Boise State Teams Win 4 of 6 From "national champions" Including Three From Same Year

 2009 Boise State 31, 2009 Alabama 27
Jeremy Avery's shocking 64-yard run with 25 seconds remaining led the 2009 Boise State team to a hard-fought 31-27 win over the 2009 Alabama team.  The Broncos became the second Bronco team to defeat the team that was crowned "National Champion" from the same year, joining the 2006 Boise State team that beat the 2006 Florida team in Week Three.

 

"I knew there wasn't much time left and my thinking was--if they've got a good shot at me, I've got to get out of bounds," an excited Avery (the #4 rusher in the SFL) said after the game in a boisterous Bronco locker room.  "But they never caught me."


The Broncos fell behind early on two Mark Ingram touchdown runs and trailed 17-13 at the half, but turned the tide with the running of Avery.  Avery ran for 86 yards and scored three touchdowns, two in the second half, as Boise State began to establish ball control and momentum.  Kyle Brotzman's 29-yard field goal in the third quarter (one of four in the game) brought the Broncos within a point at 17-16.  That set the stage for a thrilling fourth quarter between the two heavyweights.


Brotzman's kick was true again in the fourth and Boise State led for the first time 19-17.  But Alabama struck quickly, coming back just over two minutes later to score on a 15-yard Greg McElroy to Colin Peek touchdown.  After an exchange of punts, Kellen Moore led the Broncos on a 60-yard drive with Avery's 1-yard run putting the finishing touch for a 25-24 lead.  Boise State failed a two-point try.


Alabama then went on a time-consuming drive and nearly ran out the clock before Leigh Tiffin, who booted six field goals last week, was perfect from 25 yards out to give the Crimson Tide a 27-25 lead.  They should have run out the clock.  Pinned against their goal line thanks to an Alabama surge on the kickoff and with the accuracy of a laser,  three Moore passes put the Broncos on their 36-yard line with 25 seconds left.  To everyone's surprise, Avery took the handoff and was off down the sideline.  No one could catch him and the 2009 Bronco team, now 5-1 in the SFL, went crazy.  Boise State was able to catch the 2006 Bronco team for first place in the division with the victory.


Moore was 28-41 for 262 yards in guiding the Bronco attack.  Austin Pettis had six receptions for 47 yards while Titus Young grabbed five for 63.


Ingram finished with 124 yards on 27 carries while Trent Richardson had 87 yards for the Tide.  Alabama had won four straight but saw their record slip to 4-2 with the upset.




2010 Boise State 49, 2010 Auburn 24
Boise State racked up 565 yards of total offense in dispensing of mythical "national champion" Auburn, the third victory for a Bronco team against the supposed "national champs" for that season.

Kellen Moore was 25-35 for 322 yards and five touchdowns as the Tiger secondary had no answer for him.  Moore (the #3 passer in the SFL) tossed TD passes to Titus Young (10 yards), Austin Pettis (12 & 27), Geraldo Hiwat (19) and Chris Potter (two yards), constantly finding the open man in the Auburn defense.  The Broncos kept their opponents guessing as Doug Martin ran for 122 yards and a touchdown while Jeremy Avery added 85 on just 11 carries.


Michael Dyer was able to run for 124 yards but Cam Newton was ineffective, gaining 67 yards on 28 carries and throwing for just 116 yards.


Boise State climbed back in the race in their division as they posted their fourth win of the SFL season against two defeats.  Auburn slipped to 1-5.




2002 Boise State 44, 2005 Texas 37
Boise State raced to a 36-23 lead, then held on for a 44-37 victory over the 2005 Texas team this afternoon in SFL play.


It was a case of bend but don't break for the Bronco defense, which surrendered 385 rushing yards but clamped down at crucial times.  Boise State scored the first 10 points of the game, as Ryan Dinwiddie hit Lou Fanucchi for a six-yard pass on the opening drive and Nick Calaycay kicked a 34-yard field goal six minutes later.  Jamaal Charles scored with 44 seconds remaining in the quarter and then cut loose for an 82-yard TD after Boise State punted the ball back to give the Longhorns a 14-10 advantage.  


