Boise State spring practice report: Position battles as the local media sees them
by Kevan Lee on Mar 15, 2011 8:10 AM PDT
in Boise State football
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PrintCurious what's going on at Boise State spring football practice? I know I am. The practice reports from camp are like Archie comics compared to the Encyclopedia Britannica I prefer. But at least we've got something. Kirby Moore and Kellen Moore are brothers who love each other, and that means something. Speculate.
After the jump, I take inventory of all the spring reporting I've read in order to get some insight on where the key Boise State position battles stand. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Boise State football position battles, according to something
What that something is, I'm not sure. Bias? Convenience? Interview availability? The local media has published several stories on several players since spring ball hit, and if we are to take those stories as signs that the featured players will play big roles this season, then we may have some insight on position battles. Insight like this:
Wide receiver No. 1: Tyler Shoemaker
Shoemaker has been a constant in media coverage of the Broncos so far this spring. He is the top returning receiver. He runs with the ones. He reminds Tom Scott of Lou Fanucchi.
Wide receiver No. 2: Geraldo Hiwat
Here's a nugget from Dave Southorn's Friday practice report. Mmm, nuggets.
In a game-type situation to end practice, the offense struggled on most of its drives, getting stuck a few times on fourth-and-short, but on the final drive, it finally got things clicking. On a second-and-20, Kellen Moore hit Geraldo Hiwat for 50 yards, and Moore wrapped up the drive with a fourth-down 9-yard TD pass to Tyler Shoemaker
Shoemaker and Hiwat seem to be the first-team wideouts. For Friday. Expect all this to change at a moment's notice and for you to find out in June.
Slot receiver: Kirby Moore
The three main newspapers in town (Statesman, Press-Tribune, Magic Valley Times-News) all ran features on Kirby Moore over the weekend. Sorry, Chris Potter. No one knows who you are.
Right guard: Jake Broyles
Right tackle: Charles Leno
Broyles and Leno were on the first-team offense when practice began on Monday. This was big news to those of us who like offensive line play more than the average person.
Nickel: Hunter White
White lost 25 pounds over Christmas break, making him quicker and faster and other adjectives you use to describe small people. Boise State coaches took this as a good sign. I guess we should, too.
Strong safety: Cedric Febis
The Statesman covered Febis in a February spring practice preview piece, citing his being a senior and a special teams star as main reasons why he might be replacing Jeron Johnson. Then Febis went and got injured and will be sitting out all spring. Make of this what you will.
Defensive end: Tyrone Crawford
The news story on Crawford was entirely useless from a position battle perspective, but I'll take the fact that Crawford got a story and Jarrell Root didn't as a sign that Crawford has the lead here.
Cornerback: TBD
No word yet on who might have the lead for Brandyn Thompson's vacant spot. Presumably, Jerrell Gavins, Ebo Makinde, and Antwon Murray are the candidates, provided J.P. Nisby hasn't switched positions on us.
My annual plea for the return of Dustin Lapray
Two years ago, Magic Valley Times-News reporter-poet-philosopher Dustin Lapray set the Boise State fan base on fire with his detailed practice reports and elegant prose. It was a breath of fresh air and a source of constant information on minutia like who did what, who felt what, and sunsets.
I miss Dustin Lapray. Come back from your walkabout, Dustin. Bronco Nation needs you.
What we learned from Boise State's Monday practice
Nothing. No one was there.
Your turn
What do you make of these proposed position battles? Do you think Hunter White will be starting at nickel in September? Are you happy with a Shoemaker-Hiwat-Moore wide receiver trio? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Well done Kev. Haven't been able to get on as much lately...
so I’m really grateful for the breakdown.That’s great for Hunter White but I don’t think Dextrell Simmons cares he lost weight. And what happened to Aaron burks? Did he fall off the earth??
"It takes no talent to give great effort" -Chris Petersen
"It's hard to imagine a more complete football team than Boise State" - Kirk Herbstreit
"Watch the point, catch the fat." - Larry Fitzgerald
Yeah J,
Dex was brought in with a lot of hype and expectation for good reason but I’d say never count a man out that has shown the kind of serious dedication and focus to preparation that White has since December…plus the obvious fact that White has been studying this system under these coaches for several years now obviously.
I think all the safety positions will be hard fought competitions and that will lead to depth and a rise in the talent level since that’s what competition does :D
Can’t wait till Georgia hehe
I Wall of Text like it's the in thing to do
"...and just things really starting to unravel now for Utah..." Herbie, BSU vs. Utah, 22 Dec 2010
Yeah I agree about White
I love the kid. I was just kidding. It seems like everyone (fans) was ready to hand the nickelbacker job over to Simmons right from the jump. I guess I assume the same thing, but still.
"It takes no talent to give great effort" -Chris Petersen
"It's hard to imagine a more complete football team than Boise State" - Kirk Herbstreit
"Watch the point, catch the fat." - Larry Fitzgerald
Sigh.
I too miss Sir Dustin of Lapray. Here are some gems from Springs past:
In these competitions, be they one-on-one or inside line versus defense, tailbacks versus linebackers, sprints or cuts around cones, serve as ladders to be climbed rung by rung, moments for individuals or groups to raise their standing in the ranks.
I am completely invested in staring down man versus man competitions.
It’s not the hairline contributions of a single player that define a play, but the amalgamation of all, the full head of hair, that determines a positive or negative outcome.
(My favorite)
Kharyee Marshall and Nicholas Alexander are two polar ends, of two divergent minds and bodies, barreling along a similar meridian.
The bard of Boise must return
gag
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
by typhoonblue on Mar 15, 2011 12:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Forsooth. If only for a fleeting breath we could partake in the wispiness of the artisian of the blue expanse.
