BOISE, Idaho — Thursday, August 22, 2019.
It seems weird, but Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post was asked in his Broncos Mailbag if Denver isn’t playing Brett Rypien in order to keep him under the radar and stash him on the practice squad. O’Halloran’s reply: “Bingo. Now that (Drew) Lock is going to miss extended time, the current pecking order is (Joe) Flacco QB1, Kevin Hogan QB2 and Lock QB3. Carrying three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster should not impact Rypien’s status. The Broncos like what they have in him and want to use 2019 to develop him on the practice squad. To that end, that’s why he didn’t play at all against Seattle or San Francisco. The less tape on a guy, the less likely a team will claim him to be on their 53-man roster.” And to that end, O’Halloran says Rypien may not play Saturday against the L.A. Rams, either.
BULLDOGS MORE INTRIGUING, APPARENTLY
USA Today has a list of the 10 best games in Week 1 of college football. As you might guess, Boise State-Florida State is on it at No. 7. Writes Paul Myerberg: “This neutral-site affair played in Florida State's backyard is the first chance for the Seminoles to put a new stamp on the Willie Taggart era after an awful opening campaign that saw its run of 36 consecutive bowl games end. While Boise State will be better in November than August — there are several new pieces at key spots on offense — this would be a meaningful win for FSU and a sign that things may not be as bad as they seem. On the other hand, a loss would make things even more miserable in Tallahassee.”
But Fresno State at USC places higher, at No. 3. “Two programs headed in opposite directions,” writes Myerberg. “As Fresno State has won 22 games in two seasons under Jeff Tedford, USC has undergone a troubling slide under Clay Helton. Talent favors the Trojans; execution favors the Bulldogs. A loss for USC would be a disaster for Helton, who will hope JT Daniels is ready to emerge at quarterback in his sophomore season.” This one will indeed be interesting. Fresno State is breaking in a new quarterback, Jorge Reyna, to replace Marcus McMaryion. And although Ronnie Rivers, who scored the winning touchdown in the Mountain West championship game last December, has successfully rehabbed a hamstring injury, the Bulldogs have lost three other running backs for the season.
BOISE STATE’S HANDFUL OFF THE EDGE
By all accounts out of Boise State fall camp, STUD end/linebacker Curtis Weaver has been close to unstoppable. Watch list season reflects that. On Wednesday, Weaver was named to the Ted Hendricks Award watch list, the fourth postseason honor for which he’s a candidate going ino the 2019 season. The Hendricks Award goes to the top defensive end in college football. Weaver is also the Preseason Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and is a Sporting News second-team Preseason All-American. ESPN’s Todd McShay tabs him as one of the top 32 players in the 2020 NFL Draft.
FSU’S MASS UP THE MIDDLE
Good news for Florida State—maybe not so much for Boise State. FSU junior defensive tackle Marvin Wilson returned to practice Monday after missing 10 days with a sprained knee. This is why the Seminoles are so excited. Wilson has been named a second-team AP Preseason All-American and will be an imposing figure in the trenches. The 6-5, 311-pounder logged 42 tackles with 3.5 sacks last season. Wilson will be anxious to welcome the Broncos’ new quarterback, whomever it may be, to Jacksonville. And the veteran Boise State offensive line will be on high alert.
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CLEAR SAILIN’ FOR ALBERTSONS BOISE OPEN
There’s something missing as the 30th annual Albertsons Boise Open tees off this morning: smoke. The greatest fear in the tournament’s move to August this year was the effect smoke would have on playing conditions. But it’s perfecto. Per insider calculations, 20 of the Korn Ferry Finals’ 25 PGA Tour cards are still up for grabs. Ben Taylor, Brendon Todd, Beau Hossler, Brandon Hagy and Robert Streb have already clinched them (all five are entered today). No. 1 on the Korn Ferry Tour during the regular season was China’s Xinjun Zhang, who didn’t make a cut during the 2018 Korn Ferry Finals and had to go through Q-School to get back on the circuit. Now he’s headed to the PGA Tour next season. Zhang has also earned an invitation to The Players Championship next season, as will the points winner in the Korn Ferry Finals.
Many of the PGA Tour players in this week’s field are looking for comebacks to retain their tour cards, and that includes some big names. Stewart Cink is here. Cink came up through the Korn Ferry Tour (including the Albertsons Boise Open) and famously won the Open Championship at Turnberry in Scotland 10 years ago in a playoff over 59-year-old Tom Watson. Also in the field is Hunter Mahan, who has won two World Golf Championship events. Two past Boise Open champions are entered: 2014 winner Roger Tambellini and 2012 champ Luke Guthrie. And keep track of Norwegian Viktor Hovland, who tied for 12th at the U.S. Open in June and has since turned pro.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
The Boise State men’s basketball schedule hasn’t officially been released yet, but Oregon’s has, and it confirms that the Broncos and Ducks will play in Eugene on Saturday, November 9. Oregon transfer Abu Kigab won’t be eligible for Boise State yet. The Broncos will be facing old foe Anthony Mathis, though. The former New Mexico guard is a graduate transfer with the Ducks. Another scheduling note: your first sneak peak at the revived Boise State baseball program will come the first weekend of October. The Broncos will be hosting Northwest Nazarene and MSU Billings for scrimmages on Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5, respectively. The usual tenants of Memorial Stadium, the Boise Hawks, fell 4-1 at Salem-Keizer last night. The Hawks are now 1-7 halfway through their Western Idaho Fair road trip.
This Day In Sports…August 22, 1965:
San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal hits Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Johnny Roseboro over the head with his bat, giving baseball one of the more bizarre moments (and most famous photos) in its history. Marichal was angered when Roseboro returned a pitch from Dodger hurlers Sandy Koufax too close to Marichal’s ear. The Giants star was suspended for nine days and fined $1,750.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
