Byron Hout's potential season-ending injury is the biggest news on this week's depth chart, and it gives us reason once again to talk about Derrell Acrey. And five months before Easter, at that!
Boise State's linebacking corps, the emergence of Jonathan Brown, Doug Martin's 1,000-yard season, and more are covered after the jump. And you're encouraged to share your thoughts on the players who have caught your eye in recent weeks. Let's discuss.
Boise State offense |
Boise State defense |
|
Z - 2 Austin Pettis 6-3 203 Sr. X - 1 Titus Young 5-11 175 Sr. H - 89 Tyler Shoemaker 6-1 215 Jr. LT - 73 Nate Potter 6-6 300 Jr. LG - 75 Faraji Wright 6-3 282 So. C - 66 Thomas Byrd 5-11 281 Jr. RG - 59 Will Lawrence 6-2 291 Sr. RT - 72 Matt Slater 6-4 267 Sr. TE - 80 Kyle Efaw 6-4 232 Jr. QB - 11 Kellen Moore 6-0 191 Jr. RB - 22 Doug Martin 5-9 212 Jr. FB - 47 Dan Paul 6-0 241 Jr. |
E - 98 Ryan Winterswyk 6-4 270 Sr.
96 Jarrell Root 6-3 257 Jr. T - 90 Billy Winn 6-4 288 Jr. N - 97 Chase Baker 6-1 295 Jr. SE - 92 Shea McClellin 6-3 254 Jr. MIKE- 52 Derrell Acrey 6-1 238 Sr. WILL- 36 Aaron Tevis 6-3 232 Jr. S 23 Jeron Johnson 5-11 198 Sr. S 8 George Iloka 6-3 209 Jr. N 17 Winston Venable 5-11 220 Sr. CB 21 Jamar Taylor 5-11 191 So. CB 13 Brandyn Thompson 5-10 177 Sr. |
Kickers |
Returners |
|
PK - 35 Kyle Brotzman 5-10 197 Sr.
14 Trevor Harman 6-2 197 Fr. KO - 14 Trevor Harman 6-2 197 Fr. HD - 2 Austin Pettis 6-3 203 Sr. P - 35 Kyle Brotzman 5-10 197 Sr. SNP - 44 Chris Roberson 6-0 226 So. |
KR - 4 Titus Young 5-11 175 Sr. PR - 3 Chris Potter 5-9 160 So. |
Disclaimer: Depth charts mean as much as you want them to mean. Keep in mind that things change over the course of a game week and that game situations, injuries, and performance will render some of this depth chart moot. Still, it's fun to speculate ... with hyperbole! Daron Mackey has never been more important!
Note: Boise State's official depth chart has yet to be released to the public. What you see above is last week's with my best guesses at what this week's looks like.
Byron Hout breaks foot, Derrell Acrey matters again
Remember Derrell Acrey? He's suddenly one of the most important players on the Boise State defense now that Byron Hout has gone down with a broken foot and the schedule has fated the Fresno and Nevada run games in back-to-back weeks. How does that make you feel?
I feel slightly queasy, a little anxious, and mostly hopeful that the player most like Byron Hout in my mind - J.C. Percy - actually ends up getting the majority of the run defense snaps.
Don't get me wrong. Derrell Acrey is a good linebacker and a great linebacker against the pass. For whatever reason, he just has never seemed to put it together to become the complete linebacker that Hout was becoming. I feel more confident with a linebacking duo of Aaron Tevis and Percy, perhaps because I've seen Percy make plays in the running game over the course of the season and I haven't seen Acrey do that.
Of course, Daron Mackey will probably get the start and render all these paragraphs moot.
Which linebacker do you hope fills in most often for Hout?
It's time for Bob Gregory to earn his keep
Gregory, the former Cal defensive coordinator turned Bronco linebackers coach, has his work cut out for him with Hout out of the lineup. I expect big things. Like moving Jarvis Hodge to linebacker!
Joe Kellogg probable for Fresno game according to America's favorite newspaper
The USA Today seems to think that Kellogg will be good to go this week. How do they know this and, say, Boise State's entire staff of beat reports does not? Wiretaps, obviously.
Has Jonathan Brown passed Hunter White on the depth chart?
Brown was in the Idaho game early and often on Friday night, and his playing time has slowly and steadily increased throughout the season. I like Brown. He reminds me of Doug Martin when Martin played defense - fast, hard, and smart. Speaking of which, remember the time when Martin played defense? That was weird.
Doug Martin nearing 1,000-yard mark, canonization
Martin is 134 yards away from a 1,000-yard season, a figure that he should reach easily if not this week then certainly next week against Nevada's touch football defense. With four games remaining (including a bowl game), Martin has a chance to crack the Top Five of all-time Boise State rushing seasons. Here's the list:
| Rank | Player | Yards | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Johnson | 1,713 | 2006 |
| 2 | Brock Forsey | 1,611 | 2002 |
| 3 | Cedric Minter | 1,526 | 1978 |
| 4 | K.C. Adams | 1,275 | 1994 |
| 5 | Chris Jackson | 1,273 | 1987 |
Martin averages 96 yards per game, so if you extrapolate that number across the rest of his four games, he'd finish with 1,250 yards. (Note: Numbers not adjusted for Utah State sucking wind).
Here are some other notable milestones and records that are within reach for certain Broncos:
- Kellen Moore needs 210 yards to become the all-time passing yardage leader at Boise State, surpassing Ryan Dinwiddie (9,819).
- Moore needs 390 yards to reach 10,000 for his career.
- Titus Young is 176 yards away from a 1,000-yard season and 80 yards away from the all-time career receiving yardage record at Boise State (Ryan Ikebe, 2,751).
- Young and Pettis will be 1-2 on the all-time receiving yardage list if Pettis gets 270 more yards this season.
- Titus Young needs 369 yards to have the top receiving yardage season ever at Boise State. The current record is 1,192 by Tim Gilligan in 2003.
- Jeremy Avery needs 260 yards to pass Rodney Webster (1980-1983) for fifth on the Broncos' all-time rushing list.
- Anyone remember Rodney Webster? I don't.
Second-team offense: You're doing it wrong
Joe Southwick looked like a backup quarterback for really the first time all year, and it wasn't pretty. Was I the only one who thought he looked directly at the free rusher coming from his blindside and still fumbled the ball away as if he never saw the hit coming? That was weird, to say the least, and not just because the free rusher looked like Stephanie from Full House.
Boise State likes these players, so I like these players
Boise State's internal players of the week against Idaho were quarterback Kellen Moore (offense), defensive tackle Chase Baker (defense), punt returner Chris Potter (special teams), defensive tackle J.P. Nisby (linemen), and nickel Winston Venable (Hammer).
Miscellaneous
- I saw Brenel Myers get beat badly on a rush late in the Idaho game. He has fallen quite precipitously this season, hasn't he?
- What becomes of Faraji Wright now that Joe Kellogg may be back? Offensive line rotation, that's what.
- J.P. Nisby is getting better by the week.
- I am glad to see Gabe Linehan become a bigger part of the offense. And I kind of hope those under-bicep tattoos are temporary.
Your turn
How do you think the Broncos will handle their linebacking corps this week? Do you want a freshly injured Joe Kellogg or a well tuned Faraji Wright? Can Doug Martin get to 1,250 yards this year? Share your thoughts in the comments.