BOISE, Idaho — We can talk about John Mateer versus Ashton Jeanty ‘til we’re blue in the face going into the Boise State-Washington State game Saturday night. But what if the game is decided by special teams? What a journey that’s been for the Broncos. Special teams essentially lost the game at Oregon in Week 2. Last Saturday, two blocked field goals sapped Portland State’s confidence in a 56-14 rout. It could come down to a field goal, y’know. Boise State star kicker Jonah Dalmas is chasing college football’s career field goals record this year, but he’s only attempted three kicks and has made two—all of that at Autzen Stadium—and is still 17 away from the milestone. I’m going to say that Dalmas will line up for at least one boot against the Cougs, and the only countdown that will count right now is how many go through the uprights.
Speaking of special teams, let’s take a moment to salute Boise State punter James Ferguson-Reynolds, who may have had the worst night of his career versus Portland State, save for a late-game moment gone viral. First, Ferguson-Reynolds appeared to have a punt go off the side of his foot (happens to everyone), and it covered just 13 yards in the third quarter. Then in the final minute, with a good chunk of the crowd of 36,972 having cleared out, JFR mishandled a snap and scrambled to his left. As he was about to be smacked, he improvised and booted the ball with his left foot. It scooted down the field, staying in-bounds, and was downed at the Vikings 19-yard line. It covered 44 yards. Ferguson-Reynolds averaged only 34.7 yards per punt. He may not lead the nation this year, but the Aussie still has the “it” factor.
THE SCENE-SETTER
I’ve seen it written nationally that the Boise State-Washington State game could decide the Group of 5’s spot in the College Football Playoff. Well, kind of. The highest-ranked Group of 5 champion makes the CFP. Even though this contest has no bearing on the Mountain West title, the Broncos can’t afford to lose it because it would put a dent in their overall resume. The Cougars can’t afford to lose it for another reason. Until the Pac-12 is a functioning football conference again, the Cougs’ only path to the CFP is the at-large route. And they won’t even be considered unless they go undefeated. That is the pressure-packed backdrop on the blue turf this week. It’s the biggest regular season game on the Blue since BYU two years ago. Reminder that, despite all the humdingers against Wazzu, Boise State is 1-5 in this series.
THE SPREAD
It’s kind of surprising that Boise State is favored by a touchdown over Washington State. Yes, the Broncos’ only loss is by three points to Oregon. But the Cougars are 4-0 with two Power 4 victories, including the big one in the Apple Cup 10 days ago. One Wazzu follower pointed out that the Cougs are one of only three teams in the country averaging 220 rushing yards and 290 passing yards. Washington State is gaining 515 yards per game to the Broncos’ 543. Washington State is also putting up 46.2 points a game to Boise State’s 48.7. Should the over/under in this game be 95 points?
WE KNOW HIS NAME NOW
With the depth Boise State has at running back, we don’t know how much we’ll hear Dylan Riley’s name the rest of the season. So let’s talk about him now. Riley’s a 5-10, 190-pound true freshman from Moreno Valley, CA. He’s one inch taller and 25 pounds lighter than Ashton Jeanty. Coach Spencer Danielson calls Riley “different” from Jeanty, but he did his best Jeanty impression on his 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, breaking a couple tackles on his way to the south end zone. It was a stellar college football debut for Riley—six carries, 96 yards and two touchdowns. Many of the players’ families sit in Section 110 at Albertsons Stadium. That’s where I sit, and Riley’s family was in the row in front of me. ]And I can tell you: his first TD was pandemonium, and his 64-yard scamper was something else again.
PAC-12 VS. MOUNTAIN WEST
The Pac-12 received a collective “no” Monday from the four schools it was seeking from the American Athletic Conference. Memphis, Tulane, USF and UTSA released a joint statement declaring that they are remaining in the AAC. Brett McMurphy simultaneously reported that Gonzaga will be joining the Pac-12 as non-football member, adding a powerhouse basketball brand, although that was branded “inaccurate.” McMurphy said the Zags will get a full share of revenue without the muss-and-fuss of football. That’s what it would take to get them. Then Plan B kicked in for the Pac-12, and Utah State was invited. UNLV is on the clock.
