Hi-Ho, It's Off to Ogden We Go

The last time Idaho State won a football game in Ogden, Utah, Jim Koetter was the coach, Vern Harris, Todd Price, Steve Anderson and John Berry were the co-captains, and a sophomore from Highland High School named Merril Hoge was in the backfield. I'll spare you all the cultural references from 1984, but feel free to look them up yourselves. (Okay, I have to throw in one: Apple introduced the Mac computer -- above -- that year).

So the Bengals have 25 years of history to overcome when they play the Wildcats in Stewart Stadium on Saturday night. A big part of that history, as we noted when we previewed this game earlier this summer, has been the play of Wildcat running back Trevyn Smith, who has put up 667 yards of total offense and scored 10 touchdowns against the Bengals over the past three seasons. Smith has gotten off to a slow start this year, as WSU has dropped heart-breakers to two FBS teams -- Wyoming and Colorado State -- by a total of 8 points. He's yet to break the 100-yard mark, with the Cowboys and Rams limiting the Wildcat running game to just 2.6 yards per carry.

He won't get any sympathy from the Bengals, of course, who are averaging -13.5 yards rushing after their wire-brushings by Arizona State and Oklahoma over the last two weeks. Redshirt freshman Ben Laporta leads the Bengals in rushing with 28 yards in 21 carries. A lot of ISU faithful will be looking at Saturday night's game to provide an answer to the eternal question: Is the Bengal running game that bad, or were ASU and Oklahoma's defenses that good?

Truth be told, Idaho State's blowout losses to the Sun Devils and Sooners have left as many questions about this year's version of the Bengals as they have provided answers. Another answer Bengal fans will be seeking from Saturday night's game will be whether the Idaho State defense has really improved this year. On the surface, that may seem like a silly notion to ponder, after the Bengals yielded 114 points to their FBS opponents. But those who watched both games sensed a more physical Idaho State D, most notably when they stuffed the Sooners four times inside the Bengal five yardline early in the first quarter.

Idaho State's defense has largely failed to show in the last three games against Weber, giving up an average of 47 points in those contests. They will be tested again by the likes of all-conference quarterback Cameron Higgins, his two great receivers, Tim Toone and Cody Nakamura who are one-two in the league right now with 15 and 14 catches, respectively; and of course, the ever-present Mr. Smith.

Through all the carnage in Phoenix and Norman, the Bengals have given the appearance of cultivating some new playmakers on the defensive side of the football: linebacker A.J. Storms, defensive backs Chris Holmesly, Dustin Tew and Phillip Pleasant, and defensive ends Sean Rutten and Jeff Tuua. Saturday night will be the test to see if these were just mirages of optimism, or really the beginning of the development of a solid defense. The Wildcats, meanwhile, will be looking to answer some questions of their own on offense: they have coughed the ball up eight times, and Higgins has been culpable in all eight -- seven picks and a killer last-minute fumble against CSU. The Bengal defense will be looking to continue that TO trend.

On the offensive side of the football, ISU emerged from weeks 1 and 2 with no such cockeyed optimism. They come into Big Sky play with a still very large question mark at quarterback, where Kyle Blum's poor play in game 1 and Russell Hill's broken thumb before game 2 have not allowed ISU's coaches to put an end to the QB guessing game. I'm only speculating now, but I'd have to think Blum, who played better (remember, all things in such blowouts are relative) against the Sooners, will get the call Saturday night.

Then there is the issue of the running game. As unfair a test as throwing them up against ASU and Oklahoma was, neither Clint Knickrehm nor Laporta was able to generate anything to get excited about. Will they be able to find some seams against WSU? And ISU has held out Boise State transfer Stew Tracy the first two games because of a balky hamstring, but he was probably the most impressive of the Bengal runners in fall practice. Can he get into a running rhythm against the Wildcats and make a statement?

Finally, ISU will go to battle Saturday night with another question mark on offense, where leading receiver Isaiah Burel is doubtful after turning an ankle and reinjuring a knee ligament against Oklahoma. Kelvin Krosch or true freshman Roderick Rumble may be asked to step in and provide production in a passing game that has been limited to nothing more than three-step-drops, slants and quick outs by the athleticism of the first two opponents.

Third-down conversions are kept as an official stat for a reason: they frequently portend the winner of a close game. Given that games against FBS opponents have totally skewed the statistics, there is still enough validity to be concerned about how the Bengals execute on third down in Ogden Saturday night. The Wildcats held their two FBS opponents to just 13 percent conversion (3 of 23) on third down. ISU, meanwhile, converted just two of 27 of its third down opportunities. Even factoring out the level of competition, the Bengal offense is going to have to rise to an entirely new level to be competitive this week.

