Boise State-New Mexico report card: Broncos get key plays from all over the field
The Boise State football team is 9-1, ranked in the top 25 in both major polls and in the thick of races for a Mountain West Conference championship and a New Year’s Six bowl.
But Broncos coach Bryan Harsin isn’t ready to concede that they’ve played their best game.
“I think I’d be doing our team a disservice if I said, ‘Yes, we played exactly how we all want to play the entire game,’ ” Harsin said after the game. “Understand these guys and the psyche they have to go out there and be the very best. They’re not trying to just be good, they’re trying to be the very best at what they do.”
In Saturday’s 42-9 rout of New Mexico, the Broncos started their third quarterback of the season, and Octavius Evans become the fourth Boise State wide receiver to score a rushing touchdown.
The win also put the Broncos in position to clinch the Mountain Division and home-field advantage in the Mountain West championship game with a win Saturday at Utah State (8:30 p.m., CBSSN).
Here’s a look at Boise State’s report card from a dominant win over New Mexico, which has now lost four straight against the Broncos since upsetting them in Albertsons Stadium in 2015.
Offense: A-
Jaylon Henderson became the third quarterback to lead the Broncos to a win in the past three weeks. His first start in a Boise State uniform began with a 97-yard scoring drive, and the 33-point margin of victory was the largest at home against a Mountain West opponent since 2016.
Henderson, who previously was used more as a running threat, showed off a powerful and accurate arm. He also showed an impressive ability to extend plays with his legs and, especially early on, he threw with precision on the run.
But when he had to go off script in the second quarter, Henderson was much less decisive and he turned the ball over twice. He threw an interception because he missed a linebacker in underneath coverage, but that isn’t anything to panic about. Many quarterbacks have fallen into that trap.
More concerning was the speed at which he diagnosed blitzes, and he seemed hesitant at times to pick up yards with his legs. Some of that will come with more playing time, but for a quarterback, there’s a fine line between being too quick to tuck it and run and knowing when the situation demands they take whatever the defense gives them.
That being said, Harsin called Henderson’s 51-yard touchdown pass to John Hightower one of the most accurate throws he has ever seen, and the former junior college quarterback threw touchdown passes to three different receivers. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a solid first start.
Freshman running back George Holani also broke a career-long 50-yard run behind redshirt junior Jake Stetz one play after Stetz replaced senior John Molchon at left guard. Sophomore running back Andrew Van Buren looked explosive late and, with an 8-yard grab in the third quarter, he became the 10th Bronco to catch a touchdown pass this season.
Defense: A
As hot a start as Boise State’s offense got off to on Saturday, it paled in comparison to how the defense started the game.
Defensive linemen Chase Hatada and Sonatane Lui saw a familiar look on New Mexico’s first play of the game, and they blew it up. Hatada hit quarterback Tevaka Tuioti, forcing a fumble, and Lui scooped it and scored the first touchdown of his college career.
Hatada had his best game of the season. He posted one of the Broncos’ four sacks and four of their 10 tackles for loss. Safety Jordan Happle (six tackles) was active in place of DeAndre Pierce, who will miss at least the rest of the regular season, and the defense didn’t give up a touchdown until the final 4 minutes of regulation, and that was with many of the starters on the bench.
Sacks leader Curtis Weaver’s injury is concerning, but it’s a good day for the defense any time it can hold an opponent to 2.6 rushing yards per carry and just 292 yards of offense.
Special teams: B
The special teams star of the day was Boise State long snapper Daniel Cantrell, who was credited with tackles on two punts and lost out on a third because of a roughing-the-kicker penalty.
Boise State punter Joel Velazquez was a close second, even though he was only called on to punt twice. He has been far from consistent this season, but both of his attempts left the Lobos with a long field to deal with as he averaged 44.5 yards per punt.