The teams traded touchdowns with Vince Young (who had a tremendous game) running it in from 39 yards before David Mikell scored touchdowns of 9 and 74 yards, the latter coming with just 52 ticks on the clock.  Mikell's scores gave the Broncos a 30-20 lead heading into the locker room.  The defenses stiffened in the third, with Calaycay adding two field goals and David Pino kicking a 29-yarder for Texas.



Texas closed within six when Ramonce Taylor scored with 10:55 remaining.  The Broncos scored when they needed to as Dinwiddie hit Billy Wingfield for an eight-yard out pattern with 4:34 remaining and Brock Forsey ran in a two-point conversion to make it 44-30.  Texas was able to come down for another score with 2:42 left, but the Broncos ran out the clock from there.



Forsey picked up 136 yards while David Mikell added 96 for Boise State.  Dinwiddie completed 22-31 for 227 yards and two TD's for the Broncos.  


Young was a sensational 18-21 for 206 yards for Texas and also ran for 133 yards.  Jamaal Charles picked up 130 on just 17 carries and Selvin Young got into the act with 13 carries for 92 yards.  


The shocking upset helped the 2002 Broncos stay in the race in the Boise State Division of the SFL with a 4-2 record.  Texas is 4-4 and in third place in the Championship Division.




2007 LSU 21, 2005 Boise State 6
In one of the only defensive struggles of the day, LSU got 150 rushing yards from Jacob Hester and 98 from Charles Scott to control the tempo and down the 2005 Broncos 21-6.



Antwain Carter was the top ground-gainer for Boise State with nine carries for 81 yards and Boise State's only touchdown.  LSU (2-4) held Jared Zabransky to 10-of-29 passing for 161 yards and an interception.  The Broncos are now just 1-5 in the SFL.




2001 Miami of Florida 35, 2001 Boise State 12
Ken Dorsey connected on 25-of-40 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns and Willis McGahee scored three TD's as Miami of Florida controlled the Broncos 35-12 this afternoon.  



Leading SFL rusher Clinton Portis was injured early in the game and picked up just 20 yards but the Hurricanes were fine without him.


Forsey picked up 85 yards on the ground and Ryan Dinwiddie was 20-40 through the air but the firepower of Miami was too much for them.  Dorsey distributed the ball to nine receivers with Jeremy Shockey (4-48), Ethenic Sands (4-45) and Andre Johnson (3-66) doing most of the damage.  


With USC's shocking loss this afternoon, the Hurricanes are all alone in first place in the Championship Division with a perfect 6-0 record.  The 2001 Broncos are the reverse, still looking for their first win after six games.




2004 Boise State 31, 2004 USC 28
Jared Zabransky's 8-yard run with 25 seconds left spelled doom for USC as the 2004 Boise State team shocked the Trojans 31-28.



"It was a passing play, but I saw an opening in the defense and had to take it," Zabransky said afterwards.  Zabransky's TD marred a terrific game by his counterpart Matt Leinart, who threw for 353 yards (21-34) and three touchdowns.  Zabransky was an efficient 16-26 for 203 yards.  


Three Tyler Jones field goals was all Coach Dan Hawkins' team could muster in the first half, but it was enough to grab a 9-7 lead heading into the locker room.  USC was able to regain the lead when Leinart hit Chris McFoy for a 19-yard score but Boise State came back when reserve running back Jeff Carpenter bust loose for a 20-yard score to make it 16-14.  Leinart and McFoy hooked up again as time expired in the third quarter for a 37-yard TD pass and USC was up again 21-16.


