Boise State beat notes: Gavins a gifted player in a small package

It was easy for college recruiters to dismiss Jerrell Gavins because of his size.

Too easy, it turns out.

Gavins has developed into one of the biggest surprises on the Boise State football team this season.

The 5-foot-9, 171-pound cornerback has played on all four special-teams units and earned playing time with the first-team defense going into Friday's game at Louisiana Tech (6:01 p.m. MST, ESPN2).

"I know I'm short and small, but I never thought I was small," Gavins said. "É I like to come up and hit."

His aggressive, physical style immediately caught the attention of coaches and teammates. He likes to line up in press coverage, right in the receiver's face.

"I just really like his spirit," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said.

Gavins arrived in August with zero fanfare as a junior-college transfer and late addition to the 2009 recruiting class. Three months later, the sophomore looks like one of the gems of that class.

"He has earned his chances on special teams and on defense," defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said. "We're excited about him. He's not a huge person, but he's competitive and tough."

Gavins replaced injured starter Kyle Wilson in the lineup Oct. 3 against UC Davis. Since then, he has been inserted into games in place of junior Brandyn Thompson for an occasional series. He has cracked the top 10 in tackles with 21.

He also is a gunner on the punt team, a jammer on the punt-return team and a cover guy on kickoffs. He even returned kickoffs last week in place of benched returner Titus Young, contributing a 24-yarder.

"That was fun," Gavins said. "Titus got his job back this week, so I'm disappointed about that - and it's a televised game, too."

The national TV element is important to Gavins because he's from Miami. His mom won't be able to attend a Broncos game this season.

He still talks to his family every day as he adjusts to life in Idaho. He spent his freshman year at El Camino Junior College in California.

"I get to go home at Christmas," he said. "I'll be good."

BOWL QUESTIONS The uncertainty of the Broncos' Bowl Championship Series hopes begs the question: If not the BCS, where will the Broncos go?

The most likely scenario seems to be a return to the Poinsettia Bowl, which is Dec. 23 in San Diego. The Broncos lost to TCU there last year. This year, the opponent likely would be Utah or BYU.

Another possibility is the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 in Honolulu. That likely would require the Hawaii Bowl to land Houston - like Boise State, a potential BCS buster with a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback. Houston likely would need to finish second in Conference USA to make this happen, which might knock the Cougars out of the Top 25.

The other games on the radar are the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 26 in San Francisco, where a date with a Pac-10 team might be available, and the New Mexico (Dec. 19 in Albuquerque) and Humanitarian (Dec. 30 in Boise) bowls, which are unlikely destinations because the expected opponents are Mountain West also-rans.

TOUGH TASK You could argue that Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, La., has been the most difficult WAC venue for the Boise State football team. The Broncos are 3-1 there, but it has been ugly at times - and they've never led at halftime.

The Broncos allowed 48 points in 2001 to lose the WAC title. The Bulldogs scored 37 points and had a chance to win on the final drive in 2003. The Broncos ran the ball on 32 of the last 33 plays to grind out a win in 2005 - abandoning an ineffective passing attack. And the Broncos allowed 463 yards in 2007.

During that same span, the Broncos have cruised to four wins over the Bulldogs at Bronco Stadium.

Players say everything from the weather to the food to the below-capacity crowd can take guys out of their comfort zone.

"It's just so much of a change of setting," Boise State junior wide receiver Austin Pettis said. "É It's a complete shock and change, especially for guys who haven't been there before."

That's a big chunk of this team - nearly all of the freshmen and sophomores. However, this is a travel-hardened group that already has won at Fresno State, Bowling Green, Tulsa and Hawaii this year.

"That long flight always gets to you," Pettis said. "Now É guys have got their routine down."

Chadd Cripe is in his eighth season covering Boise State football for the Idaho Statesman. He also is a voter in The Associated Press Top 25. Contact him at ccripe@idahostatesman.com or 377-6398.