BOISE — When he hauled in a 47-yard pass from Joe Southwick last
Saturday to set up a short Boise State touchdown, the “20” written on sophomore
receiver Dallas Burroughs’ left arm was plain to see.
In the Broncos’ 32-7 win over UNLV, Burroughs had three receptions —
his first career multi-catch game. Over on the Boise State sideline, his older
brother Mitch, who wears No. 20 and will miss most of the rest of the season
with a broken wrist, was no doubt pleased.
“I really wish he was out there with me,” Dallas Burroughs said. “It’s
just a tribute to him, having him out there in a way. I wouldn’t be where I am
if it wasn’t for him.”
Nevada:
The Wolf Pack front four is growing up slowly — painfully so.
It’s an incremental thing, tectonic, you might say. And with only four
games left in the regular season it’s probably never going to get where it
needs to be if Nevada is going to be a Mountain West Conference champion in
year one, like the Pack did in 1992 in its first season in the Big West and its
first season in the FBS.
Saturday didn’t help, of course, as Nevada gave up a 10-point lead in
the fourth quarter at Mackay Stadium and lost to San Diego State 39-38 in
overtime, the Wolf Pack’s first Mountain West Conference loss.
One could argue it is the most important unit on the football field. If
you have a strong defensive front line you can do so many things (right,
Boise?). If you don’t, your hands are frequently tied (right, Mike Bradeson?).
Fresno State:
If Fresno State can draw inspiration and praise for outplaying then-No.
4 Oregon in the second half, one must wonder if there is a reverse effect when
the Bulldogs don't play so well after halftime to an inferior team.
Fresno State trounced Wyoming 42-14 on Saturday after building a 35-0
lead at the half. But the Bulldogs were held scoreless offensively and
generated just five first downs and 127 total yards in the second half.
One could usually explain second-half sluggishness during a blowout
when a team plays a bunch of reserves, but starting quarterback Derek Carr
remained behind center the whole night until Fresno State's final possession
with less than 3 minutes left.
Coach Tim DeRuyter chalked it up to intensity, which he believes is
fixable and nothing to be too concerned about.
"The first half, we rebounded and played much better,"
DeRuyter said. "The second half, intensity waned a bit. We've got to do a
better job keeping on guys playing at a level that they're capable of playing.
If they weren't capable of playing at that level, I wouldn't be nearly as
upset.
San Diego State:
Whenever his San Diego State football teams took one of their frequent
beatings, Chuck Long, the other Long, always said it was getting better, that
he saw improvement. But then, besides being a bad head coach, Chuck was a
victim of a rare form of myopia not even his rose-colored glasses could repair.
Things never got better. There wasn’t any improvement.
Now the current Long, Rocky, is full-on 20-20. There isn’t much bull
stuck in his craw, whatever a craw is. He will blame himself when things go
south, as they did earlier this season, when his Aztecs had difficulty stopping
people.
Being a college head coach, he took the hit when his kicking game was
atrocious. He’s the one who brought out the mathematical chart showing him when
it was wise to go for it on fourth down and not attempt a field goal or extra
point.
Rocky Long is a risk-taker - some say too much so - but at least he
dares to be great, and if there’s a bush, he isn’t going to beat around it. His
attitude carries over to his players. What I like most about him as a coach is
that in real time he not only can sense where his guys are mentally, but where
the other guys are. When the game is afoot, he is aware.
Air Force:
There’s no such thing as sleeping in if you’re a member of the Air
Force football team.
That’s because at 6:50 every morning, all 4,000 cadets at the school –
whether you’re a football star or a future chief master sergeant – march to
breakfast together where they’ll eat in the same dining hall.
That’s just one of the things that separates Air Force football, which
hosts the Wolf Pack on Friday, from almost every other program in the nation.
The demands at Air Force are so intense, coach Troy Calhoun marvels that his
players are able to handle all of them (and play high-level football, too).
“It is beyond amazing what they’re able to balance and still be
involved in sports,” Calhoun said.
New Mexico:
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - New Mexico tailback Kasey Carrier ran
all over the record book. He just wished that he could rewrite the outcome.
Wes Cobb had three 1-yard touchdown runs, and Air Force overcame
Carrier's Mountain West Conference-record 338 yards rushing with a 28-23 win
over New Mexico on Saturday night.
"It's definitely frustrating," Carrier said. "We don't
work hard to come out and lose games. But it shows that we are going to come
out and fight to the end and we can come out and play with the best
teams."
Carrier, who ran the ball 39 times, broke loose for runs of 68 and 59
yards in the game's opening minutes, getting chased down just short of the goal
line. He scored on a pair of 1-yard runs as well as a 37-yarder that pulled the
Lobos to within five points with 12 minutes remaining.
