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June 02, 2010
Bronco Football: Ready for its dream season
ARBITERONLINE.COM
Broncos’ offensive overload should excite in 2010 Women’s soccer faces high expectations
Kirk Bell
Managing Editor
josh rasmussen/THE ARBITER
Boise State running back Doug Martin slashes through an open lane against the San Jose State Spartans. Trent Lootens Sports Editor
DECADE OF DOMINANCE Boise State has accomplished more in a decade than most teams have in an entire century. Here’s a list of BSU’s top football successes between the 2000-2009 seasons: -Boise State owns the nation’s best home record at 63-2. No. 2 is Oklahoma at 60-2 and No. 3 Texas with a 56-4 record. -The Broncos have compiled the nation’s highest overall winning percentage at .868 percent with an overall record of 112-17. No. 2 Texas (.853 percent) with a 110-19 record and No. 3 Oklahoma (.821 percent) at 110-24 overall. -BSU scored more points than any team in the country during the past decade scoring 5,341 points for an average of 41.40 points per game. Texas is second scoring 5,071 points and Texas Teach is third with 4,732 points. -The Broncos dominated
the West Coast by winning 112 games across the span of the decade. That’s compared to USC (102 wins) and Oregon (87 wins).
DREAM SEASON
The 2010 Boise State football team appears primed to embark on a path untraveled by any non-automatic qualifying school prior. Coming off its second Fiesta Bowl win in four years after defeating TCU 17-10, the Broncos are ideally positioned to compete for college football’s greatest prize -- the BCS National Championship. Make no mistake, playing for a championship is within BSU’s grasp. Boise State will start the season slated inside the Top-5 of every major poll, which gives the Broncos serious national respect. On the field, the Broncos are stacked at every position with veteran talent. BSU returns 23-of-24 starters from its 2010 Fiesta Bowl team. Cornerback Kyle Wilson is the only player not returning after being chosen No. 29 overall by the New York Jets
Boise State
reigns supreme in WAC athletics Broncos seize second Comissioner’s Cup Daniel Priddy Journalist
For those convinced Boise State’s athletic accomplishments begin and end with the football program, its recent Western Athletic Conference Commissioner’s Cup should make them think twice. The prestigious award, bestowed upon the athletic
program that performs at the highest level in each of the 19 men’s and women’s championships, has been awarded to the Broncos. After a series of tallies and calculations, BSU rounded out a victory with a total of 92.95 points to walk away with its second Commissioner’s Cup since the 2005-2006 season. The accomplishments of the football team propelled BSU’s victory, but was only one aspect to what amounted
Courtesy of Broncosports.com
The women’s swimming and diving team celebrates its first WAC champioship.
Quarterback Kellen Moore, a junior from Prosser, Wash., has already been named to several Heisman Trophy watch lists for the upcoming season. Moore threw 39 touch-
downs to only three interceptions during the 2009 season and displayed one of the most accurate arms in WAC history. Making few mistakes has separated Moore from other quarterbacks throughout the nation and has become the staple of his play. The 2009 WAC Offensive Player of the Year led Boise State to its second consecutive undefeated regular season and ended the year 14-0 after defeating TCU. That mark put BSU into an elite class with Alabama (2009) and Ohio State (2002) as the only three teams to win 14 games in a single season. Throwing for 3,536 yards and compiling the nation’s second best passing efficiency at 161.65 in 2009, Moore has raised the bar for himself again. While it may be difficult for Moore to improve on his numbers from 2009, it’s still possible for him to develop into a better all-around quarterback and increase the efficiency of the Boise State offense.
