By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com
ESPN.com college football reporter Bruce Feldman named Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore the No. 6 newcomer in the nation this week, which brings up an interesting question.
Can Moore earn first-team Freshman All-America honors?
It looks like he has three main competitors for the award, if he keeps playing the way he is now. Here’s a look:
Moore: He has completed 72 percent of his passes and tossed just two interceptions. He is the only freshman in the top 25 in pass efficiency (he’s sixth) and he’s got some soft competition coming up (Utah State, Idaho, New Mexico State). Plus, he’s the offensive catalyst on a team that could be in the top 10 before long.
Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State: The No. 4 player on Feldman’s list has the Buckeyes back in the national championship hunt. The true freshman led the game-winning touchdown drive last week at Wisconsin. He has completed 65 percent of his passes on the season and rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns in the past three games. If the Buckeyes win out, his hype will be difficult to overcome.
Jarrett Lee, LSU: Another player leading a national championship contender, Lee is completing 58.4 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and three interceptions. He is 27th in pass efficiency and the closest to Moore, but he’s 35 points back.
Robert Griffin, Baylor: Feldman calls No. 7 on his list an “Olympic-caliber hurdler.” Griffin is 30th in efficiency with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He also has rushed for 436 yards and seven scores, including 102 yards and two touchdowns last week against No. 1 Oklahoma.
By the way, two Boise State opponents made Feldman’s list — Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount, who hurdled a Bronco on his way to a touchdown, and Southern Miss wideout DeAndre Brown, who is 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds.
Brown will go up against Boise State cornerbacks Kyle Wilson (5-10, 185) and Brandyn Thompson (5-10, 180).
“He’s a bigger dude, but probably not faster than me,” Thompson said of Brown. “I have to use my speed and just play with great technique.”
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Feldman also gave the Broncos some love in his ESPN.com bowl projections. He has the Broncos facing Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. He also has BYU in the BCS, the beginning of rumblings that two non-BCS teams could get into the BCS because of rules that prohibit the BCS leagues from having more than two teams get in. That possibility rests on the Big Ten failing to get two teams into the BCS, which means Ohio State or Penn State needs to tumble.
Meanwhile, the latest BCS projections at collegebcs.com have the Broncos at No. 14. Utah is No. 9 and BYU is No. 12. The Broncos are on the Cougars’ heels because Boise State is ninth in the computers and BYU is 24th, but that likely will change as both teams get deep into conference play. Utah is fourth in the computers.
The first official BCS rankings come out in two weeks.
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Freshman All-American
I think if Kellen keeps putting up the numbers he has been and spreading the ball around and the team finished in the Top 15 i nthe nation they will be hard pressed not to name him to the team.
The Buckeyes
There is no way in hell that Ohio St. is back in the national championship hunt. Where does this crap come from? We've seen them get destroyed the last two years by the SEC. This year USC beat them up so bad (just a couple weeks ago) it was pathetic. One last second win over Wisconsin (who lost to lowly Michigan the week before) does not make OSU contenders. Are you serious?
T. Pryor is a freak of nature, a gifted hybrid. He better develop his arm if he doesnt want to be compared to Vince Young tho.
Kellen Moore will rewrite record breaks...but I dont think we are going to the BCS this year.
PS...
I watched Le Blount of Oregon in person...talk about a monster..this guy is sick!
Utahns don't think Boise is going to the BCS.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10657564
Couldn't agree more!
Who is bringing this absolute BS about ohio state being back in the hunt for the national title. Chances are they are going to lose again and maybe even twice more. What a joke people are for thinking that. I think Kellen has already done more then what some college football fans thought he would. Already won at Oregon and he has done well! he is the 6th best quarterback in all of college football!
I think that if the Broncos finish the season with no losses it will be tough for anyone to pass on putting them into a BCS game! Just listening to an ESPN talk show yesterday and the host said that Boise State is the second best college football team in the west coast area. only to USC. thats pretty dang good seems how there are a lot of other good college football teams out here!