"It was an amazing effort by Kasey to keep us in the game,"
said Lobos defensive back Tim Foley, who forced an Air Force turnover late in
the game that New Mexico couldn't convert. "We just need to fight harder,
on both sides of the ball."
The Falcons (4-3, 2-1) won despite losing Cody Getz, the nation's
second-leading rusher, on their first snap when he appeared to aggravate a
sprained left ankle. New Mexico (4-4, 1-2) played the second half without
quarterback B.R. Holbrook, who suffered a concussion after taking a hit during
the Lobos' final series of the second quarter.
Sophomore Quinton McCown saw time at quarterback, and wide receiver
Lamaar Thomas and Carrier stepped in as well, taking direct snaps in a
variation of the option as the Lobos leaned on their rushing attack.
UNLV:
BOISE, Idaho -- Boise State's dominant defense set the tone again,
leading the Broncos to another easy victory.
Senior cornerbacks Jamar Taylor and Jerrell Gavins shut down the
Rebels' corps of fast, young receivers, accounted for two turnovers and teamed
up on a second quarter touchdown that helped put the game out of reach before
halftime in a 32-7 rout of UNLV on Saturday night.
With Boise State leading 18-0 minutes before the half, Taylor chased
down receiver Marcus Sullivan in the middle of the field and stripped the ball.
Gavins, trailing behind, scooped up the loose ball and ran untouched 16 yards
into the end zone.
Minutes before, Gavins squelched the Rebels' best scoring chance with
an over-the-shoulder interception in the end zone, and Taylor had a sack to go
with his career-high nine tackles to help lead the Broncos to their sixth
straight win since losing the opener at Michigan State.
"They're very important to this team. They have that senior
leadership, and they have that senior mentality," said Boise State coach
Chris Petersen. "When those two guys are playing at a high level, I think
the rest of the guys feed off them. They're really important out there."
Hawaii:
University of Hawaii football coach Norm Chow today praised the school
administration saying the Stevie Wonder debacle "has put some of our leaders
in positions that I don't think they deserve to be in."
They are the first public comments by Chow or any of the UH coaches on
embattled UH President M.R.C. Greenwood and the administration in the wake of
the three-month fallout over the failed concert. The subject of Greenwood's
future is currently before the UH Board of Regents.
Chow's comments came on the Mountain West Conference coaches
teleconference this morning in response to a Colorado reporter's question about
the state of the UH football program.
Chow was following up on statements by the previous coach on the call,
Colorado State's Jim McElwain, who expressed appreciation of CSU leadership and
support.
Chow said, "That's a tough question. Well, I heard Jim's comments
about that. I think, for the most part, for the most part, we have great
support (at UH). A lot of things need to get in place. You know, we have an
interim athletic director (and) we have a situation that you have probably
heard of," Chow said.
Colorado State:
FORT COLLINS -- While Colorado State's players were trying to rest and
heal over the weekend, their coach was itching to get back to the office.
"I sat there and realized after I went home Saturday morning, I
wanted to kind of go back to work for all the list of things we had to do at
home," McElwain said Monday when meeting with the media.
Then again, the list at the office -- one dealing with a 1-6 football team
-- is rather lengthy itself. But the overall feeling is the Rams feel refreshed
and rejuvenated for the final give games of the season, starting with
Saturday's date with Hawai'i (1-5) at Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium.
The Rams were a real fixer-upper when McElwain took over, but as the
season's progressed, more and more repairs have been needed. On Saturday,
McElwain said the training room was dealing with a full house, but the physical
part was only one aspect for the players.
"Not only physically, but definitely a mental break,"
linebacker Aaron Davis said. "Guys just get off their feet, look over
plays, watch film. It was really good physically and mentally. We needed it a
lot. Guys are obviously hurt."
Wyoming:
Football coaches emphasize the value of handling adversity.
Wyoming coach Dave Christensen cracked before his team this year — and
now the Cowboys face the most difficult Saturday of their season with No. 21
Boise State headed to Laramie this week (1:34 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
Christensen won’t be there as he serves a one-game suspension for the
postgame tirade he directed at Air Force coach Troy Calhoun on Oct. 13.
“He let the pressure and the stress of the situation this year get to
him,” Wyoming Athletic Director Tom Burman said.
It has been that trying of a season for the Cowboys (1-6 overall, 0-3
Mountain West), who began the season as bowl contenders and instead are
fighting to get out of the cellar.
The Cowboys have lost games by one, two and three points and another
one in overtime. Star quarterback Brett Smith was knocked out of one game with
a concussion (a three-point loss to Toledo) and ejected from one game for
drawing two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties (an overtime loss to Nevada). He
missed the losses to Football Championship Subdivision member Cal Poly and
Mountain West rival Air Force as he recovered from separate concussions.
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