Spring Break!

BOISE- It's Spring Break at Boise State University this week which means among other things, there will be no football activity on the blue turf.

That doesn't mean there won't be any football activity in other places.

"Hanging out with the family a little bit," smiled head coach Chris Petersen, minutes after the team's first scrimmage Friday afternoon. "That's all I got."

Petersen and his coaching staff can't go on vacation, at least not for awhile. They still have a lot of question marks at key positions, such as the favorite one for the fans and the media: Who will be the team's starting quarterback?

"It'd be nice to narrow it down to two guys, just for the reps," said Petersen. "But they're all kind of bunched in there."

Junior Bush Hamdan put up the best numbers in the team's first scrimmage Friday, completing 8-of-11 passes for 98 yards. But freshman Michael Coughlin was 8-of-12 and sophomore Nick Lomax was 6-of-14. So like Petersen said, it's too early to make a decision.

Spring football is usually about individual performances. Freshmen runningbacks Jeremy Avery (11 rushes, 80 yds) and Stew Tracy (12 rushes for 36 yds, 2 rec for 26 yds) each made their case to be the primary backup to Ian Johnson this fall. With 6 catches for 56 yards, Toshi Franklin is hoping his performance gives him an edge for a starting spot at wide receiver.

All this and more will be taken into account this week. While the players are on vacation, the coaching staff is left to evaluate the first two weeks of practice.

"I think we saw some decent things out there," summarized Petersen, adding, "We're not trying to win spring ball."

That's the reason why if you attended Friday's scrimmage you didn't see runningback Ian Johnson, offensive tackle Ryan Clady, and linebacker Kyle Gingg among others. Several returning Bronco football players did not suit up for Friday's scrimmage.

"We'll play those guys if they're healthy," said Petersen. "If they're not ready to go, we're not going to jeopardize their health."

At least those guys get a week off for Spring Break to rest up. How much rest do you think the coaching staff will be getting?