Ohio State
I'd hate to see the Buckeyes in the title game again, but ... look who's ahead of them. A bunch of teams who are about to start beating each other up. Ohio State has become very good at fluking its way into the title game. And Pryor helps their case, because some voters will play the what-if game. Again, not saying I like it -- but they'll be right there if they win out.
Chad
You nailed it...fluking is the right word. I do think they will win out (most likely) but I still have a hard time believing a one loss SEC team and a one loss Big 12 team dont beat out the "Luckeyes" for the spot. And hard to believe if somehow the SEC or Big 12 dont field both teams for the National Title that USC wouldnt get in there ahead of OSU. I guess I could be wrong, but the feeling is fans of college football would rather see the Vandals playing for it all than The Ohio State University.
Ohio State
A bunch of teams who are about to start beating each other up. HMM Thats what happens in the tough conferences. Ranked teams play week in and week out and knock each other down in the rankings, while weak conference leaders benefit by playing the weaker schedule. Did anyone notice the mauling Oregon took at the hands of SC. They are out of the rankings and are now starting the tougher part of their schedule
Big ten = kiddies play pen
Ohio State Luckeyes play in a cupcake conference. Wisconsin lucked out against Fresno State. Michigan got handled by Utah. USC annihilated Ohio State. That conference sucks. Joe Pa has only decent team in there and they'd get beat by most of the current top ten.
How about the SEC - that's tough too, right? Like Tennesse for example. They struggled to beat Northern Illinois 13-9. Further defeating the myth that good defenses are the cause of low scores in the SEC. Please.
The ACC sucks. The Big East lost its swagger. The PAC 10 is weak. The Big 12 actually looks pretty good this year.
There's more parity in college football than ever before. It's stupid to continue with the thought that a team is good because they were good 65 years ago.
Moore.....
I really like Kellen. He's doing a nice job, but it looks like he's somewhat fallen / falling into the same rutt Taylor did last year. I see him looking for the reciever the play is called for instead of checking off and hitting the open guy. It's working to an extent, just like Taylor(last year), we "were" winning with what Tharp was doing / capable of doing. But there came a point when teams picked up on that and made life difficult for us. From the talk on why he was chosen as the starter, I thought the coaches said that was his best trait "decision making". Don't know if it's Coaches or Kellen......Again GOOD JOB Kellen, but we can do Moore!!!!!!
Huh?
He won at Oregon, Tharp didn't at Washington. I doesn't seem to me the issue you brought up will be a factor. You might be seeing something I don't. Take down Hawaii who took down Fresno this weekend and keep the W's rolling.
Kellen
I think maybe some of his intermediate throws need a little work ....but how picky can we be? Bronco Nation has high expectations but the kid is just a Freshman. Hes kinda of like Taylor Tharp as in hes a "chain mover." I understand that. Not alot of big throws over the middle, hes learning tho. I think his progression from one receiver to the next is actually very good, and very quick. I think thats what won him the job over Bush.
Moore is very much a move
Moore is very much a move the chains, run out the clock QB. What he lacks in arm strength, he makes up for in his decision making, and accuracy. We have a saying in Cowboy Fastdraw, "fast is fine, accuracy is final". Being able to throw the ball the length of the field isn't much good if your accuracy is such that you couldn't hit a cow with a guitar. And like his lineman, he is still developing. Given time and seasoning, he may become a serious long ball threat.
I think so but that's up to the judges. Let them work...
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If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho Statesman already in progress.
Expectations
ok so KM has exceeded everyones! In his first 4 games he's gone against teams that made him beat them. They loaded the box against the run and said ok freshman beat us! He's only 6th in the nation in completion percentage averaging around 300 ypg. I'm a happy fan. IMO he has made one (count it 1) (freshman) mistake, and that was the INT he threw last week. That being said I've seen seniors make it so....
He's deserving of all the hype right now! Best game so far was at UO. 386 yds 3 TDs one pick on a tipped ball....