The first of six USA Onion Grill-Off competitions coinciding with Boise State 2013 home games was a resounding victory on Sept. 7 for both the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee and for the BSU Broncos, who cleaned the clock of University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks in a 63-14 blowout.

The grilling competitions are a new level of marketing and promotions for USA Onions after last year’s successful grilling platform with Weber grill products. This season the onion committee has teamed with BSU to stage grill-offs at each of the college’s home games, and USA Onions Marketing Director Sherise Jones said the inaugural event went beyond expectations.

Team Idaho was led to victory by Kent Sutherland, sales manager of J.C. Watson Co. in Parma, ID. Idaho was also the big winner in the day’s football faceoff, with BSU clobbering the Tennessee Skyhawks 63-14. (Photo courtesy of USA Onions)“We had approximately 10,000 visitors to our tent,” Jones said. “It was amazing. And our teams for the first contest were members of the Idaho-Eastern Onion Committee. Team Oregon consisted of Bob and Janet Komoto from Ontario Produce, Chris Woo from Murakami Produce and Bill Trask from Baker Packing. Team Idaho had Kent Sutherland, Sara Laurance and Terry Willis from J.C. Watson and Herb Haun from Haun Packing. It was a beautiful day, and we think everyone won. The winners were Team Idaho for Best Onion Dish, Team Oregon for Best Protein Dish, Team Oregon for Best Side Dish and Team Idaho for Best Overall.”

The second event was also expected to be high energy, with the grill-off teams of Boise State ROTC and Mountain Home Air Force Base engaging in some pre-game “friendly fire.” The two grilling competitors led into the Bronco match-up with the Air Force Academy, which Jones said was “definitely a game to watch with two great teams from the Mountain West, both of whom want to win.”

And another game guaranteed to keep the competitive edge razor-sharp is that of Sept. 28, when Idaho Gov. Butch Otter will meet up with a surprise “opponent” during the Broncos’ matchup with University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Boise State. The game will be aired on ABC or ESPN, and as with the other five home games, is expected to fill Bronco Stadium.

All of the “USA Onion Grill-Off” series will feature big-name competitors, including well-known chefs, sports figures and other celebrities.

Jones and the IEOOC are working with media outlets to build both local and national notoriety for the new grilling competition, with good potential for exposure of the grill-offs through commentary pieces on each of the six nationally televised games.

To provide contestants and cheering bystanders with the ideal setting, USA Onions has established a high-profile presence on the BSU Plaza with a 20-foot-by-20-foot booth in front of the BSU Hall of Fame, and each game day some 30,000 game-goers pass as they enter the stadium.

USA Onions selected Weber grills and accessories to be utilized at each event, and all grills and tools needed for the contestants to compete are Weber-Stephen LLC products. In addition, a variety of local products — fresh produce, meat and fish — are available for each competition, giving teams an opportunity to devise their recipes in advance.

At the end of each timed grill-off, contestants will present their creations to three judges, and the winner will be announced just prior to the kick-off. All competitors and judges are presented with gift baskets that include a Weber “Time to Grill” cookbook, and winners are awarded a custom Weber(r) charcoal grill and national recognition as one of the 2013 USA Onion Grill-Off winners.

Upcoming games will be played against the University of Nevada Wolf Pack on Oct. 19, University of Wyoming Cowboys on Nov. 11 and University of New Mexico Lobos on Nov. 30.

Other game specific activities will be announced on an ongoing basis on the USA Onions Facebook page and at USAOnions.com, and Jones said USA Onions will become part of the Albertson’s official Bronco Nation Tailgate headquarters in 27 regional stores. Recipe cards will feature competitors’ dishes whipped up on game day.