Boise State finally delivers a complete performance — and does it on high-stakes night
It wasn’t just those of us watching.
The Boise State football team knew what was missing, too.
“We’ve been waiting to put a whole game together,” junior cornerback Avery Williams said early Sunday morning, after the Broncos did just that.
The No. 20 Broncos delivered their best performance of the season — best performance, arguably, since the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl — on Saturday night at frigid Maverik Stadium, destroying Utah State 56-21.
The dominant showing clinched the Broncos’ spot in the Mountain West championship game and strengthened their bid for a New Year’s Six bowl berth.
It also showed, finally, what this team is capable of.
[Related: Holani leads Boise State to division title; Broncos bring back ‘Statue’ play; scoring summary]
After nearly three months of inconsistent play — from the spectacular comeback at Florida State, to the defensive struggle against Marshall, to the 59-point explosion against Hawaii, to the ugly loss at BYU, to the shootout at San Jose State, to the overtime escape against Wyoming — the Broncos (10-1 overall, 7-0 MW) beat the Aggies in every facet.
They rushed for 297 yards and three touchdowns. They showed offensive creativity old (Statue of Liberty) and new (a handoff to left tackle Ezra Cleveland). They forced two turnovers, including a pick six by junior cornerback Jalen Walker, and only allowed seven points with the starters on the field. And they scored a special teams touchdown on a 74-yard punt return by Williams.
Coach Bryan Harsin and his staff also badly outcoached their counterparts — and that was evident right from the start, when the intensity of the Broncos’ opening drives on offense (led by true freshman tailback George Holani) and defense (led by Walker) showed they were the better prepared team for a high-stakes showdown. Utah State (6-5, 5-2) would have stayed in contention for the division title with a win.
“The guys were very focused, I think, this entire week,” Harsin said. “They knew what was at stake. They knew the team that we were playing. I think their entire preparation, mindset, focus, showed up tonight.”
On offense, that was most evident in Holani and his blockers.
The offensive line and the run game have faced heavy criticism all season as the Broncos have struggled to build a consistent attack. The run has shown up at times — most notably when closing out games in the fourth quarter — but Saturday it clicked right from the first snap, a 35-yard Holani run. The true freshman knifed through some holes but also busted a bunch of tackle attempts on his way to 178 yards on 16 carries, an 11.1-yard average.
The Broncos averaged 6.5 yards per carry as a team — far better than their 4.48-yard average — as they started a backup quarterback for the fourth time in five games. Third-stringer Jaylon Henderson was solid but a bit inaccurate.
Harsin hinted that he challenged the players to deliver in the run game — but he was light on specifics.
“I have an idea why,” he said of the sudden breakthrough on the ground. “I’m not gonna say it, but I have an idea why. ... Those guys were extremely motivated. And I also think that we were better, just physically better (than previously). ... That was a major focus, going into this, especially on the road against a team that can put points on the board very quickly. You’ve got to be able to run the ball. ... They took tremendous pride in prepping themselves to go play like they did.”
On defense, the single-mindedness was exhibited most by Walker. The first-year starter broke up three passes on the first two Aggies drives, then opened the third one with his first career interception — and an easy 15-yard sprint into the end zone.
“He went crazy today,” Williams said. “That was amazing to see.”
The same could be said for the Broncos’ entire performance, which was a season in the making.
Did they finally find the formula?
We’ll know that in five days at Colorado State, where the Broncos will try to bring the same sense of purpose to a game with lesser stakes and a lesser opponent.
Chadd Cripe is the Idaho Statesman’s assistant editor and sports columnist. Contact him at ccripe@idahostatesman.com and follow @chaddcripe on Twitter.
This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 2:56 AM.
