Boise State practice report: Malcolm Johnson is the new No. 3 RB

Torn from the e-pages of Boise State beat reporters:

Malcolm Johnson officially the No. 3 running back for at least today

According to running backs coach Keith Bhonapha, Johnson has gone from non-roster person like you and me to third-string running back very much unlike you and me in the span of two weeks. No job is safe blah-blah-blah, but man, what a comeback for Johnson. The depth chart at running back currently looks like this:

1. Doug Martin
2. D.J. Harper
3. Malcolm Johnson
4. Drew Wright
5. Jay Ajayi

Like we discussed on Monday, the fact that Ajayi is fifth on the depth chart does not mean a certain redshirt for the true freshman. There are other factors at play.

What this does mean, though, is that we fans can get officially geeked out to see Johnson perform in Saturday's scrimmage (7:00 p.m., Bronco Stadium, free). Johnson should get a ton of snaps. He should look great. And we all should have a new favorite player to go with our 35 other favorite players.

Kellen Moore speaks to the media

For the first time this fall, Moore took a turn talking to the media after practice. The IPT's Dave Southorn put his new voice-recording pen to good use.

 

More audio of what?

Zing!

Full mp3 audio of Moore's interview is at Southorn's blog as promised, and BroncoSports.com has video of the interview available at their website. Enjoy.

 

Quaylon Ewing-Burton making his case for playing time in the secondary somewhere

Ewing-Burton has excelled in Fall Camp while playing both safety and corner, so expect to see a lot more of him this season when the Broncos go to pass defense packages.

The Broncos need at least three corners and three safeties ready to go and it's looking like Ewing-Burton, who plays both positions, will be in that mix.

Ew-Bu had a stellar practice on Monday, to go with stellar practices he has turned in routinely over the past couple weeks.

Quaylon Ewing-Burton had a fantastic pick in the first practice, falling backward, then picked off Kellen Moore in the second one of the day ... The Broncos can use someone to step up at CB behind Taylor and Gavins, so we'll see, but QEB has shown some really nice flashes.

QEB's not a bad nickname. It's no Ew-Bu, though.

Miscellaneous

• Boise State special teams coach Jeff Choate is well aware of the Broncos' problems covering kickoffs and he has plans to fix it, so thanks for sending in all those concerned letters, Bronco fans.
• Aaron Burks has the following message written on his bathroom mirror: "Every day is a grind. Never regret it." I like to imagine it being written so that the message only shows up in the steam from the shower, like in spy movies.
• Chase Baker sounds like an animal. A rhinoceros, maybe? Per Cripe, Baker threw aside Thomas Byrd in one-on-one drills (which is a little like throwing aside concrete refrigerator). Baker then tackled Doug Martin, which explains the tremor I felt at my office yesterday.
  
• Looks like the fade route / automatic touchdown that Austin Pettis perfected will be back this year.

The catch of the day belonged to wideout Geraldo Boldewijn, who made a leaping grab on a fade.

• Jerrell Gavins on playing corner at Boise State:

You might be tired or whatever, but someone's pushing you, so you have to go out there killin' receivers every play.

Killing receivers? Why did we Idahoans have to introduce him to guns?!

• Doug Martin lists "stretching" as one of his areas of improvement. So yes, basically he is perfect.
  
• Boise State turned the Caven-Williams indoor practice facility into a humid mess for a practice this week, mostly just to toy with players since the Georgia Dome won't be all that humid. 
• Saturday is scrimmage time. If you can't make it down, let me know and I'll have the intern take some notes for you.

Dustin Lapray made-up quote of the day

Intrepid human being Dustin Lapray used to earn a living spinning prose about Boise State practices. He has since moved on to bigger, better, bellower things, leaving me to file fake practice reports for him. Here's one now.

What purpose is life without the pursuits of joy, exhilaration, and meaning? So existential, this question. So beautiful, this thought. The quest for purpose can be seen in a Kellen Moore red zone drive, a Chris Petersen teaching moment, a man - simple and fair and pudgy in all the right spots - wearing a bandanna and sipping a Junga Juice. Life. Eternity. Butterflies. We all start over again tomorrow.

Your turn

What do you think about Malcolm Johnson as the new No. 3? Anything jump out at you from Kellen Moore's interview? Anything besides the slick hairdo? What are you anxious to see at the Saturday scrimmage? Share your thoughts in the comments.