Chris Petersen held his weekly spring practice press conference this afternoon, and despite his best intentions, it contained news. Ha! Got 'em! Here are the most newsworthy of items.
Boise State quarterback competition update: The competition is down to four quarterbacks!
OK, so there wasn't any real update on the Boise State quarterback competition, unless you are a practitioner of the mental arts and can read Coach Pete's pregnant pauses like tea leaves. Joe Southwick looked to be the best quarterback in the first scrimmage of spring, which is saying little because Southwick was expected to be the best quarterback based on experience, knowledge, and the fact that 20,000 Bronco fans weren't watching him, waiting for him to fail.
In Nick Patti news, Coach Pete did single out the true freshman and praised him for his grasp of Boise State's complex offense. This matters because one of - if not the largest - hurdle to Patti claiming the starting job was making heads or tails of the Britannica-sized Boise State playbook.
I think all the quarterbacks are progressing, I really do. Starting with our new guy Nick Patti, I think he's doing a very nice job. There is a lot of stuff being thrown at him and I think he's hanging in there nicely. Go all the way up to Joe Southwick - it's a lot easier to see Nick's improvement than it is to see Joe's, but I think he's doing a nice job. And everyone in between there.
Sorry, Jimmy Laughrea and Grant Hedrick. You are "everyone in between."
That rarest of gems: a positive Jeremy Ioane quote
Guess what, fans of hard-hittin' Hawaiians? Jeremy Ioane has had a good spring and is turning heads at practice. Coach Pete had a lot of good things to say about the highly-touted and highly-anticipated safety. I'm not going to say "it's about time" because these kids should be able to develop on whatever timetable they want, so I'll just say, "Clockwork or so it be."
These are your most noteworthy defensive linemen
Coach Pete singled out defensive tackle Mike Atkinson for being in great shape, and he praised JUCO defensive end Demarcus Lawrence and redshirt freshman defensive end Sam Ukwuachu for "showing up." Patricipation awards? Sweet!
Get ready for deep Kirby Moore bombs
Though Coach Pete agrees that Moore has the body and style of an inside receiver, he has been playing on the edge this fall, where the lanky, speedy, upside kids like to play.
Your turn
What do you think about Coach Pete's quarterback update? Did the Jeremy Ioane part of your brain get scratched enough today? Who is your most anticipated defensive lineman? Share your thoughts in the comments.