BOISE, Idaho — Wednesday Weekly…December 18, 2024.
Can we hit the pause button for a moment and look at what’s happened with Spencer Danielson at Boise State? There have been a lot of “if I had told you then” moments with the Broncos over the years. This is one of them. “If I had told you on November 12 last year that Danielson would start his career 15-2, lead Boise State to not only the College Football Playoff but a bye into the quarterfinals, and coach the Heisman Trophy runner-up, you would have said…what?" When Danielson was named interim coach last November, he implored his players to just give him everything they had for two games. Now they’ve done that for 17. And here you have Dan Mullen, the new coach at UNLV, being rewarded with a five-year, $17.5 million contract. That sets the bar high. What does Danielson deserve?
Athletic director Jeramiah Dickey, whose new five-year, $3.2 million contract is up for State Board of Education approval today, is already earning his keep by negotiating a new deal for Danielson, who clearly deserves more than he’s getting. He might look at this situation the way Ashton Jeanty did a year ago. Not that Danielson is being pulled multiple ways, but you have to think he wants to stay here for a long time. Last December, Jeanty just wanted to know that the school cared enough to make an effort to keep him. And even though he could have made over three times more in NIL money elsewhere, he appreciated what the Broncos did. Hopefully that’s where we are with Danielson: that he’d just feel good knowing Boise State did what it could.
AN ALL-TIME ALL-AMERICAN
The Associated Press All-America team is the one that carries the most weight every year, and this season there is only one unanimous selection. It is, of course, Ashton Jeanty, who’s on his way to Consensus All-American status. The significance in Boise State history is this: Jeanty is the first Bronco in the FBS era (29 seasons) to be named first-team by AP. The last first-teamer was back in the FCS (Division I-AA) days, defensive end Joe O’Brien, the leader of that great 1994 team. The last Boise State offensive player to earn such an honor was quarterback Joe Aliotti in 1979. All that’s left now for Jeanty is what is expected to be an eminently inspired performance in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Fiesta Bowl against the winner of this Saturday’s SMU-Penn State game.
DEVELOPING COMMITTEE OF HEIR-APPARENTS
There’s running back drama at Boise State, and so far it’s the good kind. First, Danielson said Tuesday in his press conference that he expects all three eligible scholarship running backs to return next year—Sire Gaines, Breezy Dubar and Dylan Riley. Danielson also said he wants five scholarship backs on his roster. KTIK’s Prater & The Ballgame speculate that one of them will be a familiar name: Malik Sherrod, late of Fresno State. Sherrod is in the transfer portal, looking for a new home as a sixth-year senior. He’d be reunited with his former Bulldogs running backs coach, the Broncos’ James Montgomery. Boise State’s a desirable spot for backs, as it proved that a top-echelon Group of 5 program can produce a Heisman Trophy finalist. “The standard is very, very high,” said Danielson.
MISSING ON THE DEPTH CHART
All local eyes will be on SMU and Penn State when they kick off Saturday morning in Happy Valley. If it’s Penn State that Boise State plays in the CFP, the Nittany Lions and Broncos will have something in common: no backup quarterback. Penn State backup Beau Pribula entered the transfer portal over the weekend, pointing to the "overlapping CFP playoff and transfer portal timeline." At the same time, Boise State has lost Malachi Nelson to the portal. But Penn State’s situation is different, as Pribula, a redshirt sophomore, was utilized as a change-of-pace QB throughout the season. He’d come in as a runner in place of starter Drew Allar and was second on the Nittany Lions in rushing touchdowns with six.
Nelson played in only three games, going 12-of-17 for 128 yards with an interception. He was not central to Boise State’s offense. But who is No. 2 now behind Maddux Madsen? Is it the scholarship QB, true freshman Kaleb Annett? At least the Broncos have Madsen this year. Last December, he was injured and missed the LA Bowl against UCLA. Taylen Green was already in the portal on his way to Arkansas, leaving C.J. Tiller to start against the Bruins. And you know the result.
FINAL MW DRESS REHEARSAL
ANOTHER ROUNDTRIP FLIGHT FOR KRAWS
For the third time this season, Ben Kraws was reassigned by the Dallas Stars to the AHL’s Texas Stars last Saturday. And for the third time, Kraws was returned to the Idaho Steelheads on Tuesday. So it looks to be business as usual between the pipes tonight when the Steelheads open a three-game series against Rapid City in Idaho Central Arena. Rush coach Scott Burt, one of the most popular Steelies in franchise history, remains on a leave of absence as he’s immersed in a critical medical battle. One other note: on Monday night, Tye Felhaber became the 26th former Steelhead to appear in an NHL game as he made his debut with the Colorado Avalanche in a 3-1 loss at Vancouver. Felhaber played six games for Idaho during the 2019-20 season, scoring three goals while adding three assists as a rookie.
PORTAL DEPARTURES
Boise State has been fortunate with the transfer portal—far more players incoming than outgoing. In the FCS there’s a lot of outgoing, especially at a program that’s become as successful as Idaho. With coach Jason Eck off to New Mexico, the Vandals are losing some heavy hitters, beginning with quarterback Jack Layne and wide receiver Jordan Dwyer. Layne is the second straight Idaho QB to leave—Gevani McCoy departed last winter for Oregon State. Dwyer was huge this season, leading the Vandals in receiving with 78 catches for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS…December 18, 1932:
The Chicago Bears beat the Portsmouth Spartans, 9-0, in the NFL’s first playoff game. It was also the first NFL game ever played indoors, moved from Wrigley Field to Chicago Stadium because of a huge blizzard in the Windy City. The floor was covered with dirt because a circus had just appeared there, and the field was only 80 yards long. The Bears’ deciding touchdown came on a scoring pass from one historic football legend to another—Bronko Nagurski to the “Galloping Ghost,” Red Grange.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)