Boise State’s Holani closes in on exclusive club — and pushes Broncos toward NCAA history
True freshman running back George Holani calls Boise State “Running Back University.”
Holani grew up idolizing former Boise State backs Jay Ajayi and Doug Martin, and the smile that crept across his face Tuesday as he talked about Alexander Mattison’s visit before the Broncos’ win over Wyoming betrayed how excited the Broncos’ current rushing leader was to meet one from the past.
On Friday at Colorado State (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network), Holani has a chance to join an elite group of Boise State running backs and extend the Broncos’ streak of seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher to 11 straight. Holani leads the nation’s true freshman running backs with 870 rushing yards, which leaves him a manageable 130 shy of 1,000.
Six former Broncos have eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in the past 10 seasons: Ajayi , Mattison, Martin, Jeremy McNichols, D.J. Harper and Jeremy Avery. Boise State’s string of seasons with a runner achieving the mark is already the nation’s longest active streak and third in NCAA history behind North Carolina (12) and Texas (11), but extending it isn’t something anyone in the program takes lightly.
“It’s important to the program,” Boise State offensive coordinator Zak Hill told the media Tuesday. “Running the football here and being dominant up front is what we’re all about.”
Boise State’s running game was at its most physically dominant last weekend at Utah State — as evidenced by the Broncos’ 131 rushing yards in the first quarter alone. They finished with a season-high 297 yards on the ground, 178 of which came from Holani, his new career high.
After the game, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin alluded to knowing why everyone involved in the running game, from the backs to the linemen to the wide receivers blocking on the edge, looked so motivated and prepared from the opening snap. On Tuesday, Holani shed a little more light on the subject.
Following the Broncos’ pregame meetings Saturday, Harsin spent an extra 10 minutes with the offense and made sure everyone was on the same page on every run call. According to Holani, that was a first for this season.
“When you’re on the road in this kind of environment against a team that can score as quickly as Utah State, you have to be able to run the ball,” Harsin said after the game.
Holani previously turned heads in his first career start at San Jose State. He posted a then career-high 126 yards, 113 of which came in the second half.
Last week at Utah State, Holani averaged an improbable 11.1 yards per carry. And even when he doesn’t have the ball shoved into his gut behind the line of scrimmage, he manages to find the end zone — like on the check-down pass against Hawaii, which he turned into quarterback Jaylon Henderson’s first career touchdown pass, or the Statue of Liberty play against the Aggies, when he somehow beat a gaggle of defenders around the left side of the line and managed to stretch for the pylon.
“He is very elusive, and he can get tiny in holes and slip things,” Hill said. “He’s got that trust and that confidence to be able to hit the small holes. A lot of backs will feel that contact and go down. He doesn’t. He keeps the legs going and he’s got good balance through contact, and I think that is a big part of what makes him special.”
Harsin said he noticed something special about Holani the first moment he stepped on the practice field. He didn’t look as wide-eyed as the rest of the freshmen. At times, he didn’t look like a freshman at all.
With 149 receiving yards, Holani has contributed 1,019 yards from scrimmage this season — a school record for true freshmen during the FBS era (since 1996). He broke wide receiver Titus Young’s mark of 705 yards set in 2007.
Harsin attributed Holani’s preparation and comprehension — both of which were more similar to that of a seasoned veteran than an 18-year-old fresh out of high school — to his experience at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California.
“There’s no doubt that he’s got the mindset and then the football intelligence to understand ‘we call it this but now it’s this,’ ” Harsin said. “George came in here and physically was more ready to play, and also I think mentally. That’s one thing we probably underestimated a little bit, too. The guy’s got one speed. It’s full. To me, that’s what you want in your tailback.”
In his final two seasons in high school, Holani tallied 2,324 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns (32 rushing, 13 receiving). He’s putting together another special season this fall, but you would never know it. He has an air of confidence about him, but when talking about himself, his humble side takes over more often than not.
When asked about the nickname “Baby Saquon,” given to him by defensive lineman David Moa, Holani just smiled and laughed and responded “no comment.”
Harsin knows how rare a 1,000-yard season is for a freshman running back, and he knows even as special as Holani is, he still has room to grow. Harsin also knows better than to try to tweak the innate abilities Holani showed up with at Boise State.
“Most guys at that position, you’re not teaching a whole bunch. A reason they’re good at what they do is they have this ability to play that position,” Harsin said. “You don’t over coach that and you let them go out there and get it done.”
NO. 20 BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE
When: 1:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Canvas Stadium (36,500), Fort Collins, Colorado
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Murray, AJ Ross)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State is 10-1 overall, 7-0 Mountain West; Colorado State is 4-7, 3-4
Series: Boise State leads 8-0 (last meeting: Boise State won 56-28 in 2018 in Albertsons Stadium)
Vegas line: Boise State by 14
Weather: 32 degrees, cloudy, 10 percent chance of snow, 5 mph wind at kickoff
This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 5:45 PM.
