Boise State: A letdown?
Tech’s Dooley doesn’t see it happening Friday night
, buddy@rustonleader.com
11-03-2009
So Boise State should have a letdown at Joe Aillet Stadium Friday night, right?No way the Broncos can keep up their winning act, one that includes No. 5 rankings in the USA Today and Associated Press polls and No. 7 position in the BDS standings?
Besides, they will be playing a Louisiana Tech club that is struggling with a 3-5 overall record and 2-3 mark in the Western Athletic Conference and has lost its last two games.
Bulldogs’ head coach Derek Dooley, for one, isn’t counting on any psychological mishap or downer by the Broncos (8-0, 3-0).
“They have zero history of having a letdown,” he said during his weekly media luncheon Monday. “Their last 198 games, I’m still waiting for them to have a letdown.
“I can assure you. They will be phenomenal in all phases of the game Friday night.”
The third-year leader is hoping that his team can be up to the task of facing the highest ranked opponent ever to step into the confines of “The Joe.”
“I hope we can step up to the challenge,” Dooley said. “They are the type of team that doesn’t just beat you, they annihilate you. What are they averaging a game, over 40 points a game?”
Yes, they sure are.
It’s 41.0 to be exact and that’s nearly a touchdown per game better than Fresno State, the second highest point-producing club in the WAC at 35.5.
“But it’s not just offense,” Dooley reminded his listeners. “Boise States does everything well. Their defense is phenomenal. No program like theirs can win with the consistency that they have without playing a great defense and they’ve done just that.
“What that does is allow their offense and special teams to be more aggressive. Those (the offense and special teams) are already good, but the tough defense they play and the schemes they use, it just makes them even better.”
The back-to-back losses suffered by Tech have been by a combined three points, first by 23-21 at Utah State and then last week by 35-34 at Idaho.
Despite the latter defeat, Dooley was extra proud of his team’s effort.
“It was a hard loss to take from an emotional standpoint,” he said. “I thought our players battled hard and gave a great effort. I couldn’t be prouder of them. But at the end of the day, it’s another disappointing loss.”
“We made a lot of mistakes down the stretch that contributed to us not being able to put them away.”
At one point, Tech had a 34-21 lead before the already bowl-eligible Vandals rallied back for the victory in the final minute of play.
“We’ve got to keep coaching and the players have to keep getting better,” Dooley said. “To be a championship team, you have to be great at everything. Friday night, we’ll be facing a championship team and it is going to be a great challenge for us.”
The Bulldogs hope to be at full strength for the game, but that’s highly unlikely given the long list of injuries that have dented the roster in recent weeks.
Running back Daniel Porter (concussion), kick returner-wide receiver Phillip Livas (ankle) and linebacker Adrien Cole (concussion) are among those on the casualty charts.
Dooley called 2008 rushing leader Porter and kick return phenom Livas “questionable’ for Friday’s game.
“What happens with so many of these injuries is that it creates a domino effect,” he said. “When Porter is out, there’s Myke Compton, who is on all of our special teas. So then what happens is that he becomes exhausted from so much playing time. You’ve got to constantly do a lot of searching to find the right personnel to use in situations.”
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Bulldog bites
• Junior kick returner-wide receiver Phillip Livas is No. 1 in the WAC for kick returns with a 30.2 average
• The Bulldogs are leading the conference punt return average at 17.3
• Tech is going after its fourth home win in as many tries this season Friday night
• Tech’s Nov. 14 game at LSU will be televised by the ESPNU network and kickoff at 6 p.m.
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