The Trojans extended the lead with 10:51 remaining when Bush ran in with a three-yard pass from Leinart.  The Broncos mounted a determined drive and Lee Marks' touchdown with 6:17 left closed it to 28-23.  USC could not run out the clock, giving Boise State the ball with 2:41 left.  Zabransky marched the Broncos down the field and surprised the USC defense with his scamper into the end zone.  Lee Marks scored on a two-point conversion for the final score.


The usually productive Trojan ground game sputtered with LenDale White held to 47 yards and Reggie Bush 40.  Steve Smith was the game's top receiver with five catches for 103 yards.


USC fell into second place with a 5-1 record while the 2004 Broncos advanced to 2-4.




2003 Boise State 44, 2007 Boise State 13
The 2003 Boise State team broke open a 13-10 game by outscoring the 2007 Broncos 31-3 in the second half and posted a 44-13 victory.  The Brick By Brick Broncos were able to stay in the race in the Boise State Division with a 4-2 record.



Leading SFL passer Ryan Dinwiddie was 19-29 for 341 yards and tossed four touchdown passes against the surprised 2007 team.  Tim Gilligan had five catches for 84 yards and two scores while Brock Forsey paced the Bronco ground game with 103 yards rushing.


"I felt comfortable out there," the victorious Dinwiddie said.  "My line gave me all the protection I needed and I was able to go through my reads and hit the open man."


Jeremy Childs led all receivers with eight catches for 89 yards but Ian Johnson was bottled up (19 carries for 42 yards).  As a result, the '07 Broncos fell to 1-5.




2008 Boise State 47, 2006 Boise State 26
Kellen Moore threw for 345 yards (22-30) and four touchdowns as the 2008 Boise State team shocked the Fiesta Bowl Champions 47-26 this afternoon in the SFL.


"We felt like we had something to prove," receiver Titus Young said after the game.  "All we heard was that we didn't get to the Fiesta Bowl.  I have a feeling if we play hard next year we can do it as well.  This team has a lot of pride."



The 2006 Broncos pulled within seven at 23-16 when Anthony Montgomery concluded a drive with a 33-yard field goal to open the second half but it was all 2008 Broncos after that.  Essentially, it was too much Kellen Moore.  Time and time again, the crafty quarterback hit third-down conversions with pinpoint passes as the 2008 Broncos controlled the clock.  Moore tossed TD passes to Kyle Efaw and Austin Pettis and Jeremy Avery had a 14-yard touchdown run to put the game away.  


Ian Johnson did all he could for the 2006 Broncos with 164 yards and a TD, but the Fiesta Bowl Champions had no match for Moore.  Jeremy Childs continued to be Moore's favorite receiver with six catches for 84 yards.  


The 2008 Broncos evened their mark at 3-3 while the 2006 team lost for the first time in six games.  The Fiesta Bowl team now heads into a showdown against the 2010 Broncos next week.




2002 Ohio State 41, 2003 LSU 24
Maurice Clarett ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns as Ohio State put away LSU 41-24 this afternoon.



Craig Krenzel was 17-23 for 272 yards and another score as the Buckeyes dominated the Tigers.  Matt Mauck was 19-30 for three scores for LSU but Ohio State controlled the game with 33 minutes of possession.


Ohio State evened their mark at 3-3 while the Tigers slipped to 1-5.




2006 Florida 25, 2008 Florida 14
Chris Hetland booted four field goals and the 2006 Gators ate up 517 yards of total offense in defeating the 2008 Florida team.



Kestahn Moore led the charge on the ground for the 2006 Florida team with 115 yards and a touchdown.  Chris Leak was 17-25 for 275 yards in besting Tim Tebow. Percy Harvin gained 82 yards for the 2008 Gators, who could have climbed back in the race with the #2, #3 and #4 teams in the Championship Division losing but it was not to be.  They are now 3-3 while the 2006 Gators find themselves 2-4 on the SFL season.

