True freshman walk-on from Rocky Mountain High unfazed in Boise State debut
Over the summer, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin conducted a book club with his incoming freshmen.
As part of the exercise, Harsin had each player come up in front of the group to tell a story.
Walk-on kicker Jonah Dalmas volunteered to go first.
“He was probably one of the newest members, but he jumped right up in front and started off this storytime that we do,” Harsin said. “He did a fantastic job, and it was good to hear his story. But just to kind of be the first one to get up there and do it.
“Guys have been here longer, it’s not a knock on anybody, it’s just that he wanted to go and he wasn’t afraid to jump right up and start this thing off and let people know who he is. That stood out to me.”
The 2017 Rocky Mountain High graduate’s confidence translated seamlessly onto the field Saturday night in the Broncos’ season-opening 42-13 win against Utah State at Albertsons Stadium.
Dalmas was a perfect 6-for-6 on PATs in his collegiate debut. He joined the Broncos as a walk-on after serving a two-year church mission.
“It’s one of those things that not everybody gets to see,” Harsin said. “... When you have a talented person and the character piece is there, those things show up, and it did tonight. That’s Jonah right there. I congratulated him today on getting an opportunity to start and told him to go out there and make it count. So far, so good.”
Dalmas started playing soccer at a very young age, but he didn’t try kicking a football until the eighth grade. He kicked for Rocky Mountain’s freshman team in 2013 and was a starter on the Grizzlies’ varsity squad his final three years of high school.
While he moonlighted on the football team, Dalmas was a standout on the soccer pitch, too. As a senior, Dalmas led the state in goals (21) and assists (15), garnering 2016-17 Gatorade Idaho Boys Soccer Player of the Year honors.
After his mission, Dalmas contacted Joel Schneider, Boise State’s director of football operations, and was granted permission to walk on. He’s clearly wasted no time making a good impression.
“We had heard some things from his high school coaches that he could play and he had a good leg,” Harsin said. “When you’re a kicker, that’s what you want to know. Can he kick? Does he have a good leg? What kind of person is he?
“... Jonah is pretty athletic and is able to probably play other positions, maybe not at this level, but could play other positions.”
Dalmas wasn’t the only Rocky Mountain graduate to make the most of his playing time against the Aggies.
Nose tackle Keeghan Freeborn, a redshirt sophomore, recorded the second tackle of his BSU career to close out the first half and totaled three tackles in the game.
Freeborn, a 2018 Rocky Mountain graduate, played four years on the Grizzlies’ offensive line, but transitioned to the defensive line at Boise State. He redshirted in 2018 to give him ample time to learn the nuances of his new position and heal a lingering ankle injury he sustained in his final season at Rocky Mountain. The former 5A state champion wrestler played in three games last year, sharing a tackle against UNLV.
“He’s an animal. He’s a workhorse,” Boise State linebacker Riley Whimpey said. “He does what he needs to do and to be able to see him come out and play as well was awesome. I only see him continuing to improve. He has a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see where that takes him.”
Boise State has had good luck dipping into the Rocky Mountain well. Receiver Dallas Burroughs, tight end Jake Knight and cornerback Kekoa Nawahine were all former Grizzlies.
[Related: No fans, no problem. Boise State creates plenty of energy in rout of Utah State]
Noa brothers collide
Brothers Ezekiel and Elelyon Noa knew they could end up facing each other on the field Saturday night.
That moment came to fruition in the fourth quarter.
Boise State redshirt junior linebacker Ezekiel tackled Utah State true freshman running back Elelyon twice. The older brother got the upper hand both times, holding Elelyon to a gain of zero yards on their first clash and minus-1 yard on the second.
Both brothers went to Helix High in La Mesa, California, where Eleyon racked up 5,830 rushing yards during his four-year career — breaking the school record previously held by Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.
Ezekiel hadn’t played in a game since Sept. 20, 2019 — a 30-19 Boise State home win over Air Force. He entered that game as the Broncos’ leading tackler, but he suffered a torn ACL and a broken wrist, which sidelined him for the rest of the year.
Ezekiel led the Broncos on defense in Saturday’s opener with eight total tackles, including five solo, and one tackle for loss. Elelyon finished with six carries for 15 yards for the Aggies.
After the game, the two brothers shared a hug at the 50-yard line.
Broncos missing some key backups
Boise State was without 29 players for Saturday’s season opener, but none were out because of positive COVID-19 tests, the university announced.
The Mountain West is allowing teams to dress only 74 players for games this season. Boise State has 103 players on the roster, which means the Broncos won’t dress 29 each week.
Boise State didn’t specify which players were out because of injuries or disciplinary issues, but a few key backups were not in uniform, including junior college transfer defensive back Jonathan Earl, true freshman safety Semaj Verner and graduate transfer Johnny Messina, a kicker.
The Broncos don’t have much in the way of depth in the backfield, either. Junior college transfer Taequan Tyler is out for the season after tearing his Achilles, and redshirt sophomore Danny Smith is recovering from offseason surgery. Freshman Obi Gee is also out, which leaves just George Holani, Andrew Van Buren and walk-on Tyler Crowe to carry the load each week.
QUICK HITS
Tight end John Bates was the single-game captain. ... Cornerback Avery Williams represented Boise State in the coin toss. ... Receiver Octavius Evans carried the Dan Paul Hammer, left tackle John Ojukwu carried the American flag and nickel Kekaula Kaniho carried the Bleed Blue flag. ... Quarterback Chase Cord was limited in camp while rehabbing from injuries sustained last season and offseason ankle surgery, but he did dress for Saturday’s game. ... After competing for the job with Donte Harrington in camp, Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez got the start at center. ... Utah State was missing a major weapon in special teams ace Savon Scarver. ... Boise State safety Tyreque Jones left with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter with a possible ankle injury and did not return. ... Tyric LeBeauf capped off Boise State’s win with an interception.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 12:18 AM.
