Boise State-Utah State report card: Broncos dominate the line of scrimmage
Every player on the the Boise State football team knew what was at stake Saturday, and coach Bryan Harsin said they were as focused during their morning walk-through as they were all week in practice.
It showed.
The Broncos couldn’t be stopped on the ground, and their defense never let Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, a likely NFL Draft pick, and the Aggies’ offense get into a rhythm. Boise State’s reward is its third straight Mountain Division title and home-field advantage in the Mountain West championship game.
Here’s a look at the Broncos’ report card after their 56-21 win.
Offense: B+
Boise State did something Saturday night that it hasn’t done all season. The Broncos dominated the line of scrimmage. They rushed for a season-high 297 yards, and they didn’t just do it with an accumulation of short runs. The Broncos did it in explosive fashion.
True freshman George Holani’s first carry covered 35 yards. He broke another for 36 and finished the game averaging 11.1 yards per carry. Quarterback Jaylon Henderson’s longest run of the night covered 23 yards, and backup running back Andrew Van Buren broke free for 16 yards on a scoring drive in the second quarter, which ended with a 1-yard touchdown by Holani.
“We were physically better in this game,” Harsin said. “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 or they’re going to get the ball back sooner than you want. So, those guys took it to heart.”
Henderson didn’t look as accurate in the passing game as in his first start against New Mexico. But he was effective when he tucked the ball and ran, and he didn’t turn the ball over, which is a great strategy for any quarterback who wants to keep his job.
Boise’s offensive play callers also deserve a lot of credit. Whether it was a carry by left tackle Ezra Cleveland, a Statue of Liberty play or any of a number of shovel passes, Harsin and offensive coordinator Zak Hill were creative and kept Utah State guessing what was coming next.
Defense: A
Senior cornerback Jalen Walker said after the game that the Broncos wanted to start just as fast on defense as they did on offense. And boy did they ever.
Walker also said he diagnosed one of Love’s tells during film study in the week leading up to the game. And when he saw Love take a three-step drop with 5:14 left in the first quarter, he knew exactly where the ball was going. He was almost 9 yards off the ball when Love released the short pass, and he stepped right in front of the intended receiver to make his first career interception a pick six.
Senior safety Evan Tyler also intercepted the first pass of his career, and the Broncos’ front seven helped out the secondary with four sacks. Linebacker Riley Whimpey, STUDs Curtis Weaver and Demitri Washington and defensive end Chase Hatada got to the quarterback.
While Boise State did as it pleased on the ground, Utah State couldn’t get anything going in the running game, especially early. The Aggies finished the first quarter with 5 yards on the ground, and they had just 63 by the end of the third. Utah State finished with 121 yards on the ground.
Special teams: A
After his second punt return for a touchdown of the season, Avery Williams might get another Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week nod, and rightfully so. His 74-yard return made an already massive lead insurmountable with more than 12:00 left in the third quarter. But the unheralded star of that play was junior nickel Kekaula Kaniho, who took out not one, not two, but three players with a single block to give Williams plenty of room to work with.
“When you score in all three phases, it’s likely really hard to lose at that point,” Henderson said.
For the second game in a row, kicker Eric Sachse wasn’t called on for a field goal, while punter Joel Velazquez dropped three of his four punts inside the Aggies’ 20-yard line and averaged 61.9 yards per kickoff with six touchbacks.