Thanks Everyone For 10,000 Views

I know your time is precious, and a huge thank-you to everyone who has taken the time to check out Blue Through and Through, whether its through a Google search, checking past Bronco lineups or statistics, or following the blog on Facebook or bookmarking the site, I thank you.  Obviously, the Broncos are one of my passions and I love writing about them.  But your readership and comments are what truly make it worthwhile.

Coming up on half a year old and 10,000 views, and I thank you for each one of them!

Boise State's Chelsea Miller Qualifies for U.S. Olympic Trials

Boise State sophomore Chelsea Miller became to fourth Bronco to qualify for next year's Olympic Trials, winning the 200-meter breaststroke at the Texas Senior Circuit meet in College Station, Texas.

 

Miller's time of 2:35.80 was 2/10 of a second under the qualifying standard for the United States Trials.  She joins senior Stephanie North (50-meter freestyle) and sophomore Rachel Heaney (200-meter butterfly) as qualifiers for the U.S. Trials next year in Omaha, Nebraska.  Junior Christine Raininger has also qualified for her native Canadian Olympic Trials.

 

Congratulations to Chelsea, Stephanie, Rachel and Christine!

50 Broncos Receive All-Academic Honors

Fifty student-athletes from Boise State were honored from the Western Athletic Conference for making the Academic All-Conference team.

To be eligible for Academic All-WAC consideration, student-athletes must have completed at least one academic year, have at least a 3.00 cumulative grade-point-average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s contests.

The following is the complete list of Boise State’s Academic All-WAC recipients:

WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Sarah Bisterfeldt, Jr.
Rachelle Buck, So.
BreAnna Craig, Sr.
Carly Gerard, Sr.
Shea Hanson, Jr.
Sasa Kampick, Jr.
Jamie Knapp, So.
Mesa Middleton, Jr.
Paige Orcutt, Jr.
Kristi Pace, Jr.
Nadine Russell, Sr.
Kady Stafford, So.
Breanne Whitlock, Sr.
Andrea Wilson, So.

SWIMMING AND DIVING
Amber Boucher,  Jr.
Amanda Burnett, Sr.
Lily Donohue, So.
Madison Gray, Jr.
Stevie Hughey, So.
Emily Irvin, Jr.
Tana Loan, Jr.
Morgan McLain, Jr.
Kimberly Nelson, Sr.
Alexandra Pfeiffer, So.
Christine Raininger, So.
Erin Stotts, Sr.
Andrea Thiltgen, Sr.

MEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Nathan Balcirak, So.
Austin Edwards, Jr.
Kurt Felix, Sr.
Kevin Higgs, Sr.
Jeff Howard, So.
Dustin Klein, Jr.
Trevor Kraychir, Sr.
Brian Pierre, Sr.
Paul Robertson, So.
Ethan Slight, So.
Eetu Viitala, Sr.

GYMNASTICS
Mallory Dziawura, Sr.
Hailey Gaspar, So.
Lindsay Kazandjian, Jr.
Kelsey Lang, Sr.
Lacee Lang, So.
Brittany Potvingreen, So.
Hannah Redmon, Sr.
Katherine Tuller, Sr.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Stacie Gross, Sr.
Lauren Lenhardt, So.
Kinzi Poteet, So.
Melissa Rima, Sr.

Honoring Two Great Broncos Who Recently Passed Away

I would like to take the time to honor two Bronco greats who passed away this spring.

John Kauinana (July 16, 1946-June 5, 2011)

"Big John" Kauinana passed away June 5.  We are fortunate to have honored John as one of the Varsity B honorary captains last fall prior to the Hawai'i football game.  John played offensive tackle for Coach Lyle Smith in 1964, helping his team to an 8-2 record.  An injury forced John to miss the 1965 season, but Coach Smith took him under his wing and made him an assistant coach that season.  Coach Kauinana and the Broncos finished 9-2 that year with a fifth trip to the Potato Bowl in the postseason.

