Boise State Tops Oregon at Blue and Orange Opener

The Boise State men's track team shocked powerful Oregon with seven titles at the Blue and Orange Opener at Jackson's Indoor Track in Nampa yesterday.  The Ducks were able to win six events.

Will Lohman uncorked a personal best of 60-feet, 5-inches to win the weight throw, easily outdistancing Oregon's Miles Walk (55-10.25).  Manoah Wesson set an indoor-best of 47.79 seconds to take the 400-meter title and finished second to teammate Daveon Collins (21.35) in the 200-meters in 21.81.  Chase Sexton captured the shot put with a throw of 57-11.75, edging Oregon's Sam Crouser (57-9.75), while Roderick Townsend won the high jump (6-6.75), Allan Schroeder the Mile (4:20.96) and the Bronco men's 4 x 400-meter relay team won in 3:26.43.

Rolando Trammel was second in the 60-meters (6.97) and third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.03.  Justin Maines captured second in the latter event with a personal best of 8.01.  Kyle Brush (4:25.26) and Wyatt Diederickson (4:33.10) finished behind Schroeder to cap a 1-2-3 Boise State finish in the miles.

The Boise State women, meanwhile, won the 4 x 400-meter relay (3:54.15) to avoid being shut out for the day.

The Boise State teams host the Bronco Invitational next Saturday, January 19 at Jackson's Track.

Boise State Women Defeat Wyoming 70-68

A sweep tonight--Broncos beat the Cowboys and the Lady Broncos top the Cowgirls!

Shorthanded Boise State Bumps #25 Wyoming From Unbeaten Ranks

For the four Boise State basketball players suspended prior to the big game with #25 Wyoming--they don't get to experience the thrill of knocking of one of just four undefeated teams in the nation.

For those Broncos who played by the rules, they were just fine, thank-you.  Jeff Elorriaga's three-pointer at the buzzer gave Coach Leon Rice's squad a 63-61 win in Laramie tonight.

Elorriaga finished with 18, including 6-10 from three-point range, but none bigger than the money shot to give the Broncos the win.  Wyoming's Josh Adams had put the home team up 61-60 with nine seconds left before Elorriaga's heroics.

The game was a see-saw affair in the wild last minutes.  Boise State took a 31-26 lead going into halftime.  But the Cowboys erupted for an 19-4 run to take a 45-35 lead.  Derrious Gilmore had eight of those points to lead the Wyoming surge.   

But a three-pointer by Thomas Bropleh and a steal and layup by Igor Hadziomerovic with 7:01 left brought the Broncos all the way back to tie the game at 45.  Leonard Washington's layup with 5:15 remaining gave Wyoming a 50-47 lead but Hadziomerovic hit a triple on the next possession for Boise State.

Rice's team played incredible in the next stretch and threatened to take command, with a three by Anthony Drmic, a jumper by Hadziomerovic and a layup by Bropleh with 2:48 left that gave Boise State a 57-50 lead.  

Riley Grabau gave Wyoming a much-needed basket on the ensuing possession and after a foul on Drmic scrambling for position on an inbounds play, Leonard canned a three for the Cowboys to make it 57-55, Boise State.  Washington then electrified the Laramie crowd with a steal and dunk to the score with 1:19 left.

Grabau sank two free throws to extend the Cowboy run to nine with just 44 seconds left.  But the Broncos found another gear.  Elorriaga nailed a three-pointer with 31 seconds left to put the Broncos up 60-59 leading to the fantastic finish.

Drmic finished with 18 points to tie Elorriaga for the team lead while Hadziomerovic finished with 11 for Boise State.  Ryan Watkins hauled down six rebounds to lead the Broncos in that department.  Gilmore finished with 17 points to pace Wyoming while Washington and Adams chipped in with 12 each and Grabau 10.

Wyoming fell to 13-1 with the loss while Boise State is 13-2.  The Bronco win sets up a meeting with another Top 25 team, New Mexico, in Taco Bell Arena next Wednesday.

If you don't already have tickets, you better pick them up pronto or you'll get shut out.

My Sources Tell Me There's a 70% Chance That Boise State Stays in the Mountain West

One thing is for sure:

The Big East better step up to the plate and hit a home run.

Boise State's Strategic Plan 2012-2017

http://academics.boisestate.edu/strategic-plan/

Boise State Cruises to 89-70 Win Over Previously Unbeaten LSU

Those who used to love the Bobby Dye-coached teams in the 1980's, and Bronco fans who have been thrilled by the Boise State football team for so many years--there's a new team in town.

That team would be Leon Rice's 2012-13 Bronco basketball team, which tonight scored what could be a program-building 89-70 win over LSU to knock the Tigers from the unbeaten ranks before 11,210 fans at Taco Bell Arena.

