By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com
Hawaii sophomore Bryant Moniz might be the least likely starting quarterback in the country.
Moniz was out of football last year, attending community college classes in Hawaii after spending one semester as a quarterback at Fresno City College.
He walked on at Hawaii in January and was No. 7 on the depth chart. He was the third-stringer early in the season but backup Brent Rausch injured his throwing hand and starter Greg Alexander was lost with a season-ending knee injury.
Moniz has started the past two games. He’s 54-for-94 for 643 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions in those starts. He also has rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s got gifts,” coach Greg McMackin said. “He’s got a release. He’s got presence. He’s got a very accurate arm.”
Moniz grew up in Hawaii but didn’t have much of a plan when he graduated from high school. He followed a friend to Fresno City College but went home after the season.
When he joined the team in January, he was at the bottom of the depth chart.
“It was a far-fetched shot,” he said. “I just kept the dream in mind, thinking it could happen. And it did.”
Next up: a scholarship?
“Oh absolutely,” McMackin said. “There’s no doubt. We like him very much.”
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Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, the national leader in pass efficiency, is sixth on ESPN.com's Heisman Watch this week.
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Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson is a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy, which goes to the best defensive player who embodies integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity.
The quarterfinalists are Kyle Wilson (CB, Boise State) Sam Acho (DL, Texas), Pat Angerer (LB, Iowa), Eric Berry (DB, Tennessee), Kurt Coleman (DB, Ohio State), Jerry Hughes (DL, TCU), Greg Jones (LB, Michigan State), Trevard Lindley (DB, Kentucky), Taylor Mays (DB, USC), Rolando McClain (LB, Alabama), Gerald McCoy (DL, Oklahoma), Mike Nixon (LB, Arizona State), Eric Norwood (DL, South Carolina), Joe Pawelek (LB, Baylor), Brian Price (DL, UCLA), Brandon Spikes (LB, Florida), Darrell Stuckey (DB, Kansas), Ndamukong Suh (DL, Nebraska), Alterraun Verner (DB, UCLA), Sean Weatherspoon (LB, Missouri).
•••
Boise State and Idaho received several mentions in Pat Forde’s column at ESPN.com this week. The theme: a midseason quiz.
Idaho’s Robb Akey is the coach of the half-year, Boise State and the WAC is one of the bad marriages, Idaho is the state of the half-year, quarterback Kellen Moore is one of three Heisman contenders and the inability of the national media to spell Chris Petersen’s name right is the annoyance of the half-year.
Here’s a link to Forde’s column.
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UH
sure was winning those first games-it's kinda hard to keep it going with a third string QB, even against the Vandal's.
Moore
People should look at his stats. He doesn't rush like Tebow, but his stats say he is worthy, except that he isn't in a BCS conf so he is doomed. I can't remember when a non-BCS conf player got a Heisman.
Detmer
It was when Ty Detmer won it at BYU. Andre Ware won it at Houston, but at that time Houston was part of the Southwest Conference, not C-USA.
It doesn't go to the best player in the nation, it goes to the most publicized QB or RB from one of the six "secret handshake" conferences.
media
Yes, the six "secret handshake" conf have control of the media and what the media says. They have already started the anti BSU propoganda rolling, just in case. I like their comments on a "marginal win" over Tulsa, but when Florida has a marginal win with cheating last minute calls by the refs over ARKANSAS, for christ sake, it "shows how a quality team on an off week, can still just win".
the media is a factor indeed
however, the matchup between us and Tulsa can't really be compared to that of Florida and Arkansas. For one, it was a conference game, and the SEC is one of the toughest, if not THE toughest conference in the country, plus, Arkansas, despite their record, it a very good football team. Two weeks ago, they knocked off an very good undefeated Auburn team, and last week, they almost pulled off a win against Florida, and yes, they should have won and I don't say that based on the refs, but based on the fact that Ryan Mallet, the Arkansas QB, missed two wide open TD passes, and then there's the missed FG, but Arkansas should have won that game, anyway, they're a much tougher team than Tulsa.