John was born in Honolulu and graduated from Kaimuki High School (an all-star his senior season) prior to coming to Boise.  He completed his degree at Boise State in 1969 after the school became a four-year college.  Following his education at Boise State, Kauinana taught at Leilehua and Nanakuli in Hawai'i before becoming the first Athletic Director at Mililani High School from 1974-2001 and coaching the football team from 1975-1985.  Coach Kauinana  helped Ma'a Tanuvasa become a future player in the National Football League, where Tanuvasa started on the defensive line for Denver on two Super Bowl championship teams.

"We lost a great person," said longtime Trojan baseball coach Glenn Nitta, who succeeded Kauinana as athletic director.  "He was a very caring individual and he just wanted the best for all the kids. I would compare him to the Eddie Hamada's and the Masa Yonamine's ... big-hearted."

Kauinana also coached running back Keith Price, who had not played football before going out for the team at Mililani. "He wanted to play fullback but didn't have any concept of how to cut, so we told him just to run straight ahead as hard and fast as he could," Kauinana would say later. "He would run 20 yards through the line and straight into the safety."  Price later became a swimming All-American at UCLA. As AD, Kauinana also oversaw the development of Erin Hoe, who won four consecutive state girls singles tennis championships and earned a scholarship to the University of Washington, and Linda Jackson, a five-sport star who is now a pilot. Then there was skinny defensive back Robert Woods, who would hold on to the legs of runners until help came. Woods went on to Stanford and became a main figure in the development of medical prostheses.

Kauinana and his coaches literally did built Mililani's program. Volunteers and coaches built the baseball and softball fields, much of the 1,800-square foot weight room and training room, the dining lanai at the gym and the stadium concession building.
John met his wife Sharon, formerly student activities coordinator, at Mililani and their son, Jason, graduated there in 1991.

The Mililani Stadium was recently named John Kauinana Stadium in honor of him, with the "John Kauinana Stadium" sign placed above the scoreboard.

"He was responsible for all the facilities that we have for our athletes today," said Nitta, who often sought the guidance of his predecessor. "I've been coaching and working him him back since 1974 when he first arrived at Mililani. I would go to him for advice anytime I would have questions about anything. I'm going to miss him, we're all going to miss him."

Below is a letter written by Shari Y. Tamashiro in tribute to Kauinana:

I knew Mr. Kauinana in two capacities: As my high school’s athletic director and as the the step-father of one of my best friends.

He had the biggest heart that embraced all of his students and athletes. But I remember most the love he had for Jason, his step-son. After we graduated from college, Mr. Kauinana would occasionally call me up to see how I was doing but would always ask me to be there for Jason before he ended the conversation. He loved you so much, J and was always looking out for you.

Fred Miklancic (November 4, 1934-April 21, 2011)

Fred passed away April 21 in Pasco, Washington.  Miklancic was also a star football player for Coach Smith in 1953 and 1954.  Miklancic, a native of Homedale, Idaho and graduate of Homedale High School, was an all-conference fullback and helped Boise Junior College win back-to-back Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships both seasons.  As "Mr. Strong", Miklancic teamed with "Mr. Swift", high-stepping halfback Edward Lodge to form a potent one-two punch. The Broncos were 8-1 in Miklancic's freshman season and 9-1-1 the following year, including a 7-6 loss to Compton in the Potato Bowl.  Miklancic was named a Junior College All-American following his sophomore season. 

 Following his success in Boise, Fred married his college sweetheart, Maria Miller in 1958 and later served in the U.S. Army, 46th Engineer Battalion, in Fort Hood, Texas.  After being honorably discharged, Fred transferred to the University of Oregon and was a two-year starter on the offensive line.  He was named third-team All Pacific Coast as a senior, helped Oregon win the Sun Bowl in 1963 and was named most valuable lineman in the 1964 Hula Bowl college all-star game.  Miklancic earned his Bachelor of Science degree in geology at the U. of O.  

Miklancic was drafted in the third round of the 1964 National Football League Draft by the San Francisco 49'ers.  He accumulated 13 interceptions in an outstanding 11-year professional career in which he played in seven Pro Bowls and was chosen All-NFL five times.  

