Boise State pigskin preview

Friday, August 24, 2007 12:05 PM PDT

BOISE (AP) — Ian Johnson helped Boise State win its first-ever BCS game. He married the captain of the cheerleading squad. He rubbed elbows with Hollywood stars. He became an early favorite in the annual Heisman Trophy derby.

And that was just in the first eight months of this year.

How can Ian’s world get any better?

Johnson, the shifty tailback who led the nation in scoring last season and helped the Broncos to a perfect 13-0 record, delivers his answer with a straight face and earnest tone.

‘‘You just build on what you have,’’ said Johnson, who scored a whopping 25 TDs as a sophomore last season. ‘‘You build on 13-0. You let what’s happened in the past be what it was. Now it’s all about trying to do something new.’’

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For Johnson, there will be plenty of new when the Broncos takes the field in the Aug. 30 opener against Weber State.

Veteran quarterback Jared Zabransky is gone, provoking a battle between senior Tyler Tharp and junior Bush Hamden for the job. The team’s top three receivers and tight end from last year must also be replaced.

For opposing defenses, that likely means a steady dose of No. 41 — at least early in the season.

The nation’s been getting a steady dose of Johnson since January.

Despite his dazzling statistics and Boise State’s string of five straight WAC titles, Johnson and his teammates struggled to prove they deserved the respect granted annually to college football’s powerhouse schools.

All that changed when the Broncos toppled Oklahoma 43-42 in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day. The winning points came in overtime after Boise State scored a touchdown then elected to go for the win with a 2-point conversion.

Reaching deep into the playbook, BSU ran an old-fashioned Statue of Liberty. Johnson got the ball off the fake pass and rushed into the end zone untouched. He then raced over to his girlfriend, Crissy Popadics, got down on one knee and proposed in front of television cameras and the world.

The couple appeared on national morning news broadcasts. Johnson accepted the award for best play at the ESPY’s show in Hollywood in June and he and Popadics were a hot commodity at post-show parties.

Now, Johnson is back on the field for an opportunity to bolster an already impressive resume.

In 12 games last season, he carried the ball 277 times for 1,713 yards rushing, both school records. His 152 points was tops in the country. Although expectations were high after Johnson rushed for more than 600 yards as a freshman, few Broncos envisioned such production from a runner virtually ignored by recruiters while coming out of Damien High School in La Verne, Calif.

And while delighted with the high profile media attention Johnson generates, the athletic department has no plans to launch a marketing blitz promoting his Heisman credentials — yet.