A special note to Bengal fans traveling to Ogden this week: Take your radio along and you can listen to our broadcast in the stadium on FM 102.1. See you in Ogden!

Shots in the Dark

I went 6-2 last week, and I'm taking full credit for calling Montana's close win over Cal-Davis and Weber's close loss to Colorado State. I also have to acknowledge being completely off on Northern Colorado's relatively easy win over San Diego and Cal Poly's route of Sac State. Here's a look at this week's games:

Northern Colorado at Eastern Washington: Troy Coverdale, the Bears' play-by-play voice, has pleaded with me not to jinx his team by picking the upset this week. I'm sorry, Troy, but there is just something irresistible about UNC this week. Maybe it's the fact the Bears have discovered a running game, with JC transfer Andrew Harris rolling for 152 yards and two touchdowns against the Toreros last week. Maybe it's the fact that UNC has played Eastern tough in Cheney in recent years. Or maybe I'm just throwing darts (probably the latter), but I'm picking Northern Colorado.

Portland State at Montana: This was my other option for an upset special. The fact that Montana is still playing quarterback roulette, and that I really like PSU's experienced Drew Hubel under the other center both tempt me to go with the Vikings. But it's awful hard to pick against the Griz in Missoula, and their defense has been terrific so far. It will be fun to see Montana cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who has arrived as a big-time playmaker, against the run-and-shoot. So I'll resist temptation and go with Montana.

Southern Utah at Northern Arizona: As expected, I didn't learn a whole lot about NAU after they lost to Arizona 34-14 in Tucson last week. What I do know is they gave up 365 rushing yards to the Wildcats. Southern Utah, meanwhile, features Austin Minefee, who is averaging 129 yards rushing a game, and put up over 100 in SUU's loss to San Diego State last week. Southern Utah has traditionally played well against the Lumberjacks, losing by five last year in Cedar City, and the T-birds are the last team to beat NAU in a home opener, 16 years ago. I'll go with Southern Utah.

--Brad B.

And thanks for being a Bengal fan -- it ain't always easy, but it's always fun.

Oklahoma: Cleaning Up the Record

As an announcer, I hate screwing up facts on a broadcast. So I'm going to use this space to make some corrections to mistakes I made during Saturday night's broadcast from Oklahoma.

First of all, I need to apologize to freshman long snapper Clint Brock, who was suffering from a minor injury and did not play Saturday night. The Bengals had some bad snaps from back-up snapper Daniel Urias, and I didn't notice that it was not Brock on the field. That's a big mistake on my part, and I apologize for not confirming who the long-snapper was. And I'm not being critical of Urias -- he stepped up in the spring and took over the long-snapping job because the Bengals basically didn't have anybody else available. Then, to ask him to take the job back over under lousy conditions (it rained all day and night in Norman) without much preparation, well, it was a tough job.

Secondly, I don't know where my math went wrong (but somewhere there are a couple of nuns who used to teach at SS Peter & Paul elementary who are nodding at each other knowingly), but I proclaimed on the air that JD Ponciano broke the ISU record for most kick-off return yards during the game with the Sooners. Actually, he still needs 66 more yards (is that right, Frank? -- please check my subtraction!), and hopefully those will come against Weber State Saturday night in Ogden. No matter, "Ponce" did a great job Saturday night, picking up 104 all-purpose yards and doing such a good job in the return game that the Sooners stopped kicking to him. That's a big compliment.

Finally, I offer my last word on the issue of scheduling. As I noted last week, the worst part about playing Arizona State and Oklahoma back-to-back is that it makes it nearly impossible to run a good deal of your offense, and it makes it very difficult to tell where you stand on that side of the football. Nothing that happened Saturday night would change that perspective. But I would point out that the Bengal players seemed to really enjoy the "Oklahoma experience" (see the photo above of them taking pictures prior to their walk-through on Friday), and I find a lot of the message board chatter about "prostituting the players" to be ridiculous. The Bengals played a very physical brand of football against both ASU and the Sooners, and from that perspective, I thought they competed well. The edge in speed and quickness was the real difference I saw in both games, but none of the Bengal players I talked with during the trip felt embarrassed or used.

Join Jerry and I on the coach's show tonight (Monday night at 6 p.m. on KSEI, AM-930) to get an update on Isaiah Burel's condition, what happens to the quarterback situation with Russell Hill's injury, and how the Bengals plan to stop their tormentor, Trevyn Smith on Saturday.

--Brad B.

And thanks for being a Bengal fan -- it ain't always easy, but it's always fun.

"Playing Up": How Much Does It Help?

