Down almost 50 pounds in less than a year, true freshman makes big impact for Boise State

It was the moment he had dreamed about, his first sack as a college football player — in his first start, nonetheless — but Scale Igiehon had no idea how to react once it came.

Boise State’s true freshman nose tackle got the start Nov. 2 against BYU and, on the game’s third play, sacked quarterback Zach Wilson to force a punt. He wanted to put an exclamation point on the sack with a little celebratory move.

“Totally forgot to do it — the adrenaline and everything, I’m surprised I even made the tackle, but it was a planned thing, didn’t go through,” Igiehon said.

He got a chance to celebrate properly, along with 100 teammates and the thousands in the stands, when he combined with linebacker Tyson Maeva to sack Wilson on the game’s final play at the Broncos’ 4-yard line to seal a 21-16 win.

And with what he’s accomplished at such a young age, there’s plenty of time to work on that sack dance.

The 6-foot-2, 300-pound Igiehon has played in 11 games, making 23 tackles (3.5 for loss). He became a key part of the interior rotation and its strong showing in recent weeks against the run.

“You talk about guys that have stepped up … that’s not an easy position to play as a true freshman. It’s not an easy position to play, period,” defensive coordinator Andy Avalos said. “You can’t hide in there, there’s no plays off. It’s hand-to-hand combat every play.”

Being bigger than a lot of defensive tackles the Broncos have recruited out of the high school ranks helps, but what has separated Igiehon is his willingness to learn.

He said that stems from his father, who was from Nigeria, placing an emphasis on education, and his college-graduate mother. Daily, Igiehon would read, and then write, putting heavy emphasis on correct grammar — the small details.

“He is so coachable, he’s got size, ability, things like that, but he’s coachable, that’s the No. 1 thing,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “... He’s so into wanting to get better. He’ll take the time to study. He’ll listen.”

Harsin noted that during recruiting, Igiehon told coaches he was going to be a hard worker, a listener — “all those things are actually happening,” Harsin said.

A native of Del Valle, Texas, just outside of Austin, Igiehon said playing a tough spot as a true freshman has been “a blessing,” and that senior David Moa recently made sure to tell him how impressive his stats are for a youngster. But still, Igiehon is the sort to continuously set the bar higher.

“There’s so much work to be done,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’ve done much. ... I think I’ve done OK, but it’s where we start from now, into next season and into the future.”

Considering his work ethic, that potential is exciting for Boise State’s staff. See him with pads off and Igiehon doesn’t look like he has much of that freshman baby fat on him — in fact, he’s slimmed down quite a bit since he signed.

Igiehon remembers the exact day — Jan. 14 of this year. He weighed 345 pounds and knew if he wanted to play early he would need to shed some of it.

When he enrolled this summer, Igiehon was down to 310 pounds, and he said if he wasn’t playing football, he probably could have gone down to about 250.

“It was like, ‘What do I want for myself?’ ” he said. “... Seeing the scale drop pounds was motivation for me to just keep going.”

As that number fell, Scale started dropping ball carriers, and the Broncos have themselves another potential weapon.

TWO MORE COMMITS

Dylan Hall, a 6-5, 230-pound defensive end from Antelope Valley High (Lancaster, Calif.), announced Thursday afternoon he has verbally committed to the Broncos. The graphic he posted lists him as a STUD end, which would seem to fit his frame.

Hall also had offers from Utah, Purdue, Fresno State, Arizona State and Illinois, among others. He also played tight end in high school.

Just after Hall made his announcement, Temple (Texas) High cornerback Markel Reed said he is committing to the Broncos. Reed (6-1, 170 pounds) was committed to Texas Tech, but reopened his recruitment Dec. 3.

NEWS AND NOTES

Harsin met with the media on Thursday and said he likely will hire a defensive line coach to replace Chad Kauha’aha’a between Dec. 26’s First Responder Bowl and when the team is back on campus Jan. 13. Kauha’aha’a accepted a job at USC this week. ... Junior running back Alexander Mattison has submitted his paperwork with the NFL’s College Advisory Committee to gauge his potential draft range should he forego his senior year. No decision has yet been made on if he will leave or return, Harsin said. ... Recruits can sign in the early period starting this coming Wednesday through Friday.

First Responder Bowl

Who: Boise State (10-3) vs. Boston College (7-5)

When: 11:30 a.m. MT Wednesday, Dec. 26

Where: Cotton Bowl, Dallas (92,100)

TV: ESPN (Lowell Galindo, Ahmad Brooks, Kris Budden)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Who: BYU (6-6) vs. Western Michigan (7-5)

When: 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21

Where: Albertsons Stadium, Boise (36,387)

TV: ESPN (Roy Philpott, Tom Ramsey, Alex Corddry)

This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 4:48 PM.