Instant analysis: Boise State’s offense gets healthy vs. UTEP. Defense gets stingy
Final score: Boise State 54, UTEP 13
Records: Boise State 1-1. UTEP 2-1.
Why the Broncos won: The offense came to life, and the defense achieved its goal. The Broncos managed just 43 yards of offense and 10 points in the first quarter, but they exploded with 253 yards and 31 points in the second. Boise State finished the game with 461 total yards and made good on offensive coordinator Tim Plough’s promise of scoring “half-a-hundred” points. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier finished the game 17-of-24 for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
The Broncos’ defense came into the season with a goal of creating at least three turnovers a game. It did that and then some on Friday. Boise State racked up six takeaways. Freshman safety Seyi Oladipo intercepted two passes after replacing an injured Tyreque Jones, who had an interception of his own. Linebacker Ezekiel Noa recovered two fumbles, and Demitri Washington and defensive end Shane Irwin combined on a strip sack early in the game. Boise State forced just three turnovers all of last season.
Main takeaway: Boise State’s passing attack really can be as scary as advertised. Bachmeier spread the ball around to 10 different receivers last week, and he completed at least one pass to seven on Friday. Wide receivers Khalil Shakir and Stefan Cobbs looked a step faster than every defender on the field, and senior Octavius Evans came up with some contested catches.
Perhaps even scarier than the numbers was how the Broncos kept UTEP’s defense guessing all night. Cobbs was way behind the defense on a read-pass option (RPO) play that he turned into a 61-yard touchdown, and tight end Tyneil Hopper was all alone on his first touchdown catch of the season.
There’s still work to do in the running game, and it’s still unclear how healthy running back George Holani is, after he was obviously still on a snap count Friday. But Plough promised an aggressive passing attack when he was hired in January, and the Broncos delivered in the home opener.
Player of the game: It’s hard to top the performance Shakir had with seven catches for 166 yards, but Cobbs was the difference maker on Friday. He returned a punt 81 yards for the Broncos’ first touchdown of the game, and his only reception of the night went for a 61-yard touchdown, which gave Boise State a 31-6 lead in the second quarter. Cobbs exited the game late in the second quarter and did not return, and he was on the bench in the second half with a boot on his left foot.
Stat of the game: The Broncos finished last week’s season opener at UCF with just seven passes that covered at least 15 yards. Boise State recorded that many by halftime on Friday and finished the game with 10, which accounted for 292 yards. Bachmeier finished the night with three passes that covered at least 30 yards, and his longest was the 61-yard TD to Cobbs.
Play of the game: Boise State settled for a field goal on its first drive, but Cobbs provided the spark the team needed with the big special teams play. He hauled in a punt midway through the first quarter, got a couple of nice blocks from defensive backs Markel Reed and Rodney Robinson, and outran the UTEP defenders. Boise State went on to score two more touchdowns and a field goal on its next three possessions, cruising to a 41-13 halftime lead.
What’s next: Boise State welcomes Oklahoma State to Albertsons Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18 (7 p.m. FS1) for a rematch from 2018, when the Broncos lost in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Boise State scored first when former QB Brett Rypien found wide receiver John Hightower on a 31-yard touchdown pass, but the Broncos found themselves trailing, 20-7, by the beginning of the third quarter. Oklahoma State went on to win, 44-21.
Several current Broncos played in that game, including wide receiver CT Thomas, who finished with eight catches for 52 yards. Shakir nabbed one pass for 19 yards, and linebacker Riley Whimpey finished with three tackles. Safety Tyreque Jones and nickel Kekaula Kaniho both added two tackles.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 11:31 PM.
