I wouldn’t fire Bryan Harsin and staff. I am surprised at the amount of fans that are willing to write that. It isn’t many fans overall but seems like too many to me. He has an impossible job of following Coach Pete and has won a MWC title, Fiesta Bowl and 31 games. Yes, he has lost 8 games, 5 of which were vs Mountain Division teams. This is a concern but not a deal killer yet…Fans can accept losing to BYU and Ole Miss because they respect those schools and know they have better resources then Boise State. It is much harder to accept losing to MWC schools who fans see as inferior. I spot the improvements being made by Mountain Division schools to keep up with Boise State. I see ‘em working. Take a look at what Mountain Division schools are doing to upgrade their programs and the help they get from donors and government:
New Mexico-Hired Bob Davie from ESPN and the State of New Mexico has kicked in almost $2 million in improvements to their stadium.
Utah State-$36 million dollar remodeled stadium and improved football team areas
Wyoming-Broke ground on a $44 million dollar new locker room/team area improvement, $24 million rose privately amongst 55 donors and $20 million from the state.
Air Force-Loyal alumni Head Coach whom just won’t leave the Academy and a $30 million dollar renovation plan by 2020 backed by private donors and the government.
Colorado State-By 2017, new $220 million dollar stadium and highest paid coach in conference.
Boise State used mostly bonded debt from the school to build its football facility and is still paying it off. ..The offense couldn’t run the ball vs Air Force. Yes, it’s a combination of the wrong run calls and bad execution by the team. And, great Air Force defense. They sacked Rypien 6 times last year and rattled him into a 9-26 performance Friday. They also blanketed Bronco receivers most all day…
Friday afternoon games the day after Thanksgiving don’t work in Colorado Springs. 23,556 in the stands? I had an Air Force official tell me they didn’t have but 17,000. It looked like it. Even at 23k, that’s 50% empty. Boise State, though, has the best traveling fans in the conference by a longshot…The defense played well enough to win. Allowed 2 touchdowns and 2 field goals. Forced 5 punts. The longest plays allowed were a 23 yard run and 34 yard pass play. They were on the field for 41 minutes and 85 plays, 77 of which were run right at them. A tremendous improvement from last year. Avalos has the fire. ..Should Boise State be better then 10-2? Maybe, but they were outplayed in both road losses and still had chances to win. If they had pulled out wins from those losses, I really believe this would be the most miserable 12-0 fan base of ALL TIME…When you strive for perfection; you don’t leave much else to be happy about. That’s why Harsin focuses on celebrating wins. Most fans seem to expect the wins against opponents they have deemed unworthy. He told me after the Air Force game they want to go undefeated. Maybe that’s a mistake and they should focus on playing their best game and accepting the results. The Wyoming and Air Force game results were not examples of Best Effort…The plays called on the last offensive series were mostly correct. The last one wasn’t. Air Force knew Boise State would run inside and admitted it. McNichol’s 3 runs were victims of a missed block and 2 outstanding second efforts by Steelhammer and company…At the end of the 1st half, Harsin had McNichol’s stuffed for a 2 yard loss on an inside run from the Air Force 5, a high throw go incomplete to a covered Wilson and a double reverse get stuffed for a 5 yard loss. In the 3rd quarter he ran McNichol’s 3 straight times from the Air Force 10 and ended up with a holding penalty, an incomplete 3rd down throw to Wilson and a field goal. So, in goal line situations, McNichol’s had 6 runs and no touchdowns, Wilson had 0 catches and Sperbeck was caught on a double reverse. Yes, it seems like a tight end could have slipped out after blocking and caught a ball on the last series. Or, a fake to McNichol’s and ANYTHING ELSE had a better shot. I am fairly certain he regrets that…The blocked punt? Alec Dhaenens just didn’t block his man, he was right where he was supposed to be but acted as if the punt was to his right not right behind him. The Snap was a little left so Wale moved. I’m not firing Kent Riddle for that…Boise State could play in the Cactus Bowl in Arizona, hopefully vs Baylor, Kansas State or TCU. And spend Christmas in Phoenix…That sound you heard late Saturday Night was all the millions of dollars pouring down the drain. Wyoming and San Diego State getting beat big really points out what an opportunity Boise State had to get to the Cotton Bowl. The Broncos could have cleared $2.2 million, had another $2 million to spend on bowl expenses and helped push the MWC to the top of the Group of 5 conference standings where another $625,000 would be distributed to each school. They may have to settle for $375,000 in the G of 5 pools now …
