Bengal Roar
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IDAHO STATE FOOTBALL
Crystal-ball gazing
BY KELVIN ANG
[email protected]
Two weeks ago, the Big Sky released its preseason all-conference team with Jon Vanderwielen as the only Idaho State player among the picks. Does that mean the punter is the only Bengal fans should look out for this season? Of course not. That would be a terribly boring way to watch football games. Here are some other Bengals who likely will make headlines.
Journal preseason awards
CO-MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: WIDE RECEIVERS JARON
TAYLOR AND ISAIAH
BUREL
Idaho State’s wide receivers were the team’s most promising playmakers last season. Look for that trend to continue this year. Taylor and Burel have each showed flashes of brilliance that suggest that together, they have the ability to compensate for the loss of slot receiver Eddie Thompson.
Taylor stepped up and reeled in eight catches for 159 yards after Thompson went down with a knee injury during a loss to North Dakota. Taylor topped the 100-yard mark again in the following game against Eastern Washington.
Just as Taylor was flourishing as Idaho State’s big-play threat in the air, he suffered a dislocated elbow. In came Burel, who shook off the lingering pain from his dislocated knee to post consecutive 100-yard receiving games against Cal Poly and Sacramento State. Burel’s electric play carried over to the spring game this year, when he snagged two highlight-reel passes from quarterback Kyle Blum.
If the two receivers continue to develop at the pace they have, they will be hard for opposing secondaries to shut down.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR:
QUARTERBACK KYLE
BLUM
As much as Burel has the ability to stretch the field with his speed, he needs Blum to find him with laser throws. The two of them have already demonstrated good chemistry in the past. Blum found Burel for a 59-yard completion that set up a field goal during the Sacramento State win, and the two hooked up for passes of 51 and 27 yards during the spring game. Chances are, Blum will keep looking for Burel’s No. 6 jersey this season, a strategy that should lead to gaudy numbers for the quarterback.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR:
LINEBACKER JEREMY
GIBSON
Playing behind all-Big Sky selection Ryan Phipps last season, Gibson didn’t get very many opportunities to showcase his talent. When he finally got his chance as a first-string weakside linebacker this spring, Gibson immediately made an impression. He led the team with five tackles during Idaho State’s first scrimmage and seemed to be in the midst of every play. It appears all that time Gibson spent behind Phipps on the depth chart learning the nuances of the linebacker position didn’t go to waste.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PLAYER OF THE
YEAR: KICK
RETURNER JD
PONCIANO
With apologies to Vanderwielen, it is Ponciano who has the greatest potential among Idaho State’s special teams players to make a difference in games. Ponciano was among the league leaders in yards per kickoff return last season. With his blazing speed, Ponciano should consistently give Idaho State good field position and maybe even spring for a touchdown or two.
MOST LIKELY
CANDIDATE FOR A
BREAKOUT SEASON
NO. 1: CORNERBACK
KENNY VISER
The transfer from Nevada must have hated that spring ball ended when it did. He sparkled with a five-tackle performance during the spring game and then trumped that with a sensational effort in Idaho State’s final practice. That afternoon, he picked off a pass, forced a fumble and deflected several other passes in quick succession, thus declaring his candidacy for a starting cornerback spot louder than any words could have.
MOST LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR A BREAKOUT SEASON NO. 2: OFFENSIVE LINEMAN BRAEDEN CLAYSON
Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 322 pounds, Clayson is the most physically imposing of the Bengals’ returning offensive linemen. The Burley High graduate didn’t play much last season but turned out to be one of the line’s most consistent performers at left guard in the spring. In fact, I think so highly of Clayson’s ceiling that I voted him to my preseason all-conference team. Hopefully, Clayson doesn’t make me look like a fool.
MOST LIKELY
CANDIDATE FOR A
BREAKOUT SEASON
NO. 3: RUNNING
BACK SKYLAR
MORGAN
Morgan has been known to rise to the occasion in big games. He hauled in the opening kickoff of Minico’s game against California’s Colfax High in the Rocky Mountain Rumble and promptly stormed 90 yards untouched into the end zone to give Minico a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Morgan finished the day with 174 yards and two touchdowns. That performance likely played a huge role in how fervently Idaho State’s coaches recruited him. Still, it pales in comparison with what Morgan did in Minico’s state playoff semifinal game against Jerome, when he ran for 252 yards and four touchdowns on 41 carries. From the looks of it, Idaho State is very lucky to have signed Morgan.
UNSUNG HERO:
LONG SNAPPER
DANIEL URIAS
Long snapping wasn’t one of Idaho State’s strengths last season, to put it mildly. The Bengals lost Chris Kirkegaard to a torn ACL in the season opener, and neither Evan Dietrich-Smith nor Ryan Henry could plug that hole in the following weeks. Each reeled off a bad snap that led to either a touchdown or safety. Josh Crittenden inherited the position only long enough to suffer a season-ending knee injury himself.
Idaho State entered the spring with a huge question mark at long snapper, but it took Urias just a few practices to extinguish the controversy surrounding the position. Save for a few errant snaps early on, Urias looked solid throughout spring camp and should ease the Bengals’ phobia of sending the punt unit on the field.