Sophomore guard Anthony Drmic was sensational for Boise State, launching howitzer after howitzer to drain the net for threes, then soaring high above the rim for jaw-opening alley-oop slam dunks, including a thundering dunk over LSU's 7'3" center for his final field goal.   A dual threat like that presents major problems for the opposition, and Drmic hit for a career-high 34 points tonight.  Anthony hit six three-pointers and rolled up 19 points in the first half as Boise State built a 43-30 lead at intermission.  Clearly, Boise State played as good a first half as they could play.

Drmic continued his barrage in the second half, while Derrick Marks lit it up for 19 of his 23 points in the second half and Ryan Watkins had 12 points and a career-high 17 points in cleaning up the glass.  

But make no mistake about it--defense won this game.  It would have been a different story otherwise.  LSU built a 19-11 first-half lead when the Broncos began to get after it defensively.  Boise State stepped up the "D" several notches to bother the talented Tiger team and knock them off their game. Plus, Boise State's hustle tonight was beyond compare, scrambling feverishly for every loose ball and, led by Watkins, battling for every rebound.  The Bronco defense forced 20 LSU turnovers, 10 in each half.  Boise State's tenacity led to 13 steals, 4 each from Marks and Jeff Elorriaga.  Bobby Dye himself would have been proud.  In short, the Broncos put on quite a show tonight.

Boise State's energy led to commanding leads in 1) points in the paint (36-26), points off turnovers (30-18) and second-chance points (22-6).

After LSU had tied the game at 27 with 6:17 remaining in the half, the Broncos went on a 16-3 tear.  Kenny Buckner scored six points in a row, and Jeff Elorriaga stole the ball with six seconds left and fed Thomas Bropleh for the basket and foul.  The turn of events brought the Bell crowd to its feet and set the tone for the rest of the game.

Together with Derrick Marks' 35-point effort in the win over nationally-ranked Creighton, Drmic and Marks are just the third set of Boise State teammates to score 30 points in the same season.  The point totals are the 10th and 15th-best by a Bronco in school history.  

Corban Collins netted 19 for LSU (6-1) while Johnny O'Bryant III contributed 15 points before fouling out with 8:59 remaining.

Boise State is now 7-2 on the season and will play Idaho next Thursday at Century Link Arena.

Boise State Football Team To Host Louisville and Rutgers in 2013

It's already the best home football season in school history and we only know two conference teams that will play in Boise.

According to information we've obtained, Boise State will host the top two teams in the Big East Conference this year, Louisville and Rutgers, in 2013.  We will report more of the Broncos' conference schedule when it takes shape, but wow, what a couple of great home games!

Boise State Second Since 1900 and 4th All-Time for 10-Win Seasons

With today's win over Nevada, Boise State became the second team in the modern era and 4^th in history to win ten or more games in 10 out of 11 years.  

The only year in which Boise State did not win 10 or more games in the current stretch was 2005 when they were a disappointing 9-4.  The Broncos were 12-1 in 2002, 13-1 in 2003, 11-1 in 2004, 13-0 in 2006, 10-3 in 2007, 12-1 in 2008,12-1 in 2009 and 12-1 last season.  

Florida State is the only team in history to win 10 or more games in each year of a decade--the Seminoles did that in the 90's. The Seminoles, in fact, strung together 14 consecutive seasons of 10 wins (1987-2000).  

The only other college football teams to accomplish this amazing achievement are Pennsylvania and Princeton.  Penn won 10 games in 11 of 12 seasons from 1890-1901, with 1899 being the only year they didn't win at least 10.  Princeton won 11 of 12 from 1888-1899, with 1894 being the lone blemish during that streak.

Texas won 10 games in nine straight seasons from 2001-2009, ending that streak just last season.  Yale won 10 or more games from 1888-1896, a streak of nine consecutive years.  

Oklahoma won 10 or more games in nine out of 10 years (1971-1980) and won 10 games in eight out of nine years from 2000-2008.  The highly-successful Miami of Florida teams won 10 or more games in nine out of 10 years from 1983-1992.  Alabama had nine out of 10 years in which they won 10 or more from 1971-1980.  

Nebraska won 10 or more in all but one year from 1993-2001.  Harvard was able to win 10 or more in all but one year from 1886-1894.

USC won 10 or more games every year from 2002-2008 but could not put together a streak of eight out of nine.  Florida has had 12 seasons since 1991 of 10 or more wins but has never had more than seven out of eight.  For all of its storied tradition, Michigan has never been able to achieve a better streak than seven out of eight years (1971-1978).  Penn State’s best streak was six out of seven from 1968-1974.  

Boise State 6th All-Time with 7 Straight 10-Win Seasons

The players returning for the Boise State football team were entrusted with the keys to the legacy and with a tradition that has stunned most of the college football world outside of Idaho.  Those players came through with another 10-win season, despite losing half of their seniors to the NFL, and despite the naysayers.