Miklancic had an outstanding career in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing the design and construction of several dams in the Northwest.  Fred was Chief Engineer and Chief Geo-Tech for the Corps before retiring in 1995.  

After spending five years at the resident office, Miklancic transferred back to the headquarters where he soon became a section chief.  Miklancic was promoted in 1980 to Chief of the Materials and Dam Safety Branch. It was later renamed the Geotechnical Branch under his leadership.  Fred served as the branch chief for 15 years.

He headed the Lower Granite Dam of the Snake River project  “During the years out at the projects, I had the advantage of working on the design, then going out to the field to build the thing,” Miklancic said.   He also developed the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan that constructed numerous

hatchery facilities.  Miklancic was instrumental in the establishment of an environmental engineering branch in the

Engineering Division.  The Division later expanded to include a field office located in Richland, Washington.  The Richland branch provided support to the Department of Energy in the environmental cleanup effort at the nuclear Hanford Site in Richland.

“Fred made decisions that were best for the organization even if those decisions were not always popular,” said Steve Fink, civil engineer for Soils and Civil Design Section.

Miklancic was known throughout the District for his tremendous people skills and received numerous awards for his work throughout his career.  His dedication to the Corps continued after his retirement, volunteering to perform consultations and independent reviews for the District.

Miklancic began a second career with Anderson Perry and Associates as a Construction inspector on numerous wastewater treatment, road and bridge projects in Walla, Walla.

Miklancic was elected to the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1993 and the NFL Hall of Fame on July 29, 2000.  In 2005, Fred was named the Walla Walla District's Distinguished Civilian employee.

John and Fred, you have made a tremendous impact, not only at Boise State but in people's lives in the communities in which you served and you made a difference in the world in the many years following.  Bronco Nation will miss you both.

The Top 100 Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era

This summer, we are featuring The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era* on my music blog Inside the Rock Era.  We began May 1, and are featuring one album per day.  We have now moved inside the Top 50.  Here is the list so far:

#100--Tusk, by Fleetwood Mac
#99--Millennium, by the Backstreet Boys
#98--Physical Graffiti, by Led Zeppelin
#97--Learning to Crawl, by the Pretenders
#96--Brothers in Arms, by Dire Straits
#95--II, by Boyz II Men
#94--A Song For You, by the Carpenters
#93--Spice, by the Spice Girls
#92--The End of the Innocence, by Don Henley
#91--Rhythm Nation 1814, by Janet Jackson
#90--Back in the High Life, by Steve Winwood
#89--Whitney, by Whitney Houston
#88--Rubber Soul, by the Beatles
#87--Double Vision, by Foreigner
#86--Heart in Motion, by Amy Grant
#85--Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, by Elton John
#84--Silk Degrees, by Boz Scaggs
#83--Guilty, by Barbra Streisand
#82--Cracked Rear View, by Hootie and the Blowfish
#81--Different Light, by the Bangles
#80--Tracy Chapman, by Tracy Chapman
#79--Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, by Elton John
#78--Graceland, by Paul Simon
#77--Metallica, by Metallica
#76--Bat out of Hell, by Meat Loaf
#75--The Cars, by the Cars
#74--In Pieces, by Garth Brooks
#73--Abraxas, by Santana
#72--52nd Street, by Billy Joel

#71--Hi Infidelity, by REO Speedwagon

#70--Escape, by Journey

#69--Sports, by Huey Lewis & the News

#68--Scarecrow, by John Mellencamp

#67--Room for Squares, by John Mayer

#66--Come On Over, by Shania Twain

#65--Deja Vu, by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

#64--The White Album, by the Beatles

#63--Crimes of Passion, by Pat Benatar

#62--The Wall, by Pink Floyd

#61--In Through the Out Door, by Led Zeppelin

#60--Eliminator, by ZZ Top

#59--Against the Wind, by Bob Seger

#58--Daydream, by Mariah Carey

#57--Fleetwood Mac, by Fleetwood Mac

#56--A Hard Day's Night, by the Beatles

#55--Frampton Comes Alive, by Peter Frampton

#54--An Innocent Man, by Billy Joel

#53--Make it Big, by Wham

#52--Wilson Phillips, by Wilson Phillips

#51--IV, by Toto

#50--Listen Without Prejudice, by George Michael

#49--Bad, by Michael Jackson

#48--Bad Company by Bad Company

#47--Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and Jaoa Gilberto

Eight Broncos Selected to Preseason All-Mountain West Conference Football Team

Eight Boise State players are included in the All-Mountain West Conference football team announced by Blue Ribbon Magazine.

Quarterback Kellen Moore, who will aim to become the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA history this season, heads the list for the Broncos; Moore was also named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.  Senior running back Doug Martin and senior linemen Thomas Byrd and Nate Potter join Moore on the offense, while senior linemen Shea McClellin and Billy Winn and senior safety George Iloka are on the First-Team defense.  Junior Chris Potter was chosen as the Preseason All-MWC punt returner.


Boise State opens the 2011 season against Top 25 Georgia September 3 at the Georgia Dome.

Congratulations to Boise State's Master of Fine Arts Professors

They don't get the press of the Fiesta Bowl, unfortunately, but I created this blog partially to help change that.





       Udall made several Top 10 lists


Over the last few years the faculty at Boise State in the Master of Fine Arts program has been achieving on a national level.  Brady Udall's novel "The Lonely Polygamist" made several national Top 10 fiction lists in 2010, including #9 in Publisher's Weekly, #10 at Amazon.com and #1 in Entertainment Weekly.  Udall was named Idaho's writer-in-residence, an honored awarded every three years by the Idaho Commission of the Arts.  It is the fifth such award for a Boise State writer since 1990.  Professor Anthony Doerr's book "Memory Wall" was named one of the best of 2010 as well--#9 by Amazon.com, #3 by the Boston Globe and #6 by The Oregonian, and was named a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the $20,000 Story Prize.

                                                     Boise State very fortunate to have Doerr




Janet Holmes produced a 2009 bestseller called "The MS of M Y Kin".  Mitch Wieland's 2009 book "God's Dogs" was judged Idaho Book of the Year, was a finalist for the John Gardner Fiction Book Award and was honored as a "Best of the West" prize anthology.  Martin Corless-Smith's new collection "English Fragments:  A Brief History of the Soul" drew the praise of longtime Boston Review poetry editor Timothy Donnelly, who named Corless-Smith one of his six favorite contemporary poets.





Huffington Post recently went further, ranking Boise State among the Top 25 underrated programs in the country along with Cornell, Johns Hopkins and Purdue.  The web site praised Boise State for its "enviable setting, robust support for students and extremely strong faculty in both fiction and poetry."
I salute these fine teachers of the students of Boise State.

Boise State Vs. the Nation in SFL Football This Week

Six Boise State teams will take on six National Champions in Week Five of the Simulation Football League, including four matchups pitting Bronco teams against the teams that were crowned "mythical national champions".

The 2006 Boise State team is already on record as having disposed of "BCS National Champion" Florida.  This week, the 2009 Bronco team goes against Alabama while the 2010 Boise State team gets its shot at Auburn, the 2004 Bronco team plays the 2004 USC champions and the 2001 Boise State team challenges the Miami Hurricanes.  The Leave No Doubt team has a tough go against the 2005 team from Texas and the 2005 Boise State team meets up with the 2007 LSU team.

In intradivisional games, the 2007 Boise State team takes on the 2003 team, the 2006 Fiesta Bowl team plays the 2008 Bronco team, the 2002 Ohio State team plays the 2008 Florida squad and the 2006 Florida team faces the 2003 LSU team.

All games are Saturday at neutral sites.