College football -- Kellen Moore to take helm for Boise St.

YAKIMA -- For weeks, the message boards and online forums following Boise State football have reflected fan fervor over this season's prospects for the Broncos, arguably the most prominent Division I team not playing in a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conference.

By far the biggest topic of discussion was the question of who would get the nod as starting quarterback. Would it be the redshirt freshman Kellen Moore, the Prosser phenom whose only college experience was 2007, in which he spent four months imitating opposing quarterbacks in practice for the scout team? Or would it be Bush Hamden, a
fifth-year senior? Or perhaps one of the other two quarterbacks vying for the job?

On Wednesday morning, Moore got the news -- one that figures to be good news for Yakima Valley fans wanting a chance to see a local playing on television for a nationally ranked team.

"Coach Harsin (Bryan Harsin, BSU's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) pulled me in and told me I was going to be named the starter," Moore said Wednesday afternoon in a telephone interview.

"I was pretty surprised. All of these quarterbacks, we get along great. All four of us could be starting in Division I and leading this team to wins every weekend."

Moore, who hadn't been following the online forums on the Broncos' quarterback conundrum -- "We don't have time to get into what other people are saying" -- said he hadn't gone to Boise State with a mental timetable on when he hoped to break into the starting lineup.

"This is a pretty special school, the winningest program in the last 10 years," Moore said, a reference to the Broncos' 102-24 record since 1997, an .809 winning percentage that tops such marquee programs as Texas (.805), Oklahoma (.785), Ohio State (.784) and Southern Cal (.748). "I guess from the outside view, you're not expecting a freshman to be playing."

Ironically, Moore might not have been elevated into the spotlight so early without the tutelage and friendship of Hamden, the man he beat out for the job.

"From the second I got here, Bush has always been there helping me with anything I've ever needed," Moore said. "I've been asking him questions and he's always been willing to help me out in any way possible. Whatever happened here, we're still going to be good friends. It's always tough battling a guy you get to know personally."

Moore and Hamden had accumulated very similar statistics through spring and fall scrimmages. But Moore had the upside of being the young guy who might start four years, getting better every season, while Hamden taking the helm would necessitate Boise State entering the 2009 season with yet another first-time starter.

At Prosser, Moore set state career records for touchdown passes (173) and completions (787) and single-season marks for completions, yards and TD passes. He set the latter as a senior when he was named the state's player of the year.

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