WAC football 2006 preview:
Although Utah State should be an improved football team this year, playing in the rugged WAC conference it’s possible the improvements won’t show up in the victories column.
Long known for powerhouses Boise State and Fresno State, the WAC boasts an able field of challengers this season in Hawaii, Nevada, Idaho and Utah State. Meanwhile, Boise and Fresno appear as strong as ever.
Here are the team previews, in likely order of finish:
1. Boise State Broncos
From 2002-2004, the Broncos went 24-0 in WAC play. Last yea r, after getting drilled by Fresno State, BSU didn’t give up and when Fresno dropped their last three, the Broncos got a share of the WAC title with Nevada. Although brilliant coach Dan Hawkins has moved on, the offensive coordinator of the last five year Chris Johnson takes over, so there is continuity.
They have nine starters back on defense, including the entire secondary and all-WAC senior linebacker Korey Hall. They play their home games on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium, where they average 48 more attendees than their 30,000 seat arena technically sits, and they have won 30-straight regular season games. Quarterback Jared Zabransky might be the best player in the WAC.
2. Fresno State
Head Coach Pat Hill has helped put WAC football on the map by taking on any team willing to play him. In 2003, the Bulldogs knocked off Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin in consecutive weeks. Incredibly, Hill hasn’t won the WAC yet – a tribute to how good Boise has been. Last year, Fresno beat Boise and appeared to have things locked up. Then they dropped a thriller of a game to USC as Reggie Bush put on a show. Drained after the excruciating loss to the Trojans, Fresno lost their next two games and failed to win the WAC again despite being the best team. Four of five offensive linemen return, Dwayne Wright is a seasoned 1,000-yard rusher, and they have another big pocket passer quarterback in Tom Brandstater. Eight starters return on defense.
3. Hawaii
Head Coach June Jones and Offensive Coordinator Jerry Glanville were both NFL coaches for the Chargers and the Oilers and Falcons, respectively. Timmy Chang threw for more yards than any QB in the history of the NCAA here, then last year was replaced by walk-on Colt Brennan who led the NCAA in passing yards and finished with 35 touchdown passes. Brennan set nine school records last year. Eight other starters are back on offense. It looks like Hawaii will spread people out with fast little 5-foot-10-inch guys and let Brennan run up big numbers. The biggest obstacle for the Warriors is their historically poor performance after long flights to the mainland.
4. Nevada
The Wolf Pack got to play Fresno State the week after the Bulldogs’ epic against USC and benefited from a big letdown, scoring the upset and getting a piece of the WAC crown. The improbable finish won Chris Ault a WAC coach of the year award, but didn’t get the Pack any favors on the schedule this year. They have to travel to Fresno to open the year, which will be a challenging game for them to win. Jeff Rowe is a senior who has been starting games since 2002 and is familiar with their gimmicky-but-effective pistol offense. Seven starters return on defense.
5. Utah State
The Aggies play a brutal non-conference schedule with games against Arkansas, Utah and BYU, so they shouldn’t be intimidated by anyone. Quarterback Leon Jackson III deserves to be mentioned with the best players in the WAC, while wide outs Tony Pennyman and Kevin Robinson already are. Tailback Marcus Cross was voted WAC newcomer of the year. Road trips to San Jose State, Nevada and Louisiana Tech are winnable and the Ags get Hawaii, Idaho and Fresno State at home.
6. Idaho
At one time, the Vandals were a great example for downtrodden programs like USU, because from 1982 to the present, they had only seven losing seasons. This despite having to convince recruits to play on the hard turf of the Kibbie Dome in out-of-the-way Moscow, Idaho. The new coach in town is Dennis Erickson, who won a national championship at Miami and coached the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. He inherits nine returning starters on offense and seven on defense. The 28th-ranked junior college running back, Brian Flowers, and the 44th-ranked high school runner, Andre Harris, join the team. The Vandals are 102-48-1 in the dome since 1975.
7. Louisiana Tech
The Bulldogs finished 6-2 last year and tied for second in the WAC. That team was out gained by 11.1 yards per game. This year, they return eight starters on offense but only two on defense. The schedule has Tech on the road for eight games, at home in Ruston for just five. Last year, they were fortunate to end up plus-13 in turnovers and it will be tough to duplicate that.
8. New Mexico State
Much like Nebraska and Notre Dame struggled to convert from run-oriented offenses to pro-style passing attacks in recent years, the Other Aggies had some tough going last year learning Head Coach Hal Mumme’s system. This year the passer will be 6-foot-6-inch Chase Holbrook, who played in Mumme’s system at SE Louisiana State for two years and transferred here. The Defensive Coordinator is Woody Widenhofer, a name Steelers fans will recognize because he was the DC under Chuck Noll for two of their Super Bowl wins. Akieem Jolla was the No. 5-rated wide receiver when he came out of high school and transferred to NMSU from Miami.
9. San Jose State
Continuing the theme of big-name coaches in the WAC is Dick Tomey, the all-time winningest coach at Arizona, who is in his second year at San Jose. He has installed his trademark Desert Swarm defense here and last year was able to reduce the points allowed per game by 10.1, but gets only two starters back from that unit. In their last five games, the Spartans averaged more than 200 yards rushing and tiny second-team All-WAC running back Yonus Davis is back.
-graham@cc.usu.edu