BoiseState Roster Breakdown: Quarterbacks

It should come as no surprise to any BSU fan that with Ryan Finley transferring to North Carolina State, that any drama that was building as to who would captain the BSU ship as quarterback is now dead.

Brett Rypien is the man.

Coming off a freshman campaign that saw him lead the Mountain West in pass attempts, completions, and yards the sky is the limit for the true sophomore. And if Boise wants to make it back to a New Year’s Six bowl game or even beyond, the sky is where Rypien will have to go.

What if it isn’t Rypien though? After all, the only reason Rypien got the job last year was because of an injury to then starter, Ryan Finley. If Rypien goes down, who is supposed to be the Broncos savior?

It may not be a question many Bronco fans even want to think about, but depth at the quarterback position isn’t a strength of these Broncos. Now to be fair, there aren’t many teams in the country who could lose their top signal caller, and still keep chugging alone – except Ohio State of course- .

If Rypien did get hurt though, all eyes would turn to Tommy Stuart, or as he is more affectionately known as, Tommy Football.

Stuart, a redshirt junior, is more than likely the Broncos backup quarterback. As a matter of fact there may be a bigger gap between Stuart and QB3 than there is between Stuart and Rypien. The Broncos have no experience behind Stuart. Fair to say, if it gets past Stuart on the depth chart, BSU is probably in for a disastrous season.

Fans will remember Stuart as the quarterback who initially got the nod after Finley went down with his ankle injury last season. Only to give way to Rypien later in that game, and for the rest of the season as Rypien assumed the starting role.

The Broncos used Stuart sparingly throughout the rest of the season, some in goal line packages, designed quarterback runs, and in garbage time. While some think Stuart is a backup who can buy you a series or two, no one seems to think Stuart is the type of QB who can lead this team to victory.

No team wins or loses because of one man. Football is the ultimate team sport for a reason, but this current Bronco team more than most, is relying on the health and productivity of its starting quarterback. If the Broncos want to get back to a Mountain West Championship, and an elite bowl game, Rypien has to be productive, and he has to be healthy.

The biggest key to the health of Brett Rypien: his offensive line. For the Boise State offensive line preview, stay tuned to blue-turf.com later this week.