08/28/2006 — Boise State has sold out the 200 extra tickets released for the Sept. 7 game against Oregon State.
Fans who want to attend the game could still buy season tickets. About 200 of those remain and are available by calling 426-4737.
BSU still has 1,800 tickets for sale for Thursday’s season opener against Sacramento State. Another 1,200 tickets allotted to students have not been claimed yet.
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We have two fresh audio files on our Web site today.
Under the “vs. Sacramento State” banner, you’ll find coach Chris Petersen’s teleconference session with the WAC media from this morning.
Under Bronco Voices, you’ll find an interview with starting right guard Jeff Cavender. He talks about the offensive line’s chemistry, his excitement for the season opener — and which position he might play next.
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Here’s your chance to win two tickets to Thursday’s game.
E-mail your answer to the following trivia question to ccripe@idahostatesman.com. The deadline is 10 p.m. today. Please include your name and hometown. One winner will be drawn from the correct entries.
Question: Who was the only team to beat Boise State during the regular season in 1994, when the Broncos reached the Division I-AA national championship game and went 10-0 at home?
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Fresno State named sophomore Tom Brandstater its starting quarterback Monday. Brandstater won a competition with sophomore Sean Norton.
Brandstater (6-5, 220), who threw just 13 passes last year, has been talked about in Fresno as a potential star for a couple years, but he has struggled in scrimmages this fall.
Fresno State opens the season Friday night at home against Nevada. The game is on ESPN at 6 p.m.
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Each week in this blog, we’ll take a look at the Broncos’ opponent’s offense, defense and special teams. Today: the offense.
The Hornets use a West Coast-style offense. They’ll use multiple formations and strive for balance between the run and pass.
They only scored 17.5 points per game last season, so this group will need to show major improvement this fall.
The major question mark is the quarterback play. Tim Brockwell, who won a junior college national title at Glendale Community College, and Marcel Marquez, who was part of a California junior college championship at College of the Canyons, both likely will play against the Broncos.
Brockwell, who joined the team in the spring, is a pocket passer and is expected to start. Marquez, who showed up in the fall, is a scrambler.
The Hornets upgraded the offensive line in recruiting. They return one starter.
“We received a lot of offensive linemen (in recruiting),” running back Kris Daniels said. “… They’re more physical, more willing to learn everything.”
Daniels is the top returning rusher. He averaged 3.8 yards per carry with four touchdowns last season. He will be the starter for the first time this year with several talented players behind him, including Marshall transfer Gerwin Williams. Ryan Mole, the leading rusher last year, will redshirt due to injury.
The receiving corps is the experienced group in the offense. The group includes the top two receivers from last year, Ryan Coogler (45 catches) and Bobby Mooshagian (24).
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The WAC held its first coaches teleconference with the media Monday morning. Here are some notes from around the league:
Æ Louisiana Tech will start junior Zac Champion at quarterback this week at Nebraska. Champion is the most experienced quarterback on the team, but he has barely seen the field.
He beat out freshman Michael Mosley and junior-college transfer Joe Danna.
The Bulldogs also will start Mark Dillard at strong safety. Dillard led the team with 672 rushing yards last year.
Æ Hawaii opens the season Saturday at Alabama. The Warriors beat the Crimson Tide in 2003 in Honolulu.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to go down there and see what it’s like in the big time,” Hawaii coach June Jones said. “We have been to Michigan State and USC, but I’ve been trying to tell my players that SEC football is different.”
Æ San Jose State plans to use two quarterbacks Saturday at Washington. Junior-college transfer Sean Flynn leads the race with incumbent Adam Tafralis for the starting job, but Flynn missed more than a week of practice and just returned Sunday night.
“I suspect Adam may start, but we haven’t made that decision,” San Jose State coach Dick Tomey said.
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Here’s what to expect from this site now that the regular season is about to begin:
On regular weeks, we will provide twice-daily updates on the Broncos at 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, including audio interviews, and an audio file from columnist Brian Murphy on Fridays previewing the game.
The day after a game, check the Web site for video of the play of the game and more audio from Murphy.
Our weekly player feature — like the one on wide receiver Vinny Perretta for Tuesday — will include video highlights.
Also, we will have a weekly trivia contest within this blog. The question could show up at any time, and there will be a deadline to enter.
For home games, we will give away two game tickets. The prize for road games has not been finalized.
The next two weeks our schedule will be scrambled by the Thursday games. Most of our online coverage will go up today and Tuesday, and Murphy will post audio Wednesday. We’ll have our game coverage, including the play of the game and Murphy’s audio, on Friday.
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Boise State starting safety Gerald Alexander (hamstring) looked good roaming the secondary Sunday night at Bronco Stadium. He and starting tight end Derek Schouman (hamstring) slowly worked back into the lineup over the past several days.
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Boise State opens the season ranked No. 22 in the Sagarin Ratings. Sacramento State is No. 178.
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Today’s links:
La. Tech gets big payday at Nebraska: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/SPORTS02/308270003/1001/SPORTS
Hawaii QB Colt Brennan is getting better: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060828/SPORTS0201/608280352/1032/SPORTS
Learn more about Fresno State's new offensive coordinator: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060828/SPORTS0201/608280352/1032/SPORTS
Utah gets ready for key game against UCLA: http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_4248616
Beavers chase redemption: http://www.gtconnect.com/articles/2006/08/28/sports/osu_beavers/osu2.txt