New Idaho State offensive coordinator Brian Jensen (right) is probably thankful he's not coaching in the National Football League, where three offensive coordinators got fired before the first regular season game was played. After the Bengals' offensive struggles against Arizona State in their season opener Saturday night, Jensen was feeling frustrated and concerned, but at least he didn't have to worry about his job.

A few message board posters over on the Journal blog questioned the Bengal play-calling against the Sun Devils, particulary in the second half, when Idaho State went very conservative. But on our radio show Monday night, ISU Head Coach John Zamberlin made it clear that the order to run the football and shorten the game came directly from the top. So even though ASU was packing eight defenders in the box and ISU's offensive line was unable to create any gaps for Clint Knickhrem and Ben LaPorta, the Bengals kept running the football.

And really, who could blame Zamberlin? When ISU tried to throw the football, Arizona State's pressure and excellent man-to-man coverage abilities, coupled with some bad decisions by Bengal QB Kyle Blum, led to turnovers. As well as Idaho State's defense competed Saturday night, there was no reason to continue to run them back out to defend a short field created by turnovers.

The unfortunate aspect of playing physically superior teams like ASU -- and No. 13-ranked Oklahoma, Idaho State's opponent Saturday night -- is that it's almost impossible to run your normal offense. The O-line can't create or sustain seams, the backs can't get through what tiny cracks there are quick enough, and the receivers can't get separation against the higher quality athletes the Bengals are going to see in their first two games this year. Down and distance situations wind up dictating throwing the football, and that allows very athletic defenses to pin their ears back and head to the quarterback. The only option, and the one Zamberlin selected Saturday night in Tempe, is to run the ball, eat clock and try to get off the field as quickly -- and as healthy -- as possible. And that leaves the offensive staff frustrated because they're not going to learn a whole lot about their team, and they're not going to be able to run a good two-thirds of their offense.

The first season I broadcast Idaho State football, back in 1994, the Bengals had a pretty good Big Sky football team. They wound up beating both Montana and Boise State, who were national playoff semifinalists that season, and they were led by all-conference running back Alfredo Anderson, a pretty quick athlete out of Miami who would go on to become Idaho State's all-time leading rusher. The Bengals played at the University of Utah that season, and the Utes had a great defense, led by all-American Luther Ellis, who later was the 20th player selected in the NFL draft. Nothing better illustrated the difference between a good 1-AA (now FCS) team and a good D-1 program than that matchup, which saw Ellis, a 280-pound defensive lineman, running Anderson down from behind in the backfield, and the Utes pounding ISU 66-0.

Oklahoma's great athletes on offense, led by their 1,000-yard rushers, Chris Brown and Demarco Murray, will put plenty of points on the board against Idaho State Saturday, despite the loss to injury of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford and all-American tight end Jermaine Gresham. The fear, however, is that the biggest mismatch will come on the other side of the football, where all-American defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, weak side linebacker Travis Lewis and defensive end Jeremy Beal will so dominate the game as to make it nearly impossible for the Bengals to execute much of their offense.

Thus, the theory that "playing up" can get you better prepared for games on your own level only goes so far. ISU has played D-1 teams in the past, like Ole Miss and Kentucky, who were in a rebuilding mode and did not have great athletes on the defensive side of the football. The Bengals were very competitive in those games, and could actually carry out a game plan on offense. Those contests allowed the coaching staff to identify strengths and weaknesses, and to get some positive carry-over for the weeks that followed. But ASU, who has as good a defense as I've seen the Bengals play in my 15 years of broadcasting, and Oklahoma do not offer the same opportunities.

It will be difficult to know how much Blum, for example, has improved his decision-making skills when he's running for his life on every passing down. It will be hard to know how much Laporta and third-string running back Stew Tracy can contribute when they can't get enough of a hole to get back to the line of scrimmage on a regular basis. And it will be almost impossible to get a read on the chemistry between Blum and his receivers when the wideouts can't get any separation in the secondary, and Blum can't take more than a three-step drop without getting sacked.

I fully understand why Idaho State is playing these two money games: you don't take a 12 percent hit in state funding for your athletic department without being impacted. Season ticket sales are down this year, and, with state tax receipts lagging below projections already this fiscal year, there is the likelihood of another cutback next year. ISU's adminstators could not pass up the nearly $1 million they will get from these two games. It's just too bad the NCAA denied Idaho State's waiver request that would have allowed them to open the season a week earlier against Division-II Western Montana. Having to play ASU and Oklahoma back-to-back and then opening the conference season at Weber State without a more fair test of the offense is probably the worst case scenario.