Crystal-ball gazing
BY KELVIN ANG
[email protected]
Two weeks ago, the Big Sky released its preseason all-conference team with Jon Vanderwielen as the only Idaho State player among the picks. Does that mean the punter is the only Bengal fans should look out for this season? Of course not. That would be a terribly boring way to watch football games. Here are some other Bengals who likely will make headlines.
Journal preseason awards
CO-MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: WIDE RECEIVERS JARON
TAYLOR AND ISAIAH
BUREL
Idaho State’s wide receivers were the team’s most promising playmakers last season. Look for that trend to continue this year. Taylor and Burel have each showed flashes of brilliance that suggest that together, they have the ability to compensate for the loss of slot receiver Eddie Thompson.
Taylor stepped up and reeled in eight catches for 159 yards after Thompson went down with a knee injury during a loss to North Dakota. Taylor topped the 100-yard mark again in the following game against Eastern Washington.
Just as Taylor was flourishing as Idaho State’s big-play threat in the air, he suffered a dislocated elbow. In came Burel, who shook off the lingering pain from his dislocated knee to post consecutive 100-yard receiving games against Cal Poly and Sacramento State. Burel’s electric play carried over to the spring game this year, when he snagged two highlight-reel passes from quarterback Kyle Blum.
If the two receivers continue to develop at the pace they have, they will be hard for opposing secondaries to shut down.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR:
QUARTERBACK KYLE
BLUM
As much as Burel has the ability to stretch the field with his speed, he needs Blum to find him with laser throws. The two of them have already demonstrated good chemistry in the past. Blum found Burel for a 59-yard completion that set up a field goal during the Sacramento State win, and the two hooked up for passes of 51 and 27 yards during the spring game. Chances are, Blum will keep looking for Burel’s No. 6 jersey this season, a strategy that should lead to gaudy numbers for the quarterback.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR:
LINEBACKER JEREMY
GIBSON
Playing behind all-Big Sky selection Ryan Phipps last season, Gibson didn’t get very many opportunities to showcase his talent. When he finally got his chance as a first-string weakside linebacker this spring, Gibson immediately made an impression. He led the team with five tackles during Idaho State’s first scrimmage and seemed to be in the midst of every play. It appears all that time Gibson spent behind Phipps on the depth chart learning the nuances of the linebacker position didn’t go to waste.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PLAYER OF THE
YEAR: KICK
RETURNER JD
PONCIANO
With apologies to Vanderwielen, it is Ponciano who has the greatest potential among Idaho State’s special teams players to make a difference in games. Ponciano was among the league leaders in yards per kickoff return last season. With his blazing speed, Ponciano should consistently give Idaho State good field position and maybe even spring for a touchdown or two.
MOST LIKELY
CANDIDATE FOR A
BREAKOUT SEASON
NO. 1: CORNERBACK
KENNY VISER
The transfer from Nevada must have hated that spring ball ended when it did. He sparkled with a five-tackle performance during the spring game and then trumped that with a sensational effort in Idaho State’s final practice. That afternoon, he picked off a pass, forced a fumble and deflected several other passes in quick succession, thus declaring his candidacy for a starting cornerback spot louder than any words could have.
MOST LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR A BREAKOUT SEASON NO. 2: OFFENSIVE LINEMAN BRAEDEN CLAYSON
Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 322 pounds, Clayson is the most physically imposing of the Bengals’ returning offensive linemen. The Burley High graduate didn’t play much last season but turned out to be one of the line’s most consistent performers at left guard in the spring. In fact, I think so highly of Clayson’s ceiling that I voted him to my preseason all-conference team. Hopefully, Clayson doesn’t make me look like a fool.
MOST LIKELY
CANDIDATE FOR A
BREAKOUT SEASON
NO. 3: RUNNING
BACK SKYLAR
MORGAN
Morgan has been known to rise to the occasion in big games. He hauled in the opening kickoff of Minico’s game against California’s Colfax High in the Rocky Mountain Rumble and promptly stormed 90 yards untouched into the end zone to give Minico a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Morgan finished the day with 174 yards and two touchdowns. That performance likely played a huge role in how fervently Idaho State’s coaches recruited him. Still, it pales in comparison with what Morgan did in Minico’s state playoff semifinal game against Jerome, when he ran for 252 yards and four touchdowns on 41 carries. From the looks of it, Idaho State is very lucky to have signed Morgan.
UNSUNG HERO:
LONG SNAPPER
DANIEL URIAS
Long snapping wasn’t one of Idaho State’s strengths last season, to put it mildly. The Bengals lost Chris Kirkegaard to a torn ACL in the season opener, and neither Evan Dietrich-Smith nor Ryan Henry could plug that hole in the following weeks. Each reeled off a bad snap that led to either a touchdown or safety. Josh Crittenden inherited the position only long enough to suffer a season-ending knee injury himself.
Idaho State entered the spring with a huge question mark at long snapper, but it took Urias just a few practices to extinguish the controversy surrounding the position. Save for a few errant snaps early on, Urias looked solid throughout spring camp and should ease the Bengals’ phobia of sending the punt unit on the field.