Boise State Opponent Feature - Idaho State's Mike Kramer: A Character to Watch

There's no one quite like Idaho State head coach Mike Kramer. A large, bombastic person who is as competitive as he is intelligent and thoughtful, the former Idaho Vandal offensive lineman has beat the odds and turned the Bengals from a Big Sky doormat into a fun and competitive team. 

The Boise State Broncos face Idaho State this Friday on The Blue. As a way to preview the game in a unique way, I wanted to share my experiences covering Kramer and the Bengals over a period of three years. 

I was hired by the Idaho State Journal in Pocatello in February of 2011 and started on the ISU football team beat in August of the same year. I covered the team for three seasons and talked to Kramer numerous times. He looks like Mr. Clean's older brother who ate VERY well and frequented he local gym often growing up. He is a character of epic proportions and is good for two or three over-the-top quotes in each and every press conference.

Once I asked Kramer how he gets his kick and punt returners to avoid being scared with tacklers bearing down on them. He said, "Easy. I don't recruit wimps."

When Idaho State hired Kramer to take over its fledgling FCS program in late 2010, the Bengals were making a huge gamble. 

Athletic director Jeff Tingey had seen former coach John Zamberlin lead ISU to a 6-39 record over four seasons, another poor stretch for a program that struggles to win to begin with. Kramer, who had been the head coach at fellow Big Sky schools Eastern Washington and Montana State and had turned both programs into legitimate contenders, had been fired from MSU under some very serious circumstances.

Tingey gambled on a coach with baggage, hoping he would reinvigorate the Bengals and their fans while also keeping his nose clean. With the exception of one highly-publicized incident (which ended up being nothing more than a hiccup) Kramer has turned Tingey's gamble into a jackpot.

Not only have the Bengals began to win football games, but Kramer has been a wonderful ambassador for the university and the state of Idaho (much more so than the head coach of that school in Moscow). Despite Kramer's fiery on-field demeanor, he is very kind and generous. 

I often took my son Sawyer, (who was between 1 and 3 years old at the time), newborn daughter and wife to ISU's practices I was covering because my son loved watching. Kramer would go out of his way every time to talk to my family, throw a ball around with my son. And he made sure players would come by and say hi to Sawyer. 

I ran into Kramer a number of times in the community and he would always ask how my family was doing with a huge smile on his face. He is impossible not to like.

Kramer is an avid cyclist. He goes on long bike rides during his free time. One day he told me he rode his bike down to Malad, Idaho (about 57 miles south of Pocatello) and back in the same day. He stopped at a diner near Pocatello both ways and said the waitress was "astounded and shocked" by how much food he consumed both times. 

Upon arriving in Pocatello, Kramer's first order of business was installing an exciting, pass-happy offense. Similar to the run-and-shoot scheme June Jones used at Hawaii, Idaho State began putting up gaudy, obscene passing stats. Current starting QB Michael Sanders is the third straight JuCo transfer to be under center since 2011, and the previous two shattered many school passing records.

Expect the Bengals to throw a lot. They have weapons on the outside, most notably Alabama native Broc Malcom and Boise product Madison Mangum (he himself is a BYU transfer).

But Idaho State has developed a potent run game as well with San Diego-area native Xavier Finney, now a senior. 

I've seen everyone but Sanders in action during practices and games. ISU can move the ball and score points, even with former offensive coordinator Don Bailey leaving for Hawaii after the 2014 season. 

Idaho State's biggest issue since Kramer took over has been its defense. My first two years covering the team I saw numerous teams rush for over 500 yards in a single game against ISU. (500!!!) It has improved since then, but the defense is still the weak link on the team, especially with Nampa native linebacker Mario Jenkins - who is an absolute stud - missing the season thanks to an injury.

The player to watch on defense is defensive tackle Tyler Kuder, who hails from Payette and had a grayshirt offer from Boise State in high school. Kuder ended up signing with Idaho, but didn't qualify academically and went to Montana Western before ISU came calling. He's a big boy at 6 foot 3 and 311 pounds.

If you can't tell, there are a lot of Idaho products on this Bengal team. Kramer has done that on purpose. He once told me getting as many Idaho prep prospects as possible in orange and black was a necessity for the long-term growth of a program, and to increase interest in the team.

There are currently 32 players from the Gem state on ISU's roster, 16 of which are from the Treasure Valley.

Friday's game should be a lot of fun, for the fans in the stands and for the players on the field. While I don't think Idaho State will come close to upsetting Boise State, the Bengals are no pushovers, thanks in big part to their head coach.