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Hall stands tall, the bedrock Bronco
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Korey Hall is a small-town kid. But he is a big-time linebacker for the Boise State Broncos. The senior mike backer lead the Broncos in 2006 in tackles (105) and interceptions (6).
He was recently named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the 2006 season.
He was named first-team all-WAC for the third year in a row, a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy, was named the Broncos’ most outstanding defensive player and moved into fourth place on BSU’s all-time tackles list. He finished with double-digit tackles four times in the regular season.
He helped lead his team to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, one of the Bowl Championship Series bowls.
That’s quite a lot for a kid from Glenns Ferry, Idaho. The town lies on the Snake river in southwest Idaho. It is a rural community, its namesake based on an actual man who ferried settlers across the Snake in their quest to find opportunity in the west.
Opportunity.
The word is key when talking of this stalwart young man. He grasped his opportunity, one of his only shots at playing college football, when he signed with the BSU program.
Hall was a stud at Glenns Ferry High School, where he played bothe linebacker and running back. He recorded 359 tackles in his four years as a starter in the 2A division. He also rushed for 2,802 yards. In these smaller schools, the athletes are asked to do so much more than they do in larger school. Hall also played special teams and placed second in the Idaho State Wrestling tournament his senior year.
Hall fit right in when he came to Boise State. His work ethic and blue-collar mentality jelled quite naturally with the hard-nosed Broncos. He was and still is willing to do anything for his team.
His savvy pass coverage has let him record more interceptions (11) than any other linebacker in WAC history.
And now, in his final game as a Bronco, his future on the line, desires for a career in construction management in his future and every media member in Phoenix wondering how he and his Broncos will do in the Fiesta Bowl, Hall is as composed as ever. He is calm and focused and ready to show the nation what he and his defense can do, not only on the Blue, but on the Phoenix Green too.
“You gotta go into the game the same as you would every other game,” Hall said. “If we can stick with what’s been working with us all season, we’ll be alright.”
But there are doubters out there questioning the mid-major Broncos’ ability to hang with the class of the NCAA and its most-hailed tailback, Adrian Peterson.
“He’s obviously one of the best running backs in the nation and we’re going to have to try to contain him,” Hall said. “I think that’s the key to us winning. If we can come in and stop the run, we’re going to have a chance to be successful. I think going into any football game, if you can run the ball and stop the other team from running the ball on you, you have a chance to be successful and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
The Broncos have done quite well this season slowing down the run and in many instances, straight up negating opposing offenses from any rushing success. The Broncos rank No. 18 nationally in scoring defense, ironically one slot behind the Oklahoma Sooners. With Hall as its captain, the Bronco defense is No. 7 in the nation in rush defense, giving up about 98 yards per game on the ground. Stopping the run puts opposing offenses into third-and-long situations and forces them to make mistakes or punt the ball away.
“We want to control the game, the ball, create turnovers and not give them up,” Hall said.
And that is a sound goal. But most of the nation isn’t giving these Broncos a chance. For Hall, he has been fighting for a chance for years. He has been playing for respect and playing to play and all those things which make the Idaho athlete so pure.
“Our team and definitely our senior class, we’ve have a chip on our shoulder,” Hall said. “We want to come out and show people what we’re all about and that we have a great team.”
The 12-0 Broncos will truly be tested in this Fiesta Bowl. Hall and his teammates will have a chance to prove whether or not they truly belong among the elites of college football. To beat the best, you must be the best, at least for one day. That day is the first of 2007, a new year and another opportunity for this small-town man.
Dustin Lapray
