Boise State depth chart versus Tulsa: Let the kicking battle begin again

Get ready, Bronco fans. I'm talking Boise State kickers after the jump. Things could get uncomfortable.

Also, check out the rest of Boise State's lineup for Tulsa on Saturday night (6:00 p.m. MT, CBS Sports Network), and leave your thoughts on the kicking game, field goal predictions, fullback scenarios, the Dutch, and more. 

Visit the BroncoSports website for the full pdf of the depth chart. You can also find a detailed roster and, if you're really wanting to kill an hour, the team's weekly notes.

Bold = Starter

Italics = Depth chart change

Wingdings = Secret Mayan decoder message

OFFENSE
Kellen Moore	Doug Martin	Dan Paul
Joe Southwick OR	D.J. Harper	Chandler Koch
Grant Hedrick
Mitch Burroughs	Matt Miller	Tyler Shoemaker	Kyle Efaw OR
Aaron Burks	Kirby Moore	Chris Potter	Gabe Linehan
	Dallas Burroughs		Kyle Sosnowski
Nate Potter	Spencer Gerke	Thomas Byrd	Jake Broyles	Charles Leno
Faraji Wright	Joe Kellogg	Matt Paradis	Chuck Hayes	Michael Ames
***
DEFENSE
Tyrone Crawford	Billy Winn	Chase Baker	Shea McClellin
Tyler Horn	Darren Koontz	Mike Atkinson	Jarrell Root
Byron Hout OR	Aaron Tevis OR
Tommy Smith	J.C. Percy
Jamar Taylor	Hunter White OR	Cedric Febis	George Iloka	Jerrell Gavins
Ebo Makinde	Jonathan Brown	Travis Stanaway	Quaylon Ewing-Burton	Bryan Douglas OR
	Dextrell Simmons			Josh Borgman
***
SPECIAL TEAMS
Dan Goodale OR	Trevor Harman	Joe Southwick	Brad Elkin	Chris Roberson
Michael Frisina	Dan Goodale		Trevor Harman
Mitch Burroughs OR	Chris Potter
Chris Potter	Mitch Burroughs
Doug Martin OR
D.J. Harper

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! Let Byron Hout kick!

Wanted: Placekicker

Friday night's extra point debacle brought back memories of Boise State's center-QB exchange debacles from seasons past. Thomas Byrd rolling snaps between Kellen Moore's legs is the same as aiming extra points toward the back end zone pylon in my book. 

So I take some solace knowing that the Broncos' snapping problems are gone for good (knock on wood, sacrifice goat, pray). Bronco coaches will fix this. Here are some of their options:

• Dan Goodale. Pros: Went 5-for-5 on extra points against Georgia, good enough to make freshman Jake Van Ginkel redshirt, doesn't miss kicks in practice. Cons: Nearly kicked a backward lateral against Toledo.
• Michael Frisina. Pros: Booming accurate leg, came on strong in Fall Camp, doesn't miss kicks in practice. Cons: Doinked an extra point against Toledo that would have made it a four-score game.
• Jake Van Ginkel. Pros: Scholarship kicker with a pedigree. Cons: 18 years old.
• Trevor Harman. Pros: Strongest leg on the roster, pretty decent placekicker in high school, has support of Bronco Nation's underground special teams federation. Cons: Is the team's back-up punter and kickoff specialist.
• Tony Danza. Pros: Kicks field goals, was the Boss on Who's the Boss. Cons: is 60 years old, probably has no college eligibility left.

If I were to guess, I would say that Bronco fans want Van Ginkel to earn the kicking job and Bronco coaches want Goodale or Frisina. Tony Danza gets no love.

Now taking bets on when Boise State will attempt a field goal this year

Chadd Cripe, why don't you start us off. 

Chris Petersen has yet to call for a field goal, for obvious reasons. Plus, consider the alternative: Keeping the ball in Kellen Moore's hands. You only have that golden left arm for 11 more games, so you might as well get your money's worth. (Note to the NCAA: I did not mean real money. Please do not suspend anyone.)

Nonetheless, there will come a day when a field goal is the prudent choice. Maybe Saturday. Hopefully from the five-yard-line after Boise State has a 40-point lead. Anything other than that, and I don't think I could take it. 

The Boise State running game: Sleeping giant or broken giant?