It’s great stuff. Where the hell is he?
there is no 'Z' in 'Boise'
there is no 'O' in 'Petersen'
there is no edit button on SBNation
by Boise State of Mind on Mar 15, 2011 8:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Hunter White loses 25 lbs over Christmas break? To make him better against the run?
Help me OBNUG; I thought being lighter, quicker would be more useful against the pass. I think the Shoe, Hiwat, Kirby troika gives us an approximation of what we had last year: Hiwat-speed; Shoe-Austin/like athleticism, sure hands; Kirby-quick slot stuff, surprising speed routes on occasion. Only Potter has comparable experience, and he looks to be out of the mix at the mo’.
tvmunson
HW: Less weight = more agility to swim around (or over) blockers to launch for flying tackles
Obviously you're not a golfer...
How is it that Dustin Lapray isn't on OBNUG?
He could be our poet laureate. There is no softer ground than town.
I wouldn't stop there...I say make him our patron saint.
by Drew Roberts on Mar 15, 2011 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I am embarrassed to admit this, but Kevan once called me "our very own Dustin Lapray".
It ook a while beore I realized what an insult that was. My all time fave was when he compared the Broncos to “a family at a wake”-what, lots of crying and weeping, handkerchiefs clutched to the face? I can’t think of anything that an elite group of hyper-conditioned, talented, focused young male athletes would be less like. It’s as if he has a metaphor dart board of associations that eh randomly tosses at, and whatever it hits, he uses, Still, miss him.
tvmunson
It's call the "Too Clever by Half"
school of overwrought literary or syntactical device. Also represented in the taxonomy of bad writing, cf. freshman creative writing class.
by kcam on Mar 15, 2011 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
You guys are hilarious
That so made me laugh
I Wall of Text like it's the in thing to do
"...and just things really starting to unravel now for Utah..." Herbie, BSU vs. Utah, 22 Dec 2010
by pjohn56 on Mar 15, 2011 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
There is a bad writing contest that uses this as the opening line.
“It was a dark and stormy night, and there I was, in the Congo, which is generally dark, and often stormy, but, it being night, I coulnd’t tell it was dark, because at night pretty much everywhere it gets dark, unless there are lights, but there weren’t any here, because it’s the Congo, but boy, was it stormy, and there ain’t nothing as bad as a storm at night in the dark Congo.”
A group of writers got together and wrote “Naked Came the Stranger” and deliberately wrote as badly as they could. Used Nom d plume Penelope Ash. People loved it so they did sequel “Naked Came the Stranger Again”. I aint making this up. Honest.
tvmunson
Another contest uses Hemingway; all you need to do is take out as many words as you can
and still make it comprehensible and you got ’ol Papa. Invert structure occassionally.
tvmunson
He was on blue-turf.com
Anybody have a membership there? Curious to see if he’s still writing. I found his twitter, here’s his profile:
www.twitter.com/dustinlapray
and his bio:
Journalist (sports!), poet, student, BSU football, swimmer, mountains, scout, editor, floater,Idaho, rivers, love-longer, eye-sky-guy, American, Male, hope
by scrappymcfiesty on Mar 15, 2011 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions
Where's the "Guy Liner" rofl
I Wall of Text like it's the in thing to do
"...and just things really starting to unravel now for Utah..." Herbie, BSU vs. Utah, 22 Dec 2010
Would be
interesting to see the size comparison between White and Simmons. Simmons doesn’t look that big. Certainly not as big as Venable. I suppose his size may be deceiving, But watching his highlight film, he definitely has a nose for the ball. Haven’t seen much of White.
After the weight loss
White and Simmons are very close to the same size. I think I saw it in the Statesman. If I remember they are withen a few lbs, But not sure about speed.
"Every Damn Day."- Coach Pete
by Broncograd96 on Mar 15, 2011 3:10 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why haven't
Commissioners Kevan and/or Drew dialed the Lapray phone or shined the Lapray light up into the heavens? A tense NUGer nation is looking for answers.
How long does spring practice go on for Boise State?
The University of Utah is off to the Pac-12 Conference and will be in the South Division. Hopefully we will get to the first ever Pac-12 Championship Game. Jon " Bones " Jones gets his chance for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title when he faces off against Shogun Rua. Jon Jones will win.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Mar 15, 2011 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions
I believe the way you summon a Lapray is by putting a bandanna on the end of a long pole and waving it around
by Drew Roberts on Mar 15, 2011 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
(possible ref Thomas Berger's "Little Big Man" describing how Chief Old Lodge Skins created an
“antelope surround” using similar technique. Located approx pgs110-115 or so; before the character Jack Crabb has the fight that leads to his return to the “whites”)
tvmunson
Potter
If he conitunes to improve as a kick and punt returner, and comes in as the 4th receiver, that is good enough for me. Thats a lot of work actually.
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2012 Boise State Football Schedule
@ Michigan State  |
Fri 08/31 | 6:00 p.m. MT |
| Miami (OH) | Sat 09/15 | 2:00 p.m. MT |
| BYU |
Thu 09/20 | TBA |
| @ New Mexico | Sat 09/29 | TBA |
| @ Southern Miss | Sat 10/06 | TBA |
| Fresno State | Sat 10/13 | 1:30 p.m. MT |
| UNLV | Sat 10/20 | 1:30 p.m. MT |
| @ Wyoming |
Sat 10/27 | 1:30 p.m. MT |
| San Diego State | Sat 11/03 | 8:30 p.m. MT |
| @ Hawaii | Sat 11/10 | 5:00 p.m. MT |
| Colorado St. | Sat 11/17 | 1:30 p.m. MT |
| @ Nevada | Sat 12/1 | TBA |
