BOISE, Idaho — Wednesday Weekly…August 21, 2024.
It may be a tired line, but it rings true in the race for Boise State’s starting quarterback. “Who gives us the best chance to win Game 1?” said coach Spencer Danielson after last Saturday’s second scrimmage of fall camp. Danielson gave his answer late Sunday afternoon, naming Maddux Madsen as the starter over Malachi Nelson going into the opener at Georgia Southern a week from this Saturday. No stats were revealed for Madsen or Nelson in the scrimmage, but one of them threw a 98-yard touchdown pass to Latrell Caples. That’s just one play, though. And this decision doesn’t mean the question won’t be asked all over again for Week 2, especially considering the opponent, the Oregon Ducks. Who will give the Broncos the best chance to win Game 2? If Madsen plays lights-out, the answer will be the same.
There was a turning point for Madsen at Boise State last season. When he came in at Memphis in the fourth quarter in September, the Broncos were down 28-17 and needed points fast. Madsen was the better thrower, so to me, it was a logical decision. Madsen led scoring drives of 80 and 75 yards, capping both with TD passes. He ran out of time. It seems that what stands between Madsen and massive respect from a portion of the fan base is about four inches in height. Sure, the 5-10 frame affected Madsen a few times when he was trying to see downfield last fall, but more often he just put his nose to the grindstone and made plays. I’d venture to say he brought the Broncos back from the season’s ledge after they trailed San Jose State 27-7 on the blue turf in October. Let’s see what happens.
BENEFIELD’S ROLE
Amidst all the talk of who gives Boise State the best chance to win, well, that applies to every position on the team. And at safety alongside Alexander Teubner, it sure looks like Ty Benefield gives the Broncos the best chance to win. Coach Spencer Danielson doesn’t drop that many names after scrimmages, but he dropped Benefield’s Saturday after the sophomore made six tackles. Make no mistake, Benefield has formidable competition back there in guys like Rodney Robinson, Seyi Oladipo, Kaonohi Kaniho and Zion Washington. But Benefield has the size at 6-2, 204 pounds, and most importantly the playmaking ability. He saved his best for last in 2023, making eight stops in the LA Bowl against UCLA. And Benefield is now sporting No. 0, the former jersey of one JL Skinner.
A FIRST IN THE 28-YEAR-OLD FBS ERA
Preseason or not, this is uncharted territory for Boise State. The Broncos have two first-team All-Americans on the preseason squad unveiled by the The Athletic. You can guess who they are, but we’re accustomed to the words “second” or “third” when Boise State guys reach these heights. Ashton Jeanty is a first-teamer as a running back, not just an “all-purpose player.” The other is kicker Jonah Dalmas, seeking to become college football’s all-time leader in field goals. The Athletic named just a first-team, with a total of 25 players on it—11 offense, 11 defense and three special teams. And Jeanty and Dalmas are the only two Group of 5 players on it. It’s not how you start, but how you finish, but you’ve got to like this for a start.
THE OTHER SIDE OF SPECIAL TEAMS
Boise State coaches released some stats on offense and defense from last Saturday’s scrimmage, but there’s nothing I saw from special teams. The punt and kickoff return numbers are closely-guarded secrets. The numbers don’t matter as much as who produced them. After the Broncos’ return game managed just 19 yards per kickoff and 3½ per punt last year, that’s a focal point for special teams coordinator Stacy Collins. The great debate: will Jeanty be back there? I can see that in certain situations. But there’s so much wide receivers and running backs talent on the 2024 roster, that’s a safe route. You’ve got Caples, Sire Gaines, and the only guy with appreciable experience, Kaden Dudley. But they key name here is Collins. Still kind of amazing that he returned to Boise from Penn State.
