-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Has Boise State outgrown its rivalry with University of Idaho?
Archive
Comments
Story
The Broncos will travel to Pullman, Wash. on Saturday to play their hated enemies, the Vandals. But the Boise State vs. Idaho football game may not be the traditional rivalry it once was.
Webster’s dictionary defines the word rival as “one who tries to get or do the same thing as another, or to equal or surpass another; competitor.”
According to that definition, one might begin to question the rivalry. Times have changed and the rivalry may have changed right along with it.
Student opinion on the rivalry seems to be somewhat mixed.
“I still consider the game to be a fun rivalry but I question the level of competition the Vandals can bring,” junior Dillon Smith said.
Which brings up another good question. Has BSU outgrown this rivalry?
The Broncos moved up a notch in the level of competition when they moved to the WAC, while the Vandals moved laterally at best with their move to the Sunbelt Conference.
Senior Chris Widdison agreed that BSU has outgrown the rivalry.
“BSU and Idaho aren’t even on the same level anymore. Yeah, we still hate them but it’s time for a new rival within our own conference so we have some competition,” he said.
However, there is still a game to be played – rivalry or not. And the game is important for both teams.
The Vandals (0-3) are coming off of an embarrassing 53-3 loss to the University of Washington and are still searching for their first win. The Broncos (1-2) meanwhile, want to build upon the momentum they started with a strong 42-17 victory over UTEP.
UTEP was favored to finish 2nd in the WAC and the Broncos 3rd. A loss to the Vandals could be detrimental to that momentum when the Broncos get back to WAC play.
The Vandals will be without quarterback John Welsh, leaving the Broncos the luxury of focusing on junior running back Blair Lewis who rushed for 104 yards last week against no. 13 Washington.
Boise will look to continue the strong performances on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie and a strong receiving core of Jay Swillie and Lou Fanuucchi had good games against UTEP. Brock Forsey and David Mikell head the running game that balances out the Bronco’s attack.
Clinton Calhoun, Special to the Arbiter
