BY CHADD CRIPE - ccripe@idahostatesman.com Copyright: © 2011 Idaho Statesman Published: 07/22/11
The Boise State football team goes into its season opener against Georgia seeking its first win against a Southeastern Conference team.
Yet, to hear Bulldogs coach Mark Richt tell it, Georgia is the team with something to prove — and gain — from the marquee matchup.
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is Sept. 3 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The contract was finalized in November, while the Bulldogs were stumbling toward a rare losing season — a 6-7 campaign capped by an embarrassing 10-6 loss to UCF in the Liberty Bowl.
“Where we were at that time was a decline in our record, a decline in how people perceived our program, a place that I didn’t really like, I wasn’t very comfortable in, wasn’t used to,” Richt said Thursday at SEC media days in Hoover, Ala. “I said, ‘What better way to send a surge of energy into this program than to schedule a game like that?’”
At the same time, Richt knew that decision was a gamble. Boise State is 61-5 in five seasons under coach Chris Petersen with two Fiesta Bowl titles.
“There’s risk in playing a team that can whip your tail because they might whip your tail,” Richt said. “But in order for us to get back where we want to be, which is highly ranked and highly thought of, we need to play this game.”
Richt and the Bulldogs are taking full advantage of having an entire offseason to prepare for the Broncos. Like most opposing coaches, he has taken note of the Broncos’ consistent passion.
“As you watch their film, you realize that they are a special football team in the way they approach it,” Richt said. “I’ve probably never seen anybody play any harder than they play as a team down after down, film after film. They are a very confident team.
“… All they do is win. They don’t know anything else. They don’t know how to lose, so to speak. When you play teams that really get in the habit of winning and are talented and well-coached, it’s very, very problematic. But that’s where we want to be, too.”
San Diego State’s already-depleted corps of wide receivers has taken two more hits. Junior Dominique Sandifer, the team’s most experienced receiver, and redshirt freshman Jay Waddell will miss the entire season with injuries, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The Aztecs, who feature standout quarterback Ryan Lindley, don’t have any returning wide receivers who made more than four catches last season.
Also, defensive tackle Neil Spencer, who started three games last year, has been ruled academically ineligible.
Boise State plays at San Diego State on Nov. 19.
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