Broncos have
formula for success

CORRECTION Thursday, August 25, 2005 The Boise State schedule that appeared in print was incorrect. The updated 2005 schedule appears at bottom. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.

Boise State football coach Dan Hawkins said he's "going back to square one and starting all over," like he supposedly does every year.

That's sort of like if Zippy's were to say it forgets its chili recipe every day and has to relearn it over and over again.

Boise State has a successful formula going, and its biggest ingredient is consistency. It helps that Hawkins rarely has turnover on his staff. He's found a way to keep good coaches in Boise -- of course a lot of it has to do with winning, but that's also what makes assistants attractive to other programs.

Coordinators Chris Peterson (offense) and Ron Collins (defense) are in demand, but have stuck around. One reason is Hawkins was adamant about getting them pay raises two years ago.

The payoff for the Broncos players and fans is three consecutive WAC championships and national rankings. BSU starts 2005 rated 18th in the country.

"We've had eight years of the same offense and special teams (coaches and schemes), five years the same defense," Hawkins said. "It's like when your family changes the rules too much, it's tough on kids."

Not that all of the kids have been perfect little angels lately. Two starters -- junior receiver Drisan James and junior linebacker Colt Brooks -- have been suspended for the opener at Georgia, and starting safety Cam Hall won't play until the court proceedings stemming from a fatal auto accident are resolved.

Also, wide receiver Chris Christopher was found to be ineligible, safety Marcosus Le Blanc transferred, and bullish running back Jon Helmandollar (two of his school-record 14 rushing touchdowns last year were against Hawaii) left the team for personal reasons.

So much for the bad news in Boise.

Even with James, Brooks and Hall temporarily out of the picture, BSU returns seven starters on offense and six on defense.

The biggest name is junior quarterback Jared Zabransky, a national player of the year candidate who rushed for 13 touchdowns last year and passed for 16 more. The scary thing for opponents is Hawkins said he plans to let the athletic "Z" free-lance a little more this year.

Not that the Broncos need to rely on gimmicks or trick plays. They have three starting offensive linemen back, including 6-foot-5, 295-pound senior tackle Daryn Colledge, who was first-team All-WAC in 2004.

Leading rusher Lee Marks (968 yards) is ready to run, and tight end Derek Schouman is poised for a breakout season after knee problems. Juniors Legedu Naanee and Jerard Rabb (who caught a bushel of TD passes from UH's Colt Brennan at Saddleback JC last year) and senior Oregon State transfer Cole Clasen could make an impact at wide receiver.

Second-team all-conference punter Kyle Stringer will likely add kicking to his duties, replacing Tyler Jones, who led the nation in scoring.

Junior linebacker Korey Hall leads the defense. He was second on the team with 85 tackles last year, one short of the lead.

There's experience up front with end Mike Williams and tackles Andrew Browning and Alex Guerrero. Browning isn't overly huge at 273 pounds, but the Broncos linemen always tend to be strong for their weight.

Cornerback Gerald Alexander and rover Austin Smith lead the secondary. Quinton Jones, the fastest player in school history with a 4.3 time in the 40, moves to the other corner from offense.

BOISE STATE BRONCOS

Basic Offense: Multiple
Basic Defense: Multiple
2004 Record: 11-1 (8-0 WAC)
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 42/13
Starters Returning: 17
Head coach: Dan Hawkins (84-18-1, 44-7 at BSU)

2004 Results

Date	Opponent	Result
Sept. 4	Idaho	W, 65-7
Sept. 10	Oregon State	W, 53-34
Sept. 18	UTEP	W, 47-31
Sept. 24	BYU	W, 28-27
Oct. 2	SMU	W, 38-20
Oct. 16	Tulsa	W, 45-42
Oct. 23	Fresno State	W, 33-16
Oct. 29	HAWAII	W, 69-3
Nov. 13	San Jose State	W, 56-49 (2OT)
Nov. 20	Louisiana Tech	W, 55-14
Nov. 27	Nevada	W, 58-21
Dec. 31	Louisville	L, 44-40

2005 Schedule

Date	Opponent
Sept. 3	at Georgia
Sept. 10	at Oregon State
Sept. 21	Bowling Green
Sept. 24	BYU
Oct. 1	AT HAWAII
Oct. 8	Portland State
Oct. 15	San Jose State
Oct. 22	at Utah State
Oct. 29	Nevada
Nov. 5	New Mexico State
Nov. 10	at Fresno State
Nov. 19	Idaho
Nov. 26	at Louisiana Tech