Boise State ranks sixth in the history of the sport for the most consecutive 10-win seasons.  The Broncos have won 10 or more every year since 2006.  Seven straight seasons, and probably not coincidentally, as long as Chris Petersen has been coaching the team.

Florida State holds the all-time record of 14 (1987-2000) that may never be broken.  Pennsylvania (1890-1898) and Texas are second with nine (2001-2009), and Virginia Tech had a shot to tie the Longhorns but came up short this season.  The Hokies won 10 or more every year from 2004-2011.  Miami of Florida put together eight in a row from 1985-1992, while USC won 10 or more from 2002-2008, and Yale had 10-win seasons from 1888-1894.  And now Boise State has tied those two historic schools.  Boise State has more current onsecutive 10-win seasons than every other school in the nation, including Alabama, Michigan, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.  But the Sooners have accomplished something no other school has done--win 10 games in five consecutive seasons three different times.  

Interestingly enough, the 12 schools that are at the top of this list pretty represent most of the powerhouses in the history of college football.  Two teams notably absent from this group of consistent 10-game winners are Notre Dame and Penn State.  The best the Nittany Lions did was four seasons (1971-1974), while Notre Dame strung three 10-win seasons from 1991-1993.  This list pretty much sums up how great these 12 schools are.

1.    Florida State 14 (1987-2000)
2.    Texas 9 (2001-2009)
2.    Pennsylvania 9 (1890-1898)
4.    Miami of Florida 8 (1985-1992)
4.    Virginia Tech 8 (2004-2011)
6.    Boise State 7 (2006-2012)
6.    USC 7 (2002-2008)
6.    Yale 7 (1888-1894)
9.    Florida 6 (1993-1998)
9.    Princeton 6 1888-1893
11.  Alabama 5 (1971-1975)
11.  Michigan 5 (1901-1905)
11.  Nebraska 5 (1993-1997)
11.  Ohio State 5 (2006-2010)
11.  Oklahoma 5 (1954-1958)
11.  Oklahoma 5 (1971-1975)
11.  Oklahoma 5 (2000-2004)
11.  Princeton 5 (1895-1899)

'Twas the Night Before the Nevada-Bronco Game

'Twas the night
Before the Nevada-Bronco game,
When all through the casinos
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a game of Keno.

Boise State fans
Had been there in years past
But not this year,
They'd been treated like crap.

The tickets were offered
By the university with care
In hopes
That all Wolf Pack fans
Soon would be there.

The players were nestled
All safe in their beds
While visions of 2010
Danced in their heads.

And Ault in his wisdom
Left Bronco fans out
The stadium wouldn't be full,
Of this, there can be no doubt.

And there in the paper,
There arose such a chatter
Pack fans sprang from their beds
To see what was the matter.

Away to the window
They flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters
And threw up the sash.

Ault dreamed of dollars;
He'd dreamed of fans
He'd dreamed of tradition,
And all he got was empty stands.

When what
To their wandering eyes
Should appear
But a miniature sleigh
And eight tiny reindeer.

With a little ol' driver
So lively and without fault
They knew in a moment
It must be St. Ault.

Hotel owners wanted answers,
Restaurant owners too
Why had Ault not invited
Fans of the Blue.

Now dasher,
Now dancer,
Now prancer
Now vixen
On comet,
On cupid,
On donder
and blitzen.

He had a round face
And a little body
That shook when he pouted
Like a bowlful of jelly.

So up
To the housetop
The courses
They flew
With a sleigh
Full of toys
And St. Ault too.

But a closer look revealed
The identity was sealed
It wasn't Chris Kringle at all
But the Grinch--of all the gall.

He stole all the tickets
He stole the concessions
Made the stadium sound like crickets
Without even a confession.

To his sleigh
To his team
Gave a whistle
And away
They all flew
Like the down
of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim
As away he flew
Screw Boise State fans,
Screw the city of Reno too!

Boise State Scores Biggest Upset in School History

Derrick Marks scored a career-high 35 points, including 18 straight in the second half, as Boise State upset #11 Creighton in Omaha last night, 83-70.

Creighton represents the highest-ranked team the Bronco basketball team has ever defeated.  Boise State, now 5-1, played #13 MIchigan State down to the wire last week on the road before losing by four.  Creighton had a home winning streak of 42 games in the month of November.

Anthony Drmic had 17 points and Jeff Elorriaga added 12 points on 4-5 shooting from three point range.  Doug McDermott led Creighton with 21 points while Grant Gibbs had 17.

Boise State posted a 39-33 halftime lead after shooting lights out (64%).  The Bronco sharpshooting team made seven straght 3-pointers and were 9-13 from three-point land in the first 20 minutes.  

