Five Flame-Throwers

I don't have to tell you that it is finally Game Week! The last of BroncoCountry's offensive previews takes a look at the five talented young men at quarterback.

History was made just last week when Boise State head football coach Chris Petersen announced that lefthander Kellen Moore would be the first Bronco freshman to ever begin the season as the starting quarterback. 

Moore and crafty senior Bush Hamdan competed for the job along with junior Nick Lomax, sophomore Michael Coughlin and freshman walk-on Drew Hawkins.  Kellen was named the starter, but I can tell you there are dozens and dozens of programs in the country that would love to have a group of signal-callers as talented as those five individuals. 

Hamdan.  Lomax.  Coughlin.  Hawkins.  Moore.  Does anything come to mind when you think about those five fine young men?  The one thing that sticks out to me is:  football blood.  All five of these QB’s have bloodlines in their family that have helped them substantially as they have risen to this stage.  Bush Hamdan—his brother is a quarterback with the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League.  Having a brother as a current NFL quarterback is a pretty good sounding board.  Nick Lomax—his father was a record-breaking quarterback himself in college and played in the NFL as well.  The elder Lomax ranks 11^th all-time for his 4,614 passing yards for the Cardinals in 1984.  Coughlin—his great grandfather was the West’s first All-American football player (he played end on California’s wonder teams from 1920-22.)  Hawkins—his dad of course was second only to Lyle Smith as the most successful football coach in the history of Boise State.  Moore—another talented bomb-thrower that was raised by a football coach who presided over his high school career.

Five outstanding college football quarterbacks with an amazing football intelligence.  Let’s look at each of them.

Kellen Moore—Moore brings that great understanding of the game with him into the huddle.  Many thought that former Bronco great Ryan Dinwiddie was essentially a “coach on the field” because of his intrinsic knowledge of the complicated Bronco offense and his ability to read defenses.  These are the attributes that Moore begins with as a freshman.  He is comfortable in the pocket with both the patience to wait for an open receiver and the ability to deliver a quick strike once they are.  He threw for 11,367 yards in high school and will give the Broncos the ability to score from any place on the field.

Bush Hamdan—Hamdan, though he didn’t get the starting nod, is as important to the team as Moore is.  The success of a team depends on leadership, team cohesiveness, and everybody knowing their role and stepping up.  In some ways, the responsibility that Hamdan has is more than if he were starting.  Not only is he looked upon to carry himself with class, but he needs to both assist Kellen in his preparation and maturity as well as be ready at a moment’s notice if he needs to go in.  Knowing what I know about the young man, he will handle his role with dignity; he is a great individual.  He very well could join his brother in the pro ranks depending on what happens this season.  Hamdan is indeed a great leader, knows the Bronco offense well and makes good on-the-field decisions.

Nick Lomax—Nick has come far in the program and is quite capable of leading the Broncos if called on.  With his football intelligence, he too will be counted on to assist Moore and the coaches.  Lomax has great NFL size and a good arm but just needs to work on consistency and increasing his knowledge of the Bronco system.

Michael Coughlin—Michael too could step in at any time and the Broncos would be fine.  He throws a good ball and is unbothered by pressure.  My feeling is that he just needs to relax and let the game come to him but his football talent is unquestioned.

Drew Hawkins—this kid came in and really competed for the job as a freshman walk-on.  Obviously, he too has the football knowledge and leadership abilities.  There was some talk early that he might play on the defense so we’ll see what develops there.  In any case, he’s a talent that the Broncos need to find a place for.

So we have begun the countdown during Game Week for Idaho State.  Bronco fans are extremely blessed to witness such amazing talent at every position.  But more than that, these student-athletes are high-quality young men.  Nowhere is that more evident than at the quarterback position.  They all come from great families and their tremendous upbringing shows in the way they conduct themselves.  I for one am proud that they are all here.  They all bring their own talents and it’s a thrill to watch them develop.  There is no question in my mind that they will all be leaders in whatever field they are in after they leave Boise State.

We all know that offense gets fans and defenses win championships.  There is no more high-powered, high-excitement offense in the country in the 21^st century than Boise State so by extension; they should continue to attract fans from all across America with their thrilling brand of football.  We have presented a brief forecast of each of the positions on offense.  Beginning tomorrow, we’ll look at the other side of the ball, and see if the Broncos can in fact Take Back the WAC!