to a much larger spectrum of athletic accomplishment. The women’s swim and dive team along with the women’s tennis team each earned the maximum 9.00 points for the Broncos with first place finishes. The women’s soccer team took home an added 7.75 with its postseason WAC championship. Because the Broncos do not field teams in sports such as baseball, winning the cup is a larger task than one might assume. The victory signifies BSU’s growth in all sports. “The Commissioner’s Cup is a testament to all of our sports, our coaches and our student athletes,” said Boise State Athletic Director Gene Bleymaire “It’s a great honor that speaks to the breadth of the athletic dept and it couldn’t happen without the support of the community, the university, the Bronco Athletic Association and the great job that our coaches and student athletes
have done.” With both men’s and women’s basketball teams struggling, the Broncos relied on up-and-coming programs to fill the void and complete the victory. The swim and dive team came through to bring home its first conference title, which contributed heavily to BSU’s victory. The state of BSU’s athletic program is in one of its strongest places in school history. Fresno State and New Mexico State each had strong finishes totaling 77.25 points, but fell short of the Broncos. BSU was projected to win by four points, but fans still waited anxiously for confirmation as the highly touted Fresno State men’s golf team hit the course for the WAC Championships. FSU’s golf team collapsed and finished sixth after it was projected to fall no lower than second. The sixth place finish dropped five huge Commissioner Cup points for the
in the 2010 NFL Draft. This sets the stage for the season-opening Labor Day showdown with Virginia Tech at Fed Ex Field in Landover, Md. on Sept. 6. What might as well be called a home game for the Hokies is being dubbed a neutral site showdown. Virginia Tech, also eying a preseason Top-5 ranking, must replace half of its defense and most of its offensive line. Offensively, the Hokies are stacked with three running backs who each have big play capability and return senior star quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Tyrod “T-Mobile” Taylor. For the Broncos, any chance at the BCS National Championship essentially comes down to what happens against the Hokies.
KELLEN MOORE
Zach Ganschow/THE ARBITER
Former Broncos Kyle Wilson and Richie Brockel hold the WAC championship trophy.
The career of Steve Lucas, head coach of women’s soccer, was brought to its height last season when the Broncos claimed their first ever Western Athletic Conference title. BSU has marked five winning seasons in the past six years. Lucas moves into his 12th season, 10th as the head coach, with the Broncos. Despite his team’s successful 2009 campaign, he feels this year’s squad is the most unified of the teams he has coached. “This team is tighter as a family than any team that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Lucas said. The importance of BSU’s 2009 championship didn’t rest in the victory, but the feeling brought on by the fact they had crept over the learning curve and tasted the flavor of a title meant a yearning that wasn’t there before. Former Bronco quarterback Bart Hendricks (19972000) explained to Lucas following the game that the most difficult championship is the first. Now, the team had a taste for it. “I sat outside our locker room for 20 minutes after we won (2009 WAC Championship). It was the coolest part of the whole gig,” Lucas said as he smiled. “I’ve been on some successful teams and done that stuff and it was just awesome to hear that. We just want to keep doing it the right way and it pays off and now they (Broncos) get it.” The Broncos work to win with an aggressive style of play. They attack their opponent’s zone and bombard the opposing goalie with
shots. The Broncos led the WAC last season with 393 shots, averaging 16.38 shots per game (third in WAC). Their aggression allowed 25 goals in 24 games, the second best goals allowed average in conference (1.04). Lucas expects the Broncos to continue their attacking style next season. He hopes their play last season during the WAC tournament was enough for fans to continue their support. The championship game drew the largest crowd of the season with 1,223 fans. “The thing about this season for people who want to come watch games I think is the style that we play is attractive,” Lucas said. “We want to score a lot of goals and we want to be going toward their goal a lot.”
RETURNING THE TALENT
The Broncos are returning their top players for 2010. Most notably are senior forward Shannon Saxton, junior goal keeper Liz Ruiz, junior defender Lindsay Roberts, junior middlefielder Brandy Hickcox and sophomore forward Erica Park. Saxton is one of BSU’s most decorated athletes. She holds records in goals in a match (4) and most points in a match (9). She earned second team All-WAC honors last season and led the team in both shots (73) and shots on goal (32) for a 43.8 percent shot on goal percentage. Ruiz started all 14 matches she played in during 2009. She had 63 saves as a sophomore and led the team in goal save percentage (86.3 percent). She posted a 103-1 record last season. Roberts was the lone See SOCCER I page 9
Rank School Points 1. Boise State 92.25 2. Fresno State 77.25 - New Mexico State 77.25 4. Utah State 74.00 5. Nevada 71.75 6. Idaho 68.00 7. Hawai’i 63.00 8. Louisiana Tech 55.00 9. San Jose State 47.50 Bulldogs. The lead for the Broncos was so insurmountable that BSU was named champions before the men’s baseball season was finished. With rumors of conference expansion in the Big-10, Big12 and the Pacific-10, the cup victory makes Boise State an attractive candidate for the Mountain West Conference. If the MWC decides to
expand, along with the possibility of Utah and TCU leaving for greener pastures, BSU is in place to take advantage of the MWC’s situation. The victory in many ways leads to even more questions than answers. With the athletic department excelling, the school seems internally prepared to make a huge jump away from the comfort zone provided by the WAC.
josh rasmussen/THE ARBITER
The BSU women’s soccer team celebrates its 2009 WAC championship.
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