Boise State will miss Pettis’ presence
December 31, 2009
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Boise State doesn’t know whether star receiver Austin Pettis will play in Monday’s Fiesta Bowl, but the junior hasn’t stopped trying to get on the field to help his team.
“He’s recovered very well and our guys have a lot of respect for him,” Boise State offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin said. “So, everybody’s hoping to get him back on the field. We hope so, too. We’ll find out. That remains to be seen yet.”
Pettis, the team’s second-leading receiver and best red zone threat, suffered a broken bone in his ankle against Nevada on Nov. 27. He had surgery days after the injury and has been practicing in pads with the team at least since its arrival in Arizona. He’s been hobbled, though, and even if he can play, he won’t be the same receiver that accounted for 62 catches for 850 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.
Harsin said the team has been preparing to play the Fiesta Bowl without Pettis and that the return of Tyler Shoemaker, who’s missed the last three games with a hernia, will help.
“Shoe physically has the same tools as Austin does,” Harsin said. “So, we’ll do what we’ve done in the past and between Kirby [Moore] and Shoemaker and those guys, they’ll step up and fill his shoes. They’ve done that already.”
Shoemaker, the team’s fourth-leading receiver with 21 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns, will be counted on to keep the Broncos passing game effective along with freshmen Kirby Moore, Mitch Burroughs and Chris Potter. With so many injuries, the three freshmen have combined for 14 receptions in the last three games after combining for 18 catches during the previous 10.
While Harsin said the production probably won’t suffer, the leadership and playmaking abilities that Pettis brings to the field is what the Broncos will miss the most.
“Austin’s kind of got that, through this season especially, that ‘it’ factor going on because of the confidence and all that,” Harsin said. “I think we can’t change what we’re going to do schematically and all those things, but he’s obviously a presence out there. The biggest thing where we miss Austin is in practice because he’s such a playmaker and he’s a spark. I think the biggest thing you lose is just his presence out there and his leadership on the field. And you know that he’s going to make a play for you.”
