Some people talk like BSU was mediocre before Jeanty and that's where they'll go back to. Ashton was a generational talent at this level, no question. Heck, he broke Cedric Minter's BSU rushing records that had stood since the late 70's, and Minter never made the NFL, though he was pretty good in the CFL for years. Anyway, back to now.... Gaines got hurt early last season vs Oregon, missed a couple games, tried it again vs Portland St, aggravated it, then was shut down for the season. They thought maybe he'd be able to play vs Penn St, but didn't. They said he was gonna participate in Spring, but didn't. At this point, he's Henry Buckley. They will very much be RB by committee. Malik Sherrod, transfer from Fresneck, made a strong case in the spring.
WR room is pretty shaky. Cam Camper, last year's leader, is in Jags camp. Prince Strachan was expected to be a leader, but he transferred to USC. Latrell Caples is pretty good. They are very young and don't have a deep threat. Chris Marshall is their X-factor, but he's like Gaines, lotsa talent, can't get on the field. Lots of opportunity for the young guys, although the staff is beating the bushes for a more "mature" WR to add to the mix. TE Matt Lauter is an NFL talent.
They have a veteran OL, which is good for them because if Madsen gets hurt they will be in deep doo doo. Outside of Maddux, I think there might be a total of one CFB pass thrown in that room.
The defense has some good pieces, but LB Simpson was gonna play a big role and he portaled. Their all-time leading kicker, Dalmas, graduated, and their punter, Ferguson-Reynolds, took his 43-yard avg to Oregon. Special teams, which cost them the Oregon game, will be an adventure, even moreso than last year.
Putting all this together, I'd say the Broncos have their work cut out for them. Don't know if they're Top 20, but don't think so until they earn it. If they can go into South Bend no worse than 4-1 maybe they won't embarrass themselves. They have a lot of questions to answer. For the most part, though, they always seem to get things worked out and be good. If our enthusiasm for the Fighting Mullens is born out, this may very well be the year the streak ends.
