Boise State-Colorado State report card: Henderson keeps the offense rolling
There wasn’t a Mountain West championship berth at stake and there weren’t many fans in the stands Friday in Colorado State’s Canvas Stadium, but players on the Boise State football team were motivated to make history.
With a 31-24 win, the Broncos finished their first undefeated season in Mountain West play in program history. They also moved into No. 1 on the NCAA’s all-time winning percentage list at .7301, just ahead of Ohio State (.7298) and Michigan (.7297).
But just like in a 2017 visit to Fort Collins, Colorado, the Rams gave Boise State all it could handle. It took interceptions from safety Tyreque Jones and STUD Curtis Weaver, a fourth-quarter scoring drive and a game-sealing sack by defensive tackle David Moa to fend off an upset.
Here’s a look at the Broncos’ report card from their regular-season finale.
Offense: B-
With every start, quarterback Jaylon Henderson is making it more difficult to refer to him as third string. The junior college transfer is now 3-0, and he has improved in every game. He impressed with his arm strength and accuracy against New Mexico. On the road at Utah State, he made plays with his legs, and his decision-making and decisiveness equated to no turnovers. On Friday at Colorado State, he was an efficient 26-of-36 for 253 yards and two touchdowns, and he delivered clutch throws and fourth-down conversions at critical moments.
The Broncos have scored 129 points in three weeks with Henderson taking the snaps. But more importantly, every player on the offense seems to be playing just a little bit harder since he took over. Short-yardage pickups seem like more of a sure thing, Henderson isn’t taking as many hits as Hank Bachmeier or Chase Cord and big plays come at the right time. A prime example was Khalil Shakir’s 35-yard catch despite being well covered on a scoring drive in the fourth quarter with the Broncos clinging to a three-point lead. The ball was perfectly placed and Shakir leaped and contorted his body to create just enough space to make the catch.
On the flip side of Friday’s performance, Boise State never could establish the run against a Colorado State defense that hasn’t been particularly stout in that area. On a day when the offensive line and backfield should have been extremely motivated to get freshman George Holani the 130 rushing yards he needed to reach 1,000, the Broncos averaged 2.5 yards per carry, and Holani’s longest of the day covered just 8 yards. He finished with 42 yards on the ground.
The Broncos were coming off their best rushing performance of the season — 297 yards at Utah State — and offensive coordinator Zak Hill talked Tuesday about the importance of running the ball as the postseason approaches. But the offensive line has some work to do to get back to the level of dominance it showed against the Aggies, especially with Hawaii bringing a high-scoring offense to town that Boise State’s coaches would surely prefer to keep on the sideline Saturday in the Mountain West championship game.
Defense: B
The defense got off to a rough start as Colorado State did pretty much whatever it wanted on a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive to open the game. The Rams got an explosive 23-yard run out of Marcus McElroy and physical running out of Jaylen Thomas, who bullied his way into the end zone from 3 yards out. The Rams took what they wanted through the air on the opening series, too, but that quickly changed and the Broncos’ defense rallied with two turnovers, which the offense turned into 10 points.
Jones — on the field because of injuries to DeAndre Pierce and Jordan Happle — read Colorado State quarterback Patrick O’Brien’s eyes and broke on a pass in the first quarter just as it left his hand. It was his first career interception. Weaver’s interception came as a surprise even to him. He got his hands up as he’s trained to do when he realizes he isn’t going to get to the quarterback, and the ball hung there in the air just long enough to give him time to snag his second career interception.
“I batted it down and usually they just fall down, so I turned to the sideline about to cheer and the ball was still in the air so I grabbed it,” Weaver said after the game. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I wish I caught my footing so I could score.”
The Broncos’ rush defense has been stout all season. Boise State ranks No. 4 in the Mountain West, giving up 115.1 rushing yards a game, and it only allowed 91 yards on the ground Friday, but the Rams did average 4.5 yards per carry thanks to a few explosive runs. Colorado State had three backs with a carry that covered at least 14 yards, while the Broncos’ longest of the day was a 15-yard run by backup running back Andrew Van Buren.
Stopping the run late in the season is as important as running the ball, and Boise State needs to continue making teams one-dimensional to achieve its ultimate goal — a conference title and a berth in a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Special teams: B
Kicker Eric Sachse’s 39-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the second quarter extended Boise State’s streak of scoring in the final minute of the first half in road games to 10 straight. More importantly, it gave Boise State a 10-point halftime cushion, which it needed.
Joel Velazquez averaged 42.2 yards per punt and pinned the Rams inside their own 20-yard line once. And though only two of his six kickoffs produced touchbacks, the Broncos held one of the Mountain West’s top kickoff returners in check. Colorado State’s Anthony Hawkins — second in the conference with 26 yards per return — managed just 54 yards on three returns, which left him 8 yards shy of his average.
