Brockel, Kaiserman likely out for season

JOSH RASMUSSEN/THE ARBITER. Freshman receiver Kirby Moore will carry a heavier load as the season progresses due to injuries the Broncos have sustained on offense.

Boise State routed Idaho last week 63-25, but at a high cost for BSU.

Senior fullback and NFL prospect, Richie Brockel, injured his foot early in the game against the Vandals. When he returned to the sidelines he was in street cloths and on crutches. The diagnosis at this time is not exactly known, but according to BSU head coach Chris Petersen, Brockel will miss the remainder of the season, ending his career at BSU.

“It means a lot because Richie brings more intangible things than he does even physically,” Petersen said of his missed captain. “He’s a physical tone setter for us on offense. He’s also the voice of reason and he’s the most mature guy that we have on the entire team.”

Brockel is the unsung leader of the offense on and off the field. Losing a player of that caliber late in the year is hard for a young team, but his presence will still be with the team wherever they go.

“He was a pretty vocal guy in the locker room and during the pre game,” freshman wide receiver Kirby Moore said. “Losing Richie is a big deal.”

Austin Pettis, who had four touchdown catches against Idaho, knows just how much Brockel meant to this team and is still trying to cope with the fact that the captain will not be in the huddle again.

“It’s a lot of leadership that we’re losing on the field, but he’s still going to be a part of this team no matter what,” Pettis said.

The Broncos must now turn to sophomore fullback, Dan Paul, from Boring, Oregon. The sophomore has played sparingly during the season and has big shoes to fill in the absence of BSU’s only starting offensive senior. Coach Petersen feels confident Paul will step up and keep the Broncos playing at a high level.

“Dan’s been making great strides all year long and I think he’s in a place where we need him to be to take that next step and really carry that flag for Richie,” Petersen said.

Another unfortunate loss came to up-and-coming freshman running back Matt Kaiserman, who broke his leg late in the Idaho game after throwing his first touchdown on a trick play to tight end Kyle Efaw. Kaiserman’s injury is a significant blow to the already beleaguered BSU backfield. The running game lost junior D.J. Harper to an ACL tear earlier in the season against Fresno State. The Broncos are now down to only two productive backs with Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin.

“Kaiser’s going to be okay down the road. It’s just such a bummer for us and for him. He’s had a hard year anyway getting going and we were just starting to get him in the mix in a bunch of different things,” Petersen said.

Sophomore receiver, Tyler Shoemaker, was also injured during the victory over rival Idaho and also left on crutches after the game. His status is questionable for this weekend’s game at Utah State. Petersen said they’re still waiting on the doctors to evaluate him before they make any decisions going forward. Kirby Moore will likely step into Shoemaker’s slot position this weekend against USU.

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Posted by Trent Lootens on Nov 18 2009. Filed under Blue-N-Orange, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.