skill. That stout defensive line was in the face of Andy Dalton all night and it caused him to make too many mistakes, not to mention some drops from his receivers that didn't help, and the one that will be remembered is Antwan Hicks' drop in the endzone that would have tied the game at 17-17, but it slipped right out of his hands.
Boise State's offensive line lived up the expectations and without their starting right tackle in the game, they put a double team on Jerry Hughes almost every pass play to protect Kellen Moore's blind side. Hughes did have a strip and fumble recovery that led to TCU tying the game 10-10, but aside from that, Hughes was a non-factor in the game.
All the talk was about how TCU had to stop the Boise State run game and make the Broncos one dimensional. No one talked about how Boise State had to slow down TCU's run game that averaged over 250 yards per game. TCU slowed down the run game, but couldn't stop it when it mattered, while TCU was held to 1.8 yards per carry for only a total of 36 yards. Andy Dalton had to pass 44 times, something he was definitely not accustomed to and with all the pressure on him, he was only able to lead his team to one, just one, third down conversion the entire game and the Horned Frogs also failed on a crucial fourth down.
Last year's matchup between these two teams was dominated by TCU's offense, but today both teams were about even in the total yards category, but the Boise State defense came up bigger than the TCU D.
We always know to expect a trick or two with Chris Peterson coaching Boise and I was waiting and waiting for it and finally it happened. On a fake punt, Kyle Brotzman threw the ball to a wide open tight end Kyle Efaw down the middle. TCU never saw it coming and that fourth down conversion kept the drive alive for Boise that turned into the game-winning Doug Martin two yard touchdown run.
I was pretty surprised with TCU's struggling offense, especially on the ground, that they didn't try to get the ball to Jeremy Kerley more. Kerley did have one 39 yard punt return, but Boise for the most part did a good job of containing him and keeping him in front. Kerley had six catches on offense, and six touches for him is not norm in the TCU offense, they'd like to get him the ball more and we didn't see any "Wild Frog" formations today with Kerley which was a little surprising while Boise had some effective runs from their "Wildcat" with Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin working together.
Boise State's defense was the story though, they sure did not look like the same defense that gave up 34 to Fresno State, 35 to Louisiana Tech, and 33 to Nevada. This looked like the Boise defense we saw Sept. 3 vs. Oregon, but seeing Boise play six times this year I didn't think this was a defense that would shut down TCU and the pass defense has been shaky at times, but obviously tonight they made Dalton very uncomfortable and unable to really find his receivers for big plays downfield and a lot of credit goes to Boise's shutdown corner Kyle Wilson who I really like as an NFL prospect. I've seen Wilson play for three years and he is definitely one of the best corners I have seen.
My Player of the Game: Brandyn Thompson, Boise State Cornerback
Honorable Mention: Kyle Wilson, Boise State Cornerback
Winston Venable, Boise State Linebacker
No. 6 Boise State Broncos (13-0) vs. No. 4 TCU Horned Frogs (12-0)
For the first time in BCS history there are two teams from non-automatic qualifying conferences, the “BCS Busters” as we call them; the problem is—they’re playing each other instead of one of the BCS-schools. A Boise State vs. Iowa Fiesta Bowl and a TCU vs. Florida Sugar Bowl was something I really wanted see along with a lot of other people, but instead for the first time we also have two undefeated teams playing each other in a BCS bowl game that isn’t for the national championship. The winner of this game might be on the fast track to crashing the BCS again next year. This game ultimately means more than playing against Iowa, Georgia Tech, or Cincinnati.
Boise State has the nation’s number one scoring offense; TCU has the nation’s number one scoring defense. Boise’s defense is 13th in scoring, and TCU’s offense is 4th, but also have a special teams unit that is ranked number one; TCU is the only team to be in the Top 4 in offense, defense, and special teams which is why we all believe TCU is the most complete and balanced team in the country and I along with select ESPN people, believe TCU is the best team in the country and deserve a chance to play for the national title. That said, the BCS is what it is and these smaller schools might never get a chance to win a championship. All they can do is continue to schedule tough opponents and win decisively.
As we recall, these two teams played each other last year in the Poinsettia Bowl. Boise State was undefeated last year, but left out of the BCS. That put the Broncos in San Diego against TCU where they really didn’t want to be and it showed in the game, but quarterback Kellen Moore is determined to redeem the Boise State image after the loss to TCU last year. TCU dominated the game and outgained Boise in total yards 472-250, but the final score was only 17-16 and it was a sloppy game.
Both of these teams thrive on offense with precision and I expect a much better matchup this time. Both want to finish undefeated and in the Top 5, but only one can. That should be motivation enough, but for Boise, with a win they would become the second team ever to go 14-0 in a season (even though there will be another team to go 14-0 later because Texas and Alabama are both 13-0 and play each other for the BCS title).
Boise State has more to prove because they started the season ranked ahead of TCU and before midseason the Horned Frogs had jumped Boise in the rankings so Boise has some doubters out there. It’s all because of the schedule they played and some bumps in the road they hit in that schedule. We all know they beat Oregon back in September 19-8, and Oregon just played in the Rose Bowl, but that was a messy game and really if they played again today, Oregon might win. Boise’s only other tough games were against Fresno State, who just lost to Wyoming and Nevada who got dominated by SMU so Boise’s body of work is looking pretty weak right about now.
