Saturday's scrimmage will be the only time Boise State fans can see the team scrimmage before the Broncos' season opener on Aug. 31 at Michigan State.
Chris Butler ? cbutler@idahostatesman.com
The 2012 Boise State football team will make its public debut Saturday night at Bronco Stadium.
The Broncos will hold their second fall scrimmage, and the only one open to the public and media, at 7 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
Here are five things to watch:
1. The quarterbacks. All eyes will be on four replacements for Kellen Moore. The coaches have released precious little information about the battle and the group is coming off what coach Chris Petersen called an ?average? showing in the first scrimmage.
The quarterbacks are junior Joe Southwick (16), sophomore Grant Hedrick (9), redshirt freshman Jimmy Laughrea (14) and true freshman Nick Patti (8).
2. The kickers. Senior Michael Frisina and sophomore Dan Goodale continue to compete for the field-goal job. Kicking in front of a crowd will be a key test.
3. The true freshmen. Among the players who have impressed in camp so far: tailbacks Jack Fields and Devan Demas, wide receiver Shane Williams-Rhodes, tight end Hayden Plinke, offensive tackle Travis Averill and linebackers Chris Santini and Andrew Pint.
4. New safeties. The Broncos boast one of the best cornerback tandems in the nation, but they are young and inexperienced at safety. Sophomores Lee Hightower and Jeremy Ioane are expected to start, with senior Hazen Moss playing well, too.
5. The new bleachers. Fans get a chance to check out the views from the new seats. Season tickets are still available. Crews also have started to put gray paint over the track.
MICHIGAN STATE TICKETS
The Spartans have released 1,200 tickets that were returned by the Broncos. Boise State sold 3,150 of its 5,000 tickets for the Aug. 31 game. Tickets ($80 each) are available through msuspartans.com.
CAMP IMPRESSIONS
? The defense played well Friday. The pass rush was a significant factor ? particularly when the second-team offense failed to make any progress in a timed 2-minute drill. End Demarcus Lawrence was named coach Chris Petersen?s camper of the day.
SPOTLIGHT ON ? LS CHRIS ROBERSON
Roberson has spent the vast majority of the past three years working on one skill ? snapping the ball to the Broncos? punters and field-goal holders.
?It flies by,? the fourth-year starter said. ?While you?re in the daily grind it?s like, ?Man, is this ever going to end?? Once you finally get through it, it?s, ?Man, I can?t believe it went that fast.? ?
Roberson joined the team in 2009 as a walk-on from Katy, Texas. He won the snapping job that fall and was awarded a scholarship in 2010.
He figures he has had just one bad snap in three years, on a botched field-goal attempt in 2009 at Bowling Green.
?Other than that, it?s pretty solid,? he said. ?Trying to keep my name out of the papers. Quarterbacks can go 15-for-17 and they?re All-Americans. Long snappers go 15-for-17, they?re packing up.?
Roberson said he has improved by heeding coach Chris Petersen?s advice to all players.
?Coming to work every day with a purpose to get better,? Roberson said. ?Every day that I?ve been here, I?ve tried to hone in on a certain aspect of it just to overall get it right.?
Said Petersen: ?He?s been an excellent long snapper. ? He takes a lot of pride in his craft.?
MEANWHILE, AT COLORADO STATE ?
Dominique Vinson has moved from cornerback to wide receiver, the position he played at Boise State in spring 2008 before transferring to a junior college and eventually Colorado State. Vinson impressed in the Rams? scrimmage last week and could be a factor in the pass game this year.
?He?s shown some speed and ability to get over the top, which I honestly didn?t know he possessed,? coach Jim McElwain told The Coloradoan. ?But what he?s done a good job of is being able to find the zones in the defense.?
Chadd Cripe: 377-6398, Twitter: @IDS_BroncoBeat
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