Boise High graduate impresses for Broncos, appears to have hold on starting spot
Change finally came to the Boise State offensive line last week, and it appears to have worked.
After using the same five starters for the first six games of the season, the Broncos mixed up the right side Friday against Colorado State, starting sophomore Donte Harrington at guard and redshirt freshman John Ojukwu at tackle.
The Broncos allowed three sacks, but coach Bryan Harsin said he liked what the first-time starters did against the Rams.
“I thought they played really well, John in particular, Donte was good, guard is hard ... when another identifies a new player at the position, they’re going to be bring some different pressures — I would — but he handled it well,” Harsin said.
Harrington started as junior Eric Quevedo was battling an injury — junior Isiah Moore played for him after he was hurt Oct. 13 at Nevada. Harsin said when Quevedo is healthy, he will in all likelihood slide back into the starting role, though he is listed as a backup on this week’s depth chart.
At tackle, however, Ojukwu came in for senior Andres Preciado late in the second quarter at Nevada, but not for health reasons. Harsin said the Boise High graduate had a good week of practice and earned playing time. He impressed enough to start over Preciado on Friday and may remain
“As far as those guys being solidified, I think John’s done a really good job, he’s played a couple games, feel confident he’s getting better,” Harsin said.
Ojukwu, a 6-foot-6, 299-pounder, was an early enrollee last spring and had three semesters under his belt before this season. He weighed about 200 pounds after his junior season with the Braves and committed himself to putting on good weight. Offensive coordinator Zak Hill was impressed by Ojukwu’s commitment this past offseason, saying “he works as hard as anybody out there.”
“He was always the one around watching film or outside hitting the sled by himself. He’s always working, and it’s paid off,” Hill said. “He’s going to be a really talented player for us in the long run.”
KICKOFF ANNOUNCED FOR BYU GAME
The Broncos will host BYU at 8:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. The game will be televised on ESPN2, which was announced by the Mountain West and ESPN on Monday. There has been only one home kickoff later than 7 p.m. thus far.
Boise State is 6-2 all-time against the Cougars, including 4-0 at Albertsons Stadium. There will be plenty of intrigue, as usual — BYU’s starting quarterback, Zach Wilson, was committed to Boise State until a week before last December’s signing period.
Boise State coach Bryan Harsin will get a $10,000 bonus for the win, which was included in his amended contract that was approved last week. BYU has a goal board, and one reads “win the rivalries,” which lists Utah, Utah State and Boise State underneath.
EX-BRONCO GETS PROMOTION
Former Boise State wide receiver Matt Miller is only 27 and four years removed from his playing career in which he finished as the school’s all-time receptions leader (244), but he’s already a collegiate offensive coordinator.
Miller was promoted to OC and primary play-caller at Montana State on Monday by head coach Jeff Choate, a former Boise State assistant. Miller is in his third season as the Bobcats’ receivers coach. Montana State is 4-3 but averaging 21.3 points per game in October. Harsin, who coached him in 2010 and 2014, said “I’m not surprised.”
“Matt is an excellent football coach who has earned this opportunity,” Choate said in a statement. “Our offensive production needs to increase, and this is an effort to align our scheme and personnel in a way that we hope accomplishes that goal.”
BOISE STATE AT AIR FORCE
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Falcon Stadium (46,692; FieldTurf)
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Steve Beuerlein, Cassie McKinney); Cable One ch. 139/1139, DirecTV ch. 221, Dish Network ch. 158
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: BSU 5-2, 3-1 (won 56-28 over Colorado State on Friday); Air Force 3-4, 1-3 (won 41-35 at UNLV on Friday)
Series: Tied 3-3 (Boise State won 44-19 on Nov. 18, 2017 in Boise last meeting)
Vegas line: Boise State by 10
Weather: Mid 50s, clear
This story was originally published October 22, 2018 at 4:59 PM.