Greetings from Boise, Idaho.
After 20 years of watching ESPN-televised games on the blue turf at Bronco Stadium, I finally witnessed a Boise State football game from the 50-yard line at the newly-named Albertsons Stadium.
The iconic blue field was amazing; the football game, not so much.
Enthusiasm for football at the school appears to be waning, adding to a nationwide trend in which college football attendance is down at most schools.
Chadd Cripe, lead sports columnist of the Idaho Statesman, claims a weak home schedule is the primary reason for the decline in season-ticket sales at Boise State, the lowest level since 2003.
He cited 4,000 empty seats for the home opener against Marshall and 5,000 empty seats last Saturday night.
The blue artificial turf was brighter than it looks on television, yet the crowd of 31,068 (capacity 36,387) appeared subdued by the lack of suspense or intrigue on the field.
The average score when Boise State plays an FCS opponent is 47-7 over a nine-game sample dating back to 2003.
Hard to believe but true in the conservative state of Idaho, Albertsons Stadium does not sell alcohol.
So much for having a beer with your football.
Portland State needed a stiff drink after the beating it took on the field.
The game was another case of heavyweights playing lightweights in a non-competitive contest.
Even the brutal UFC has weight divisions.
Why not college football?
Instead, the powers-that-be in college football institute sissified rule changes to make football a safer game, yet they allow football powerhouses to schedule overmatched patsies.
Boise opened a 34-point favorite and closed a 34.5-point favorite over Portland State at both Westgate and William Hill.
The natural outcome was a given, the pointspread outcome was seriously in doubt.
Halftime score: Boise State 28 Portland State 10.
Final score: Boise State 45 Portland State 10.
Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin used the mismatch against an FCS opponent to get a good look at his 105-man roster.
Ten players made their Boise State debuts against PSU.
Three quarterbacks saw action, seven backs had at least one carry and nine players caught a pass.
Twenty-one defenders recorded at least one tackle on a defense that has been the bright spot of a football program known for its high-flying offense.
For the third consecutive game, the Bronco defense did not allow a single point in the second half.
Against Florida State, Marshall, and PSU, the overshadowed defensive unit of the Boise State football program has yielded a grand total of 132 yards after halftime.
Next up is a Friday night home against Air Force.
Boise State was installed a 9.5-point choice (BetOnline) over Air Force in the Mountain West opener for both teams.
No strong predictions from this corner with the following exception: The Falcons will be hard-pressed to move the ball over the final 30 minutes of the game.
ON THE BLUE.....Credit Gene Bleymaier for the idea of the blue turf at Boise State.
Bleymaier was the athletic director at BSU from 1982-2011.
The blue AstroTurf, nicknamed the Smurf Turf, was installed at Boise State in 1986.
Bleymaier and Boise State successfully applied for trademark rights involving the unique blue playing surface in the late 1980's.
Since then, they've allowed schools like Eastern Washington (red), Coastal Carolina (teal) and Central Arkansas (purple and gray) to use colors other than the traditional green.
However, no FBS school is allowed to use Boise's blue-colored turf.
It was a brilliant marketing idea for a football program seeking attention as it rose from its original junior college roots in 1933 to NCAA Division I-AA (1978-1995) and now NCAA Division I-A, currently called Football Bowl Subdivision or FBS since 1996.
The story of Boise State's blue field is symbolic of the university's overall philosophy where outside-the-box thinking is promoted and encouraged to offset inherent advantages of big-time competition.
After 20 years of watching ESPN-televised games on the blue turf at Bronco Stadium, I finally witnessed a Boise State football game from the 50-yard line at the newly-named Albertsons Stadium.
The iconic blue field was amazing; the football game, not so much.
Enthusiasm for football at the school appears to be waning, adding to a nationwide trend in which college football attendance is down at most schools.
Chadd Cripe, lead sports columnist of the Idaho Statesman, claims a weak home schedule is the primary reason for the decline in season-ticket sales at Boise State, the lowest level since 2003.
He cited 4,000 empty seats for the home opener against Marshall and 5,000 empty seats last Saturday night.
The blue artificial turf was brighter than it looks on television, yet the crowd of 31,068 (capacity 36,387) appeared subdued by the lack of suspense or intrigue on the field.
The average score when Boise State plays an FCS opponent is 47-7 over a nine-game sample dating back to 2003.
Hard to believe but true in the conservative state of Idaho, Albertsons Stadium does not sell alcohol.
So much for having a beer with your football.
Portland State needed a stiff drink after the beating it took on the field.
The game was another case of heavyweights playing lightweights in a non-competitive contest.
Even the brutal UFC has weight divisions.
Why not college football?
Instead, the powers-that-be in college football institute sissified rule changes to make football a safer game, yet they allow football powerhouses to schedule overmatched patsies.
Boise opened a 34-point favorite and closed a 34.5-point favorite over Portland State at both Westgate and William Hill.
The natural outcome was a given, the pointspread outcome was seriously in doubt.
Halftime score: Boise State 28 Portland State 10.
Final score: Boise State 45 Portland State 10.
Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin used the mismatch against an FCS opponent to get a good look at his 105-man roster.
Ten players made their Boise State debuts against PSU.
Three quarterbacks saw action, seven backs had at least one carry and nine players caught a pass.
Twenty-one defenders recorded at least one tackle on a defense that has been the bright spot of a football program known for its high-flying offense.
For the third consecutive game, the Bronco defense did not allow a single point in the second half.
Against Florida State, Marshall, and PSU, the overshadowed defensive unit of the Boise State football program has yielded a grand total of 132 yards after halftime.
Next up is a Friday night home against Air Force.
Boise State was installed a 9.5-point choice (BetOnline) over Air Force in the Mountain West opener for both teams.
No strong predictions from this corner with the following exception: The Falcons will be hard-pressed to move the ball over the final 30 minutes of the game.
ON THE BLUE.....Credit Gene Bleymaier for the idea of the blue turf at Boise State.
Bleymaier was the athletic director at BSU from 1982-2011.
The blue AstroTurf, nicknamed the Smurf Turf, was installed at Boise State in 1986.
Bleymaier and Boise State successfully applied for trademark rights involving the unique blue playing surface in the late 1980's.
Since then, they've allowed schools like Eastern Washington (red), Coastal Carolina (teal) and Central Arkansas (purple and gray) to use colors other than the traditional green.
However, no FBS school is allowed to use Boise's blue-colored turf.
It was a brilliant marketing idea for a football program seeking attention as it rose from its original junior college roots in 1933 to NCAA Division I-AA (1978-1995) and now NCAA Division I-A, currently called Football Bowl Subdivision or FBS since 1996.
The story of Boise State's blue field is symbolic of the university's overall philosophy where outside-the-box thinking is promoted and encouraged to offset inherent advantages of big-time competition.
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