Boise State play of the week: Watch the hit that produced Broncos’ 55-yard TD

It should have been a game-clinching play.

At the least, it’s an early-season candidate for the Piesman Trophy (@piesmantrophy on Twitter) — the award that goes to the big man with the best TD of the year.

Boise State linebacker/end Curtis Weaver rumbled 55 yards after catching a fumble in mid-air on Saturday night at Washington State. He was in no danger of being caught by the offensive linemen chasing him but there was some doubt whether he would actually reach the end zone. He was running on fumes.

“You could tell he was fighting to get all the way there. He was almost falling on his face,” linebacker Leighton Vander Esch said. “I mean, that just shows we were giving it everything we had on defense and, I mean, when you pick the ball and run down the field like that and you can barely run, it just shows we were fighting out there.”

The touchdown gave Boise State a 31-10 lead with just under 11 minutes left — a lead the Broncos eventually would squander, losing in triple overtime. The hit also knocked quarterback Luke Falk out of the game.

On the play, Washington State tried to take a deep shot with a double move by a receiver. The coverage forced Falk to hold the ball and defensive end Jabril Frazier hit him from behind as he tried to throw. Weaver, who had pressured Falk from the other side and forced him to step up into Frazier and tackle David Moa, was 5 yards behind Falk when Frazier hit him. The ball sailed backward, right to Weaver.

The 252-pound redshirt freshman — who weighed nearly 300 pounds last season — needed 8 seconds to dash down the sideline for the touchdown.

“He did what we talk about doing when we get the ball in our hands,” defensive coordinator Andy Avalos said. “It was very exciting. It seemed like 10 minutes for the 55 yards, but it was fun.”

Previous plays of the week:

Troy — Desmond Williams’ hustle play that saved the Broncos

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Boise State play of the week: Watch the hit that produced Broncos’ 55-yard TD."