Boise State defensive tackle Lui scores on first play; Weaver among injured starters
Boise State defensive lineman Sonatane Lui clearly remembers the last time he got his hands on the ball twice in a game.
It was 2017, Lui’s sophomore year, and the Broncos were at Troy. He tipped a pass that was intercepted and he pounced on a fumble against the Trojans, but he wasn’t nearly as productive when he had the ball back then.
“I think I got caught within a yard,” Lui said.
That wasn’t the case in Saturday’s 42-9 win over New Mexico. Lui came up with two fumbles against the Lobos and returned them for a combined 33 yards and a touchdown. Senior night proved to be even more special than Lui could have imagined, but he was careful not to rank it too high among the best moments of his life.
“My wife is probably going to watch this later, so we’ll say second,” Lui said after the game. “This was a dream come true. You always hear senior night is a night for the seniors to ball out and I think for us we really did that.”
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Lui’s first career touchdown came on the first play of the game. The Broncos saw a look they prepared for all season and capitalized. Whenever they saw the Lobos’ offensive tackle and guard pulling at the same time, defensive end Chase Hatada’s job was to hit the quarterback whether he had the ball or not.
Hatada did just that, the ball popped out, Lui scooped it and just managed to cross the goal line from 24 yards out before he was tackled from behind.
“I’m still surprised the running back caught me even though I had a 20-yard head start on him,” Lui said. “Having one of the fat guys score definitely picks up the energy for everyone.”
With third-string quarterback Jaylon Henderson making his first career start and all the distractions that come with senior night, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said the early defensive score set the tone for the rest of the game.
“There’s a lot of uncertainly based off what the situation was, and to score right away, all right, boom, at least we have that. At least we’ve got a touchdown on the board,” Harsin said. “There was a lot of things on that one particular play that just sparked a lot of confidence in our team.”
Lui’s second fumble recovery ended a New Mexico drive on the Boise State 22-yard line.
The walking wounded
The Broncos’ training staff will be busy this week after a host of starters were injured during Saturday’s win. The biggest loss was STUD Curtis Weaver, who owns the Mountain West Conference career sacks record and is No. 2 all-time among the Broncos’ pass rushers with 33.
Weaver was injured in the second quarter after a collision in New Mexico’s backfield with linebacker Riley Whimpey. Weaver had to be helped off the field and had trainers under each arm as he was walked to the Idaho Sports Medicine Institute. He returned to the sideline with a walking boot on his right foot.
Offensive lineman John Molchon, who has been dealing with a leg injury of his own, was on the field for the Broncos’ first drive of the game but was replaced on the second by Jake Stetz and did not return.
Running back Robert Mahone — who just returned to action after he was injured at BYU — left in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury, and offensive tackle Eric Quevedo left with what looked like a leg injury late in the third. Neither returned to the game.
Harsin didn’t have a specific update on any of his injured starters after the game, but he didn’t seem to think any of the injuries were serious.
“It’s hard to tell exactly what that’s going to look like and the extent of the injuries, but they were around at the end of the game, so they seem to be OK,” Harsin said.
Boise State bag policy changes in 2020
Boise State will implement a clear bag policy at Albertsons Stadium following the 2019 football season, the school announced. Fans will be able to bring one clear plastic or vinyl bag, package or container that does not exceed 12-by-6-by-12 inches; a 1 gallon clear plastic freezer bag; or a purse, bag or clutch no larger than 4.5-by-6.5 inches. The policy, which is similar to many others around the country, is a safety measure that also will help move fans through security checkpoints more quickly, the school says.
Broncos, Lobos honor Nahje Flowers
The Boise State and New Mexico teams lined up on their sidelines for a moment of silence for New Mexico’s Nahje Flowers. New Mexico captains held up his jersey at the coin toss. This was the Lobos’ first game since his death on Nov. 5. Their previous game against Air Force was rescheduled as the Lobos dealt with the tragedy.
Quick hits
Boise State wore all blue. ... The Broncos honored 17 seniors before the game because it was their final regular-season home game. ... Avery Williams carried the Hammer. ... Senior tight end Garrett Collingham of Meridian was the single-game captain. ... Boise State won the coin toss and deferred. ... Octavius Evans became the fourth Broncos wide receiver to score a rushing touchdown this season. ... The Broncos scored 28 points in the first quarter — their most in a quarter this season. It was their first 28-point first quarter since the 2010 game against Idaho. ... The 97-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter was the Broncos’ longest since 2015 against San Jose State. ... Attendance was 31,492. The Broncos have averaged 33,488 fans per home game this season. They averaged 33,068 last year, but that included the relatively lightly-attended Mountain West championship game.
This story was originally published November 17, 2019 at 3:37 AM.
