BY BOB BEHLER
Boise State is coming off a very good season: 11-3, a Mountain West championship and a bowl win over Oregon. The Broncos have 10 starters back on defense, but the one player gone was the best player, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. The offense has more holes to fill, starting with top receiver Cedrick Wilson. The top two tight ends and two starting offensive linemen also need to be replaced.
So when I watch a spring game, I am most interested in seeing players who are going to be taking over those spots next season. Most of what I want to see is on the offensive side of the ball.
Wide receiver will be the position group I will look at first. Have the returnees improved enough to pick up for Wilson? I am keeping my eye on AJ Richardson (No. 7), Sean Modster (No. 8), Octavius Evans (No. 82) and CT Thomas (No. 6). Last season, 83 balls were caught by Wilson, so that means there will be at least 100 throws that will have to be going in other directions this season. I know all of the receivers will be better because they work hard and have good coaching, but we’re talking about covering for someone who probably will get drafted.
The next spot I will look at is running back. Alexander Mattison is out for the spring, so we will get a much bigger look at Robert Mahone (No. 34), Drake Beasley (No. 29) and converted safety Skyler Seibold (No. 30). Mattison is good, but you need multiple running backs to get the job done. Almost 900 yards last year were gained by Ryan Wolpin and backup QB Montell Cozart. While I think some of those yards will go to Mattison with a few more carries, the Broncos will need a dependable No. 2 back.
I also want to see Chase Cord (No. 10) and Jaylon Henderson (No. 9) at quarterback. Do we have a dependable backup and do we have a change-of-pace guy who can come in and run? I would love to see Cord get a series or two with the ones around him. It is harder for the backup to look good playing with the twos against the ones. If he comes in during the year because Brett Rypien (No. 4) is hurt, he’ll be playing with the ones.
Tight end lost a lot with the departure of Jake Roh and Alec Dhaenens. Three of the five return from last year, John Bates (No. 85), Chase Blakley (No. 86), and Matt Pistone (No. 47). I really think Bates has a lot of potential. He is 6-6 and seems to have athleticism. Boise State does a lot with that position, using multiple tight ends on the field at the same time and they are asked to block from the line and the backfield (two different skills) as well as catch passes. This position has gone under the radar with the focus being on wide receiver, but it is equally important that the returnees and newcomers step up to make up for the losses.
On the defensive side of the ball, my only real big question is who is going to be THE playmaker. Vander Esch led the team in tackles with 141, so the team will have to absorb those. An individual will need to take the mantle as the guy to make the big play when needed. I think Kekoa Nawahine (No. 10) can be that guy from his safety position. He has size and instincts and I think he will be the guy with the intangibles to be “THE” guy on the Broncos’ defense in 2018.
The scrimmage starts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and will basically be the ones against the twos. The scoring system will be standard football scoring with anything done in the “Boise State” end zone going on the board for Boise State and anything scored at the “Broncos” end zone counting for the Broncos. There will be players who will end up playing for both teams, but for the most part it will be as close to a real game as you can get it without a full squad.
Bob Behler, the Voice of the Broncos, co-hosts Idaho Sports Talk with Bob & Chris weekdays from 1-3 p.m. on KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket. He can be found @BSUBob (Twitter).