Shots in the Dark

Time once again to predict this week's Big Sky games. The good news -- I only missed one prediction last week, with Weber losing, 29-22, to Wyoming. The bad news -- that was the only competitive game of the week and picking the other winners and losers was kind of like picking the winner of a statewide election in Idaho. This week's slate has a few more tests, however. So let's get to it:

Dixie State at Montana State: Okay, I gave myself a break by opening with an easy one. The Red Storm are a Division-II team, and not a particularly good one, although they did beat Adams State, 38-27, last week. But MSU, coming off a spanking at Michigan State, achieved its goal of not turning the ball over against the Spartans, and they're playing at home. Dixie has been outscored 171-28 by its Big Sky opponents over the last three seasons. That's about the right ratio for the final score in this one.

Southern Oregon at Portland State: The Vikings ran the football more last week in the loss to Oregon State, which gives some credence to Jerry Glanville's pre-season promises to be more physical this year. Unfortunately, they lost all-conference fullback Bobby McClintock to a concussion in the process and it's uncertain if he'll play against their NAIA opponents this week. It probably won't matter, though. PSU hasn't lost to a lower division school since 1996, their offensive line did not allow a sack in 41 pass attempts against the PAC 10 Beavers, and they will put up plenty of points on Saturday.

San Diego at Northern Colorado: This one is a little tougher to call, being that the Toreros are a non-scholarship program playing on the road. Northern Colorado, meanwhile, is coming off a 49-3 loss to No. 25-ranked Kansas. The bright spot for the Bears was that quarterback Bryan Waggener completed 19 of 30 passes against the Jayhawks and threw no interceptions. NC's running game remained stuck in neutral, however, with Andre Harris getting only 22 yards in six carries. I'm going with San Diego in this one -- the Toreros are coming off back-to-back 9-2 campaigns, while the Bears have lost seven in a row, and winning -- and losing -- can be habit forming.

Eastern Washington at Cal: Eastern, we are reminded by the Big Sky office, is still appealing its NCAA sanctions, so is therefore technically still eligible for the NCAA playoffs. Cal, meanwhile, is still eligible for the Rose Bowl. And coming off its 52-13 beatdown of Maryland, I will give the Bears the slight edge in motivation. Eastern did some nice things in its opener against Western Oregon, by the way. Probably the most encouraging was the performance of converted DB Taiwan Jones, who ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns, including an 87-yard run. EWU's running game was sorely lacking last year. But I'm betting Jones' running totals will be about 100 yards less than Cal's Jahvid Best, who put up 137 against the Terps last week. No contest, this one.

Weber State at Colorado State: This one vexes me. Yes, the Wildcats lost to a very mediocre D-1 Wyoming last week, and yes, the Rams beat their Big 12 neighbor, Colorado. But the Wildcats really self-destructed in Laramie, committing 11 penalties and quarterback Cameron Higgins tossing five interceptions. I have to think having experienced the "speed" of the D-1 game a week earlier will allow the Wildcats to make some adjustments. And you gotta believe CSU will have a natural letdown against an FCS opponent the week after beating their rival. Will it be enough to overcome the physical advantages CSU enjoys?. . . No. Sorry Weber, I just can't pull the trigger and predict an upset again this week. But it will be a close game.

Sacramento State at Cal Poly: This is another head-scratcher. What do we know about Sac, afterall, who endured a workman-like 38-3 defeat by FBS UNLV in its opener? And what do we know about Cal Poly, who did not play last week, and is under a new coach, former Portland State mentor Tim Walsh? A lot of question marks in this one, but I'm going with the Hornets on the basis of what we do know: Sac got a 100-yard rushing game out of Washington transfer Terrance Dailey last week; they have an established coach and sytem; and Cal Poly is breaking in a new coach and new system without departed all-American Ramses Barden.

Montana at UC-Davis: This will be a good football game. UC-Davis always competes well, particularly at home, where the Aggies are expecting a sellout for Saturday's game. The Griz, meanwhile, are still sorting through their quarterback situation, although it appears Oregon transfer Justin Roper is starting to emerge as the frontrunner in his battle with Andrew Selle. Davis quarterback Greg Denham thew for 251 yards against the Griz in Montana's 29-24 win in Missoula last year. Still, I like Montana's defense and I think Chase Reynolds and Marc Mariani and Co. will get enough done offensively to win a tight one.

Northern Arizona at Arizona: The Lumberjacks open their season against a Wildcat team that didn't impress a whole lot of folks with a 19-6 win over Central Michigan last week. I don't expect a lot of from this matchup, quite frankly, with the Wildcats putting up enough effort to get a win, and NAU staying close enough to feel good about itself.

--Brad B.

And thanks for being a Bengal fan -- it ain't always easy, but it's always fun.