Top 50 Countdown: No. 27 Boise State
Breaking down the offense
Overview: Ian Johnson carried the ball 277 times last year on his way to finishing eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. The Broncos may be counting on Ian Johnson more now that they need to replace three-year starting quarterback Jared Zabransky and their four leading receivers from last season. Ian Johnson will have the benefit of running behind a line that returns four starters, including All-America candidate Ryan Clady at tackle.
Best player: Clady. Ian Johnson led the nation in scoring and touchdowns while ranking second in the nation in rushing last year, but Clady might be a better pro prospect. Clady earned Rivals.com Freshman All-America honors two years ago and made several All-America teams last year. He could emerge as a consensus All-American with a repeat performance this fall.
Most overrated: Nobody. The Broncos may be coming off a memorable Fiesta Bowl victory, but this is still Boise State. These guys remain pretty much anonymous outside the Northwest. Most casual college football fans probably can't name any Boise State players other than Ian Johnson. Educated fans might also mention Clady's name. Those two guys certainly have earned whatever attention they've received.
Most underrated: C Jeff Cavender. His versatility makes Cavender one of Boise State's most valuable players. Cavender won a starting job at tackle as a freshman, moved to center his sophomore year and shifted to guard last season. Now he's moving back to center for his senior season.
Must step up: WR Jeremy Childs. Boise State needs someone to fill the void created by the departures of Jerard Rabb, Drisan James and Legedu Naanee, who combined to catch 108 passes for 1,777 yards last year. The Broncos have high hopes for Childs, a former four-star prospect who showed flashes of his potential last season by catching three passes for 65 yards in a victory over Nevada.
Impact newcomer: RB Jeremy Avery. This redshirt freshman ran for 1,800 yards as a senior in high school. He should provide the Broncos with a pass-catching threat out of the backfield whenever Ian Johnson needs a breather.
Position battle: Quarterback. Junior Bush Hamdan and senior Taylor Tharp are the front-runners in a competition that also includes sophomore Nick Lomax (yes, he's Neil's son) and redshirt freshman Mike Coughlin.
New in 2007: Boise State will have a new starter at quarterback and plenty of new faces at wide receiver. The Broncos also must find a tight end to replace four-year starter Derek Schouman. Chris Strausser returns as the tight ends coach and running game coordinator at Boise State, where he worked for five years before spending last season on Dan Hawkins' staff at Colorado. Scott Huff takes over as the offensive line coach after working with the tight ends last year.
Grade the units:
QB: C-minus. Boise State will miss the stability Zabransky provided to this position.
RB: A. The Broncos' inexperience at quarterback and wide receiver makes Ian Johnson one of the nation's most valuable players.
WR/TE: C. Boise State must replace its top three receivers from last year, though the Broncos have plenty of talented candidates to fill those spots.
OL: A-minus. Clady and Co. should pave the way for another big season by Ian Johnson.
Breaking down the defense
Overview: Boise State has to replace WAC defensive player of the year Korey Hall and all-WAC selection Colt Brooks at linebacker. However, the Broncos do return both starters (Nick Schlekeway and Mike T. Williams) at defensive end and three starters (S Marty Tadman, CB Orlando Scandrick and CB Kyle Wilson) in the secondary.
Best player: Tadman. This ball-hawking defensive back has picked off 11 passes over the last two seasons. Tadman also finished second on the team with 67 tackles last season on his way to earning second-team all-WAC honors. He should rank among the WAC's top defenders this season.
Most overrated:Nobody: The same thing we said about the lack of overrated players on Boise State's offense also applies here.
Most underrated: LB Kyle Gingg. Although he finished fifth on the team with 50 tackles last season, Gingg was the least-known player in a linebacking corps that also included all-conference selections Hall and Brooks. Now that both those guys are gone, Gingg should garner much more attention.
Must step up: The linebacking corps. Any unit that has to replace two all-conference players obviously is going to face plenty of pressure.
Impact newcomer: LB Derrell Acrey. The departure of Hall at middle linebacker gives Acrey a golden opportunity to win a starting job as a redshirt freshman.
Position battle: Safety. Senior Austin Smith and redshirt freshman Jason Robinson are competing for the right to replace Gerald Alexander, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round.
New in 2007: Boise State will have a couple of new faces at linebacker, two more new starters at defensive tackle and one newcomer at safety.
Grade the units:
DL: B-minus. Boise State returns two starters at defensive end, but the tackle position remains a concern.
LB: B. The Broncos should have enough depth to compensate for the losses of Hall and Brooks.
DB: B. Tadman leads a veteran unit that returns three of four starters.
Breaking down the special teams
Overview: Boise State suffered significant graduation losses here with the departures of all-conference kicker Anthony Montgomery and four-year starting punter Kyle Stringer. The Broncos are gambling they can replace seniors with freshmen.
Best player: K Kyle Brotzman. There aren't a lot of contenders for this spot, but we're gambling that this redshirt freshman's 49-yard field goal in the spring game is a sign that he's ready to handle the pressure of major college football.
Grade the units:
K: C-plus. That 49-yard field goal in the spring game sure looked nice, but can Brotzman deliver when it counts?
P: C-minus. Boise State is still trying to figure out who will replace Stringer. Don't be surprised if true freshman Brad Elkin wins the job immediately.
KR: C-minus. The Broncos auditioned plenty of candidates for this spot in the spring. Contenders include CB Orlando Scandrick, CB Rashaun Scott, CB Cade Hulbert and WR Vinny Perretta.
PR: C-plus. This represents another area of uncertainty. Tadman returned 16 punts for 132 yards last year, but there's no guarantee he will fill that role this fall. Wilson and Childs are other candidates.
Breaking down the coaching
Overview: Boise State's staff has proved that age and experience aren't essential for success. The Broncos went undefeated last year with an unusually youthful staff that featured offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin (Boise State Class of 2000) and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox (Oregon Class of 1999).
Grade the coaches:
Head coach: A. How can Chris Petersen receive any other grade as long as he's undefeated?
Offense: A-minus. Harsin did a nice job in his first year as coordinator with an assist from Petersen, who filled that same role before taking over as head coach last season.
Defense: A-minus. Although Boise State is known for its offense, the Broncos also led the WAC in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense, pass defense and pass efficiency defense last year.
Special teams: B. Boise State boasted one of the nation's top kicker/punter d
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