‘WEEK 0’
SMU’s first game of its new era in the ACC is…at Nevada. College football’s Week 0 includes the Mustangs and the Wolf Pack at Mackay Stadium. It’s also Nevada’s first game of the Jeff Choate era. SMU is favored by 25½ points. Two other Mountain West teams are in action, with New Mexico hosting Montana State (look out for the Bobcats, Bronco Mendenhall) and Hawaii hosting Delaware State at the Rainbow Warriors’ temporary 15,000-seat on-campus stadium (where Boise State will visit in October).
College of Idaho is part of Week 0 as well, hosting Lincoln University at Simplot Stadium for the second straight season on Saturday. That kicks off quarterback Andy Peters’ senior season. I don’t know if Lincoln’s situation has improved since February, when USA Today wrote, “The Oaklanders, as they’re called, do not belong to the NCAA, or any football division or conference. They do not have their own stadium, practice field or weight room. And they have so far played every game in program history on the road.” And that’s the tamer part of the story.
IDAHO’S HIGHEST-LEVEL PRO SPORTING EVENT
The 35th Albertsons Boise Open tees off Thursday morning at Hillcrest Country Club. This tournament has history—it’s one of only four Korn Ferry Tour events left from the inaugural Ben Hogan Tour in 1990. And the golfers who have come through have made their mark. According to event founder Jeff Sanders, 26 of the 31 winners on this year’s PGA Tour have played in the Boise Open. KTIK’s golf expert, John Patrick, has his notable nuggets for the first stop of the Korn Ferry Finals. Sean O’Hair and Bill Haas have multiple PGA tour victories, with Haas winning the 2011 Tour Championship. Also in the field are Cristobal Del Solar, who shot a 57 in a Korn Ferry tournament in February, Erik Compton, who has been through two heart transplants, and Kris Ventura, who played for Norway in the Paris Olympics.
MORE JUICE AT HOME THIS SEASON
Boise State’s non-conference men’s hoops schedule is out, and it gets out to a great start on November 6. Oakland (not the city, but the university in Michigan) opens the season in ExtraMile Arena coming off one of the great moments in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Golden Grizzlies, a No. 14 seed, took down No. 3 seed Kentucky 80-76 in the first round. But the marquee non-con game is November 17 versus Clemson, relatively fresh off their run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers will be the first power conference team to play the Broncos in Boise since Oregon six years ago. The two highlights in December are the two neutral-court games: Washington State at Idaho Central Arena and Saint Mary’s at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls on back-to-back Saturday nights.
A SPLIT WITH THE BALLERS
The second phase of the Boise Hawks’ Western Idaho Fair road trip began Tuesday night in Davis, CA, against the Yolo High Wheelers, and it resulted in a 10-4 loss, the team’s fourth loss in a row. The journey had started so well, with three straight wins over the Oakland Ballers, but that series ended with three consecutive losses to the B’s. (Ironically, the series finale in Oakland was played while the A’s were across town playing the last-ever game of the Bay Bridge Series against the San Francisco Giants.) The Hawks are still in first place in the Pioneer League’s second half standings with a 21-10 record, two games ahead of second-place Oakland, but they are not trending up.
SHOLLY IS A STEELIE AGAIN
This is a key signing for the Idaho Steelheads. Their former ECHL Goaltender of the Year, Tomas Sholl, is returning to Boise after spending parts of the past four seasons playing overseas. Sholl won the league’s top goalie honor in 2019-20 after leading the ECHL in goals-against average at 2.14—in his first full pro season in 2018-19, he topped the league with a .928 save percentage. In Idaho’s ECHL era he is first in shutouts (12), second in wins (63), third in goals against average (2.07), and fourth in save percentage (.929).
THIS DAY IN SPORTS…August 21, 1982:
One of the pitchers who made saves a thing, Milwaukee Brewers reliever Rollie Fingers, becomes the first player in major league history to record 300 career saves in a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Fingers, sporting his trademark handlebar moustache, had emerged as one of baseball’s premier relievers in the 1970’s while helping the Oakland A’s to three straight World Series championships. As a Brewer, he won both the American League Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player honor in 1981. Fingers was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
(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.)