As far as Hawaii is concerned, all we need to do is look at what Idaho did to them ... we should destroy them simply based on that, and I am in no way trying to take anything away from Idaho's win, because they're playing very well right now, but simply putting things into perspective considering that we're #4 in the BCS and #5 or #6 based on whichever poll you want to reference,therefore, we shouldn't have any trouble with Hawaii's QB, or Hawaii's slot receiver, or Hawaii as a whole.
I just want to see more passing than running and at least 40 points, not because we need to, but because it shouldn't be all that difficult considering the matchup
Broncokid
Lets use your same guessing analogy in reverse in support of your own team. Based on their performance against a #4 ranked BSU, Tulsa could beat Arkansas. They were a tough team that lost to the #4 by only 7 points and only a missed pass kept it from overtime. Sounds the same, huh?
Lets look at it with perspective instead
We struggled with Tulsa but win 28-21
Oklahaoma destroyed Tulsa with a 2nd string, freshman QB 45-0.
Tulsa lost a 13pt lead and the game to UTEP 28-24
Texas destyoyed UTEP 64-7
Tulsa is not a tough team
Arkansas has lost 3 games, all of them SEC games, to #1 Florida, #2 Alabama and #23 UGA
No way Tulsa could beat Arkansas
Right.
So 3-4 Arkansas, 3-4 Tennessee, and 3-5 Mississippi State are all clearly top 25 teams, so it's fine that both Florida and Alabama struggle with them. Nevermind that Tennessee lost to UCLA at home, and Mississippi lost to Houston at home. Those are just abberations. Miss St and Tennessee play in the SEC, so they have to be tough.
perspective
utep beat houston. houston beat oklahoma state & texas tech. ou lost to byu. byu got hammered by florida state at byu. florida state got beat by boston college. nebraska got beat by texas tech. tulsa played at utep. theoretically, bsu would beat nebraska, oklahoma state & texas tech. none of it matters. bsu needs to win out and win our bowl game.
perspective on perspective
we can only play our games to the best of our ability and evidently the best of our ability is beating a Tulsa squad by 7 points last week, where we tried to run out the clock and limp away with a 'W' and the week prior to that we survived UC Davis at HOME.
We can compare every single NCAA team out there if we wanted to and say that so and so beat so and so, therefore we could beat them, but fact of the matter is that we're having a difficult enough time beating the team that has lined up against us the past couple of weeks, and the only reason I brought up the fact that OU beat Tulsa is beacuse they, unlike us, they did so in very convincing 45-0 fashion and with a 2nd string freshman quarterback.
UTEP beat Tulsa the other night, and the team right ahead of us in the BCS is #3 Texas, who beat the living daylights out of UTEP 64-7, so those comparisons are somewhat relative considering we're #4 in the BCS poll.
We play Hawaii next, and our closest conference foe is a 6-1 Idaho team, who beat the Warriors 35-23, so like it or not, our performance will be compared to Idaho's. Furthermore, we're already being knocked for our SOS and here we are going into a conference game against a team that's having what many are calling their worst season since 1998, so you tell me what the #4 team in the country should do to a team as bad as Hawaii. Do we show the country why we're #4 and come away with a convincing 41-0 win, or do we limp home once again, winning by a close margin and then complain when critics say we're overrated?
furthermore
when comparing teams and their performances against other teams, there needs to be something tangible and measurable that relates to Boise State or whatever team it is that you're focusing on.
As I pointed out earlier, the only reason that Tulsa losing to UTEP is remotely relevant, tangible, or measureable to us is because Texas is #3 in the BCS and we're #4 and we struggled with, and beat Tulsa, but only by 7 pts, Tulsa lost to UTEP, and Texas crushed UTEP 64-7.
That doesn't mean that we could or couldn't beat anyone on UTEP's schedule. It simply illustrates the only straw grasping connection or comparison between the #3 and #4 teams, aside from playing one another.
thebroncokid may be right
we should trash them and i hope we do. but we are playing them in hawaii, they played idaho in the dome. they should be playing pist off after the idaho thumping. forgetting all that, we should kick the daylights out of them just to illustrate that we can. it certainly is getting to the point where we need to put up or shut up. still, a w is a w. as far as the critics, it comes with the territory. if we go 13-0 and people want to complain they will.