Boise State football likely has lost two key defensive players for rest of the season
Few mantras were mentioned more this fall than Boise State defensive players talking about “dependable depth.”
That has been put to the test already, and it will continue that way.
Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said Monday senior defensive tackle David Moa likely won’t play the rest of the season and junior safety DeAndre Pierce is out for the rest of the season.
Moa suffered a calf injury in the summer and has been limited all season. He played a dozen snaps Sept. 15 at Oklahoma State in his only game action. Harsin said Moa may return for a bowl game, but that is unclear at the moment. Pierce suffered a spleen laceration during the Sept. 29 win at Wyoming and missed Saturday’s loss to San Diego State.
“Those are two big ones,” Harsin said.
If he doesn’t play again this season, Harsin said Boise State may look into getting a medical redshirt for Moa, who used a redshirt his first season on campus in 2014. But as a potential NFL prospect, Moa could decide to move forward once the year is done.
Though he had been practicing, Moa, a first-team All-Mountain West pick as a sophomore and a second-teamer last year, never quite was healthy to a point the coaches felt comfortable giving him a heavy workload.
Harsin said Moa will help with game planning and continue to be a supportive presence for the defense around the facility.
“It stinks it has to be this way,” Boise State defensive coordinator Andy Avalos said. “The biggest thing about these two is how they responded.
“Those are two football players we can use, but they’re still giving us everything they have.”
Junior Chase Hatada has started the last four games for Moa and coaches have said he’s played well in the senior’s absence. Redshirt freshman Tyreque Jones will replace Pierce in the starting lineup. Sophomore Kekaula Kaniho also will see more time at safety.
Pierce spent some time in the hospital being examined and undergoing testing, but Harsin said he will avoid surgery. The day after he got out, he was at practice watching the safeties. Since he played in four games and has not used a redshirt, he can use it this season and play in 2019 as a redshirt junior.
“In true fashion, DeAndre ... we went to see him in the hospital, he had a smile on his face and said, ‘Well, looks like I’m going to be with you with a whistle and a hat,’ ” Avalos said.
Without Moa and Pierce, the defense was very good in Saturday’s loss, one 72-yard touchdown run excluded. There may be other times when defenders get dinged up the rest of the way, and losing two key players serves as a test of what the group is made of moving ahead.
“Both leaders on our defense, leaders on our team ... other guys have to carry the flag,” Harsin said. “You’ve got to make sure your depth, you keep them prepared, they stay focused.”
QUICK HITS
Boise State offensive coordinator Zak Hill said of Saturday’s loss, he “didn’t do a good job of getting (QB Brett Rypien) going early on.” Rypien hadn’t thrown an interception all season but was picked off twice in his first six attempts. ... Nevada senior QB Ty Gangi did not practice Monday, according to Nevada Sports Net. He missed Saturday’s 20-3 loss to Fresno State with a thigh contusion. ... Boise State has played Nevada more than any other school, going 29-13 against the Wolf Pack, 15-1 in the last 16 meetings. ... The Wolf Pack run a 3-3-5 base defense similar to San Diego State’s, and rank No. 7 nationally with 8.8 tackles for loss per game. ... Avalos showed some emotion reflecting on the defense. He told the players at halftime it was “inspiring” to hold the Aztecs to 13 points on three drives that started at the Broncos’ 31-yard line or closer.
BOISE STATE AT NEVADA
When: 8:30 p.m. MT Saturday
Where: Mackay Stadium (27,000, FieldTurf), Reno, Nev.
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Murray, Cassie McKinney); CableOne ch. 139/1139, DirecTV ch. 221, Dish Network ch. 158
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: BSU 3-2, 1-1 (lost to San Diego State 19-13 on Saturday); Nevada 3-3, 1-1 (lost to Fresno State 20-3 on Saturday)
Series: Boise State leads 29-13 (won 41-14 on Nov. 4, 2017, in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 17 1/2
Weather: Low 50s, clear
This story was originally published October 8, 2018 at 1:16 PM.