TCU on the other hand played three of its four non-conference games against tough opponents winning at Virginia and at Clemson, and at home against SMU. Then they came into conference play and dominated the two other ranked teams they played: BYU and Utah. After watching that Utah game, that’s when it hit me that TCU is simply the best team in the country.
TCU has a chance to make another statement against Boise State and aside from maybe playing Florida, Boise is tougher competition than the other teams in the BCS bowls. The X-factor in the game is TCU receiver and return man Jeremy Kerley. He is their most explosive playmaker and they like to get him the ball with short passes and run reverses and use him in the “Wild Frog” formation. Boise did a nice job of shutting down Kerley last year, but it just seems like TCU has too many weapons back from last year’s team on offense and on defense after losing seven starters, the defense is better than it was last year. Jerry Hughes and the TCU pass rush is going to be key against a Boise State offensive line that has only allowed five sacks this season, that’s the best in the nation. When given time Kellen Moore is deadly accurate with the ball, he’s only thrown three interceptions, and he might have top receiver Austin Pettis back from a leg fracture in this game. If not though, Boise has a lot of playmakers at receiver and keep an eye on Titus Young. Boise’s got themselves a nice run game two with the 1-2 punch of Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin. If TCU shuts that down and makes Boise dimensional, then Hughes becomes more valuable and TCU can drop seven or eight into coverage and force Moore into mistakes like they did last year, but you can never fall asleep on Boise’s “gadget offense.” I’m sure Chris Peterson and the Boise State coaching staff will have some new wrinkles in the offense ready for the TCU that they haven’t seen before. Remember last year, Boise tried the hook-n-lateral play at the end, and credit to TCU’s scouting, they knew it was coming. This time Boise needs new something new.
Prediction: TCU 35, Boise State 28
Result: Boise State 17, TCU 10
BOISE STATE. Boise just thrives in the underdog rule and no can doubt them. I wanted them to win, btu I really didn't they would. It was "deja vu" for TCU Quarterback Andy Dalton as he threw three interceptions just like he did against Boise last year. The third was a tipped ball by Brandyn Thompson and into the arms of Winston Venable to end the game when TCU had drive over 50 yards in under a minute but it all came to an abrupt end.
I thought this year the game would exploit some of the wholes in both of these great defenses, but the complete opposite happened and the two defenses exploited all the flaws in the two offenses and Boise's defense surprisingly dominated TCU.
TCU's offensive line proved to be all size and not much skill. That stout defensive line was in the face of Andy Dalton all night and it caused him to make too many mistakes, not to mention some drops from his receivers that didn't help, and the one that will be remembered is Antwan Hicks' drop in the endzone that would have tied the game at 17-17, but it slipped right out of his hands.
Boise State's offensive line lived up the expectations and without their starting right tackle in the game, they put a double team on Jerry Hughes almost every pass play to protect Kellen Moore's blind side. Hughes did have a strip and fumble recovery that led to TCU tying the game 10-10, but aside from that, Hughes was a non-factor in the game.
All the talk was about how TCU had to stop the Boise State run game and make the Broncos one dimensional. No one talked about how Boise State had to slow down TCU's run game that averaged over 250 yards per game. TCU slowed down the run game, but couldn't stop it when it mattered, while TCU was held to 1.8 yards per carry for only a total of 36 yards. Andy Dalton had to pass 44 times, something he was definitely not accustomed to and with all the pressure on him, he was only able to lead his team to one, just one, third down conversion the entire game and the Horned Frogs also failed on a crucial fourth down.
Last year's matchup between these two teams was dominated by TCU's offense, but today both teams were about even in the total yards category, but the Boise State defense came up bigger than the TCU D.
We always know to expect a trick or two with Chris Peterson coaching Boise and I was waiting and waiting for it and finally it happened. On a fake punt, Kyle Brotzman threw the ball to a wide open tight end Kyle Efaw down the middle. TCU never saw it coming and that fourth down conversion kept the drive alive for Boise that turned into the game-winning Doug Martin two yard touchdown run.
I was pretty surprised with TCU's struggling offense, especially on the ground, that they didn't try to get the ball to Jeremy Kerley more. Kerley did have one 39 yard punt return, but Boise for the most part did a good job of containing him and keeping him in front. Kerley had six catches on offense, and six touches for him is not norm in the TCU offense, they'd like to get him the ball more and we didn't see any "Wild Frog" formations today with Kerley which was a little surprising while Boise had some effective runs from their "Wildcat" with Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin working together.
Boise State's defense was the story though, they sure did not look like the same defense that gave up 34 to Fresno State, 35 to Louisiana Tech, and 33 to Nevada. This looked like the Boise defense we saw Sept. 3 vs. Oregon, but seeing Boise play six times this year I didn't think this was a defense that would shut down TCU and the pass defense has been shaky at times, but obviously tonight they made Dalton very uncomfortable and unable to really find his receivers for big plays downfield and a lot of credit goes to Boise's shutdown corner Kyle Wilson who I really like as an NFL prospect. I've seen Wilson play for three years and he is definitely one of the best corners I have seen.
My Player of the Game: Brandyn Thompson, Boise State Cornerback
Honorable Mention: Kyle Wilson, Boise State Cornerback
Winston Venable, Boise State Linebacker
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