Despite the fact that Boise State has gained 274 yards rushing in two games, something just doesn't feel right with the Bronco ground attack. There are few Mangino-sized holes to run through and no 20-yard runs to speak of. Call me crazy, but I don't expect Doug Martin to get touched until he is running into my arms in the end zone. 

That said, there's no reason to panic. The run game is usually the last part of an offense to click, and since BSU has shuffled its O-line already this season, the group is still getting to know each other. I would expect Doug Martin to gain 100 yards on Saturday, provided Kellen Moore doesn't throw for 600 and render the running game a moot point again.

Tackling: What's up with that?

The Broncos treated several Toledo ball carriers like Ryan Mathews on Friday night, leading to a serious amount of coaching up this week. Per Coach Pete's press conference, players will be encouraged to play with more energy, meaning "rally to the ball or else run stadium steps until you don't know which way is up and which is down."

True freshman watch

Chadd Cripe reports that nickel Corey Bell and safety Lee Hightower are expected to redshirt, along with running back Jay Ajayi, provided no running backs tear any ACLs. Which reminds me ...

It's the third game of the year. Do you know where D.J. Harper's knees are?

Not that I'm superstitious or anything, but how about we give D.J. the day off this week?

The injured list

• FB Dan Paul is still listed as week-to-week with a groin injury. He may play Saturday, and as always, we fans will know about it 30 seconds before game time.
  
• OG Joe Kellogg is healthy and is expected to play on Saturday. He is not listed as the starter on the depth chart either because a) Spencer Gerke has played well in Kellogg's absence or b) interns are lazy..
• CB Ebo Makinde played a significant amount in Friday's win over Toledo. Previously, he had been out with a chest injury, which may just be code for "a case of the broken hearts."
• TE/FB Chandler Koch is questionable. Meaning ....
  

Boise State still living life without a true fullback

The Broncos have been without the services of fullback Dan Paul and fullback - tight end Chandler Koch for the first two games of the season and now, possibly, the third. Coach Pete addressed this issue in his weekly press conference by saying, "We have some answers." Perfect ones, no doubt!

Defensive tackle Mike Atkinson is one. Linebacker Tommy Smith is another. Tight ends Gabe Linehan and Kyle Efaw are kind of the default guys. But I wonder if Petersen's "answer" is something more exotic. We've seen Tyrone Crawford at tight end last week. Might he pluck another unsuspecting D-linemen into the fullback ranks? Shea McClelin, perhaps? McClellin played running back in high school, and I have the bruises to prove it.

Record watch

As is their wont, several Boise State players are on the precipice of records. Here is the latest update on their pursuit of greatness:

• Kellen Moore needs six wins to pass Colt McCoy as college football's all-time winningest quarterback.
• Doug Martin needs 10 yards to pass David Mikell for seventh on Boise State's all-time rushing list. Next up after Mikell: Jeremy Avery.
• Martin needs one touchdown to pass Jeremy Avery for seventh place on Boise State's all-time touchdown list.
• Tyler Shoemaker is on pace for 24 touchdown catches (two per game for 12 games). The Boise State single-season record is held by Austin Pettis who caught 14 TD passes in 2009. 
• Shea McClellin is now on pace for 15 sacks this season (2.5 through two games). The Boise State single-season record is held by Chris Wing who recorded 20.5 in 1996.

Boise State likes these players, so I like these players

Boise State's internal players of the week against Toledo were quarterback Kellen Moore (offense, duh), linebacker Aaron Tevis (defense), safety Hazen Moss (special teams), defensive end Tyrone Crawford (linemen), and linebacker Blake Renaud (Hammer).

Miscellaneous

• The Broncos subbed liberally along the offensive line against Toledo. I spotted backup center Matt Paradis, backup guard Chuck Hayes, and backup tackle Michael Ames at various times during the game. O-line coach Chris Strausser may have even sneaked on there once.
  
• Jeremy Ioane is no longer on the depth chart now that Cedric Febis has been reinstated. I don't mean that to alarm anyone. Just thought I'd point it out. 
• The Broncos have talked about using new holders to help the kickers feel more comfortable. Is Joe Southwick looking at them weird while they're kicking or something? I don't understand kickers.
• There are no updates to share on WR Geraldo Boldewijn and DT Ricky Tjong-A-Toje. Sorry.

Your turn

What do you make of this week's depth chart? Do you have a personal favorite in the kicking game? Think the Broncos will ever attempt a field goal again? Share your thoughts in the comments.