Life’s good for
Hawkins, BSU
Editor's note:
This is the last in a series of 13 features
on Hawaii's opponents this season.Dan Hawkins is a hot commodity. But the Boise State football coach says he doesn't have any plans to head for the big time in the near future -- unless he does it riding the Broncos.
"People ask me, 'Why stay at Boise State?'," Hawkins said. "I think Boise State football can be as good as anywhere else. And the quality of life here is unbelievable."
Life's especially sweet in the Treasure Valley for Hawkins. He makes more than $150,000 a season and might be Boise's most popular citizen after leading BSU to a 12-1 record and unbeaten run though the Western Athletic Conference last year.
Boise State finished 2002 ranked 15th (Associated Press) and 12th (USA Today) in the nation. Hawkins' name began to be mentioned in connection with higher-profile -- and higher-paying -- coaching jobs. He decided to stick around awhile.
"I make more money than 90 percent of the people in America. Why worry about making more than 99 percent? It's not about the money for me. I don't have a closet full of suits, don't drive fancy cars. I just want to be around good people who do it right. I'm not a guy just chasing a big paycheck."
He'll settle for another WAC championship in 2003. It's a challenging goal, especially because everyone will be gunning hard for the Broncos. There are some around the league with extra motivation because they think Hawkins ran up the score a little too much.
Although BSU loses the WAC's Offensive Player of the Year in running back Brock Forsey, it has another candidate for the honor in senior quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie (6-feet, 187 pounds). Dinwiddie led the nation in pass efficiency last year, but a broken ankle kept him out of four games. Also, he's exercised bad off-field judgment at least twice, which led to him missing spring practice. Hawkins, however, said he's convinced Dinwiddie's head is right going into this season.
Speedy senior tailback David Mikell (5-10, 191) rushed for 606 yards last year, but has the misfortune of following Forsey; that means his toughness will be constantly questioned. Maybe senior fullback Greg Swenson (5-10, 216) will help make things easier with lead blocks.
The offensive line returns two starters, senior right tackle Jason Turner (6-4, 265) and sophomore left tackle Daryn Colledge. The new guys are junior left guard Michael Ansel (6-3, 287), senior center Mike MacLeod (6-2, 286) and senior right guard Tyrone Tutogi (6-1, 274). Also, junior Rusty Colburn (6-5, 310) is back from an injury that kept him out of seven games last year and has won the right tackle spot from Turner. Junior tight end Kevin Louwsma (6-4, 247) must add to his reception total of last season as a backup; it was zero.
BSU lost its top three receivers, and they combined for 134 receptions for 2,424 yards and 18 touchdowns. Senior Tim Gilligan (5-9, 181) made 23 grabs for 349 yards and one score as a part-timer, and he moves into a starting spot. Another senior, Jerry Smith (5-10, 175), will also be asked to step up.
The secondary is the strength of the Broncos' defense. Corners Gabe Franklin (5-10, 183), a junior who had eight picks last year, and Julius Brown (5-10, 185), a senior, are both experienced and effective cover guys. Junior rover Chris Carr (5-9, 180) must attempt to replace WAC Defensive Player of the Year Quintin Mikell, but at least he has senior free safety Wes Nurse (5-10, 189) to help him.
A three-way battle at middle linebacker is being waged by sophomores Chris Barrios (5-10, 224) and Clint Furr (6-0, 225) and freshman Korey Hall (6-0, 225). Whoever emerges will be flanked by some experience in junior Andy Avalos (5-10, 223) and senior Travis Burgher (6-1, 214).
Up front, Boise State is not particularly big. Second-year freshman Mike Williams (6-2, 239) and junior Julius Roberts (6-5, 239) are the ends, and seniors Dane Oldham (6-3, 265) and Paul Allen (6-2, 297) are the tackles. The group accounted for just 51 tackles last fall, including four sacks.
Junior Tyler Jones, a kickoff ace in 2002, adds field goals and PATs to his job description this fall. Hard-luck sophomore Sean Steichen -- a quarterback who moved to punter because of a shoulder injury, only to hurt his foot -- is the punter if he can stay healthy.
Gilligan (punts) and Mikell (kickoffs) are experienced and exciting return men.
Hawkins knows his team has holes. He hopes the winning attitude from last year will carry over until they can be filled.
"We're losing a tremendous amount of offensive firepower. We lose productivity, experience and savvy," Hawkins said. "But we really feel like we have talent and experience on defense, enough there to fortify us until our offense comes around."
Boise State Broncos
2003 schedule
Sept. 6 Idaho State Sept. 13 at Idaho Sept. 20 at Oregon State Sept. 27 Wyoming Oct. 4 at Louisiana Tech Oct. 11 Tulsa Oct. 18 at Southern Methodist Oct. 25 San Jose State Oct. 31 at Brigham Young Nov. 15 Texas-El Paso Nov. 21 at Fresno State Nov. 29 Nevada Dec. 6 at Hawaii
2002 results
12-1 overall, 8-0 WAC
Aug. 31 Idaho W, 38-21 Sept. 7 at Arkansas L, 14-41 Sept. 14 at Wyoming W, 35-13 Sept. 28 Utah State W, 63-28 Oct. 5 Hawaii W, 58-31 Oct. 12 at Tulsa W, 52-24 Oct. 18 Fresno State W, 67-21 Oct. 26 at San Jose State W, 45-8 Nov. 2 at Texas-El Paso W, 58-3 Nov. 9 Rice W, 49-7 Nov. 16 Louisiana Tech W, 36-10 Nov. 23 at Nevada W, 44-7 Dec. 31 Iowa State* W, 34-16 *Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl
