‘He’s always ready’: Safety steps up as Boise State tries to clean up targeting calls
Boise State co-defensive coordinator coach Kane Ioane said safety Alexander Teubner is a stereotypical laid-back guy from a beach town — that is, until he steps on the field.
Teubner, a native of Seaside, Oregon, has been forced into action this season after starting boundary safety JL Skinner was disqualified from games against BYU and Colorado State because of targeting calls, and the former walk-on has made the most of his opportunities.
Teubner entered the Broncos’ win at Colorado State in the second quarter on Saturday and finished second on the team with eight tackles. He also replaced Skinner in the second quarter of Boise State’s win over then-No. 10 BYU on Oct. 9 and finished with four tackles and a forced fumble.
Playing behind Skinner — a likely NFL prospect, who checks in at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds and leads the Broncos with 65 tackles — Teubner didn’t expect to get much time on the field this season, except on special teams, but the 5-11, 194-pound redshirt sophomore has been prepared.
“I’ve just been working my tail off to stay ready so when an opportunity does present itself, I’m not in scramble mode and I can be calm,” Teubner said. “I’ve been preparing a long time, just waiting on that one opportunity to get in there and show what I can do.”
Teubner spent his first two seasons at Boise State primarily contributing on special teams, quietly making tackles that went unnoticed by most people, but not his coaches. His dedication to his role not only earned Teubner a spot on the Broncos’ depth chart this season, but it also earned him a scholarship.
Teubner said he thought he was in trouble when Boise State coach Andy Avalos called him to his office after a practice late in fall camp, but the player known to his teammates as “Tubes” left the office with a full ride.
“He’s always ready, whether it’s on special teams or if he needs to jump in there and play,” Avalos said. “That’s how ‘Tubes’ has gained the respect of the players. Anything that needs to be done, the guy handles it.”
Teubner had a prolific career on offense at Seaside High School in Oregon. He rushed for more than 4,000 yards during his final two seasons and was named Cowapa Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior. He always played on both sides of the ball, though, and his heart was always on defense, so he joined the Broncos as a safety in 2019.
Teubner prepares every week like he is a starter, fellow safety Tyreque Jones said. And though he might not be as big as Skinner, “Tubes” isn’t going to shy away from contact.
“He’s got heart,” Jones said. “He brings that physical side, and he’s hungry. Being a young guy like that, he understands that his opportunities are limited and that his number can get called at any moment.”
Teubner didn’t have many scholarship offers coming out of high school, but he’s exactly the type of player Boise State needs, co-defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said.
“He comes to work every day and doesn’t know if he’s going to play a snap or if he’s going to play 50, but he’s ready,” Danielson said.
Too many targeting calls
A much as Boise State’s coaches enjoy seeing Teubner’s dedication translate into playing time, they would much rather keep Skinner on the field.
He has posted at least 10 tackles in three games this season, including a career-high 13 in the Broncos’ win at Utah State. Skinner also has delivered some impressive hits, including a crushing blow to Oklahoma State wide receiver Brennan Presley that was replayed over and over again on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
Skinner has also been flagged for targeting three times, although one penalty was overturned on review in the Broncos’ loss to Air Force.
“I have to do a better job as a coach when it’s all said and done, and we have to make sure we always keep the helmet out of the tackle,” said Ioane, who was an All-American safety at Montana State and joined Avalos’ staff at Boise State in January. “You’re not taking the aggression away from them. You’re teaching them how to play aggressive with the proper technique.”
Targeting is defined as a player “taking aim at an opponent for purposes of attacking with forcible contact that goes beyond making a legal tackle or legal block or playing the ball,” according to NCAA rules. It’s usually called when a tackler leads with the crown of his helmet or makes contact with the head or neck area of a receiver or ball carrier.
Teams are penalized 15 yards for targeting and players are disqualified from the game. If the penalty occurs in the second half, the player is required to miss the first half of the following game.
That was the case for the first two Boise State players called for targeting this year. Nickel Kekaula Kaniho missed the first half of the Broncos’ home opener after getting flagged for the penalty late in the season opener at UCF. Linebacker Riley Whimpey missed the first half of the Broncos’ loss to Oklahoma State for the same reason.
How do the Broncos fix the problem? It starts with players keeping their heads up when tackling and striking offensive players between the numbers on the front of their jersey and their knees, Danielson said.
“We obviously have to do a better job emphasizing it to all of our players,” he said. “We have to do better job coaching it so it doesn’t continue to show up.”
NNU to celebrate Finkbeiner’s legacy
World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame founder Myron Finkbeiner passed away from cancer on June 27 at the age of 88. Northwest Nazarene University plans to celebrate Finkbeiner’s contributions as a teacher, coach and sports visionary during its homecoming week in Nampa, Nov. 11-13.
“Coffee Time with Myron’s Friends and Family” will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, in the gymnasium at Nampa First Church of the Nazarene. The university will then hold both a silent and live auction of some of Finkbeiner’s sports memorabilia on Saturday, Nov. 13, in the lower lobby of the Johnson Sports Center. The silent auction runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., while the live auction begins at 6 p.m. All proceeds go to the NNU volleyball program.
Finkbeiner, a Nampa High and NNU graduate, founded the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in 1994, and the collection was once on display at Boise State University in conjunction with the Humanitarian Bowl, now known as the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame inducted 46 individuals between 1994 and 2010.
BOISE STATE AT NO. 25 FRESNO STATE
When: 5 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
Where: Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, California
TV: CBS Sports Network (John Sadak, Aaron Murray, Lindsay Rhodes). That’s channel 139 on Sparklight, 221 on DirecTV and 158 on Dish Network.
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 4-4, 2-2; Fresno State 7-2, 4-1.
Series: Boise State is 15-7 against Fresno State, but the teams haven’t played since the 2018 Mountain West championship game, which the Bulldogs won 19-16 in overtime.
Vegas line: Fresno State by 5
Weather: High of 70 degrees, 6% chance of rain, 12 mph winds
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 3:45 PM.