The latest drama: the Pac-12 has filed a suit against the MW. The complaint is over the “poaching penalty” imposed by the Mountain West for taking its members. It was a shrewd move by commissioner Gloria Nevarez, building it into this year’s scheduling agreement with the Pac-12. With the addition of Utah State, the total supposedly owed is about $55 million. Now we’ll see if the penalties, which were agreed to, can actually be challenged. Meanwhile, Honolulu mayor Rick Blangiardi has assembled a third-party group to lobby the Pac-12 to admit Hawaii as a football-only school. The “negotiating team” includes former MW commissioner Craig Thompson. Wow.
DIFFERENT NARRATIVES FOR THE VANDALS & YOTES
Now things get really interesting for Idaho. The Vandals are right back on the road after their 27-24 win at Abilene Christian, as it’s time for Big Sky play. The opponent is UC Davis and former Vallivue High star Lan Larison. Like Idaho, the Aggies are 3-1—their lone loss was 31-13 at Cal in the season opener. As you know, UCD’s coach is former Boise State offensive coordinator Tim Plough. Meanwhile, this is certainly the season of the unexpected for College of Idaho. After two home routs of overmatched opponents to begin the campaign, the Coyotes have taken two decisive road losses. The Yotes mercifully return to Simplot Stadium Saturday to host Montana Tech.
‘REGISTERING’ ON THE TRANSACTION RICHTER SCALE
The Idaho Steelheads have had a lot of player signings the past month, but this was an especially good one last Friday. Defenseman Matt Register is aboard for his third season with the Steelheads (and 14th overall as a pro) after setting a team record with 54 assists and being named second-team All-ECHL last season. Register's list of accomplishments is long. He's the league's all-time leader in postseason games played, a three-time ECHL Defenseman of the Year, and a three-time Kelly Cup champion. Register is also the only defenseman ever to be named MVP of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Steelies’ training camp, by the way, begins October 7.
MORE STEELIES TRANSACTION WIRE
The Steelheads have also signed forward Mark Olver for the upcoming season. A familiar name, you say? Olver is the son of the winningest coach in Steelies history, John Olver, who piled up 228 victories from 200-05 and led the team to its first Kelly Cup championship. The younger Olver started his hockey career with the Junior Steelheads in Boise. Now he’s 36, coming off seven seasons playing in the top pro league in Germany. Olver appeared in 74 NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche from 2010-13, collecting 22 points.
END OF AN ERA FOR THE HAWKS
A local baseball icon will no longer skipper the Boise Hawks. The club has elected not to pick up the option on the contract of manager Gary Van Tol, who has led the Hawks since their move to the independent Pioneer League in 2021 (Van Tol also managed the team for two seasons when it was a Chicago Cubs affiliate 10 years ago). In his latest stint, Van Tol was 181-206. He’ll always be remembered as the guy who resurrected the Boise State baseball program in 2018. When their return season finally arrived in 2020, the Broncos went 9-5 in 14 games, only to have the inaugural season halted and then wiped out by COVID. Then the program was unceremoniously dropped about three months later.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS…September 25, 2014, 10 years ago today:
Derek Jeter plays his final game at Yankee Stadium, and it couldn’t be more dramatic. Wrapping up his 20th season in New York, Jeter doubled, drove in a run and scored in the first inning, but that was nothing compared to the ninth. Baltimore had tied the game with three runs in the top of the inning, but Jeter came up for one final at-bat in the bottom of the ninth and singled in the winning run in a walk-off 6-5 victory. Jeter finished his career with 3,465 hits, the most ever by a shortstop, and was a 14-time American League All-Star. He also won five World Series rings and was Series MVP in 2000.
(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.)