Boise State Extends All-Time Record for Best Winning Percentage

Boise State took over the all-time lead for the best winning percentage in the history of college football two years ago, and the Broncos aren't looking back.

As of now, sporting a 9-2 season record, Boise State is now 167-46, a sizzling winning percentage of 78.40%.  Michigan is the next-closest college football team with an overall record of 903-313-36 for a percentage of 73.56%.  

Notre Dame is in third with a percentage of 73.38% (864-300-42), Oklahoma has won 71.83% (829-309-53), while Texas stands at 71.69% (866-332-33), Ohio State is at 71.58% (836-316-53) and Alabama has won 71.17% of their games (824-321-43).

Boise State Breaks Florida State Modern Record for Most Wins In 15-Year Period

When you judge the top college football teams in history, certainly longevity has to rank among your most important factors.  

With Boise State's 42-14 win over Colorado State yesterday, Boise State has now eclipsed the modern record for the most wins in a 15-year period.  The great Seminole teams from 1987-2001 held the existing mark of 160-23-1, but the Broncos topped that mark with their win yesterday.  Since 1998, Boise State is now 161-29, and they have two games to play to try to add to their total.

Boise State Breaks Own Modern Record for Most Wins In 11-Year Period

With Boise State's 42-14 win over Colorado State, the Broncos broke their own existing modern record for the most wins by a college football team in an 11-year period.  Last season, Boise State set the modern mark with an 11-year record of 126-17 (from 2001-2011).  But the 2002-2012 Broncos have now won 127 games against 15 defeats with two games to play.

Boise State Sets Modern Record for Most Wins In 14-Year Period

When Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles consistently were among the best teams in the nation from 1987-2000, and put together a 152-19-1 mark, it seemed like a safe modern record.  That is until Boise State came along.

Boise State tied that record last season when they put together a 152-27 record from 1998-2011.  Now, the record belongs exclusively to the Broncos.  The Broncos have now won 155 games over a 14-year period that began in 1999.  Boise State is 155-24 in that 14-year span with two games remaining.

Boise State Ties Alabama For Sixth Place All-Time for Most Consecutive Nine-Win Seasons

With Boise State's 42-14 win over Colorado State tonight, the Broncos have now won nine or more games in 11 consecutive seasons.  That ties Boise State with the legendary Alabama teams from 1971-1981 for sixth place all-time.  

Nebraska put together the sensational record of 33 straight years in winning nine or more games from 1969-2001.  The Cornhuskers are in the stratosphere in this category with a 19-season lead on the next best team.

Here is the list of the top teams to win nine or more games in consecutive seasons:

1.    Nebraska (33--1969-2001)
2.    Florida State (14--1987-2000)
3.    Yale (13--1886-1898)
4.    Texas (12--1998-2009)
4.    Florida (12--1990-2001)
6.    Boise State (11--2002-2012)
6.    Alabama (11--1971-1981)
8.    Miami of Florida (10--1985-1994)
8.    Oklahoma (10--1971-1980)
10.  Pennsylvania (9--1890-1898)
10.  Harvard (9--1886-1894)
12.  Virginia Tech (8--2004-2011)
12.  USC (8--2002-2009)
12.  Miami of Florida (8--1998-2005)
12.  Ohio State (8--1979-1986)
12.  Yale (8--1900-1907)

Boise State Third Team in College Football History To Win Seven Consecutive Games in 11 Straight Seasons

One of the more interesting factoids about Boise’s successful football run is this one—the Broncos have put together streaks of seven or more wins in a row in their last 11 seasons. Boise State set the modern record back in 2012 and has extended that streak.  Boise State is the first team since 1903 to accomplish this and only the fourth team in history. 

Princeton holds the all-time record with 21 consecutive years of winning seven consecutive games.  The Tigers did it from 1883-1903.  Yale is second by achieving the feat from 1886-1898 (13 straight years).  And now Boise State is third.  Harvard did it 10 straight years (1886-1895) while Pennsylvania (1891-1898) and Michigan (1969-1976) had streaks of eight years. 

Boise State Sets All-Time College Football Record for Winning Seasons Percentage

Boise State has now become the only team in college football history to have a winning seasons percentage above 88%.  The Broncos have posted winning seasons in 15 of their 17 years in major college football, a percentage of 88.2%.  Alabama is next with 84.6% (88 of 104 seasons) while Notre Dame has enjoyed winning seasons in 91 of 111 seasons (82.0%).

For purposes of comparison, a team must have won at least six games and must have played at least eight games in a season for that season to count in compiling the statistics.

Boise State Wrestling Team Falls to North Dakota State 24-15

What has happened to the Boise State wrestling team?  This is the same squad that two years ago was a threat to win the national championship.  The Broncos lost to North Dakota State (ouch) last night 24-15.

Boise State #31 in AP Poll

The Broncos are behind UCF.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/rankings/ap