Boise State kicker feeds off pressure; defense among nation’s best for takeaways
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Boise State 23, Wyoming 13
Boise State’s defense was stellar (aside from a late 74-yard TD) and running back George Holani again ran for more than 100 yards as the Broncos ended a three-game home losing streak and reached bowl eligibility.
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‘This is our home’: Boise State ends losing skid on The Blue, earns bowl eligibility
Boise State kicker feeds off pressure; defense among nation’s best for takeaways
Instant analysis: Stingy defense helps Boise State overcome sluggish offense vs. Wyoming
Final: Boise State 23, Wyoming 13; Broncos allow late TD in otherwise strong defensive effort
Jonah Dalmas knew the timeout was coming, and he didn’t mind at all.
After Wyoming coach Craig Bohl called the second of three consecutive timeouts, Dalmas just clapped his hands in the direction of the Boise State sideline and realigned his approach.
There’s no icing this kicker.
The 2021 Lou Groza award semifinalist connected on a 43-yard field goal just before halftime — despite Bohl’s best efforts to psych him out — and he finished with three total in Boise State’s 23-13 victory over Wyoming on Friday at Albertsons Stadium.
“He was just smiling the whole time, too. It was awesome,” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said. “We mess with him at practice all the time. For the sake of practice time, we never take that much time to mess with him and make sure he’s ready to go, but he handled it. He did a really good job, and he responded. And he’s continued to do that.”
Dalmas, a sophomore from Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian, has made 14 straight field goals this season, which is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation. He is 22-for-24 overall — second-most made in the nation — and a combined 29-for-32 the past two seasons.
Not bad for a player who entered the program as a walk-on.
“Man, that dude has ice in his veins,” Boise State edge Demitri Washington said. “I mean, that dude can handle all the types of pressure in the world, whether it’s us yelling at him in practice, whether it’s icing him three times, there’s not a lot of dudes who can do that. We have one of the best kickers in the nation. I looked at him on the sidelines, I’m like, ‘Bro, I just appreciate you.’”
Dalmas was coming off a 4-for-4 performance against then-No. 25 Fresno State last week. He nailed a season-long field goal of 47 yards against the Bulldogs, earning Mountain West and Lou Groza Star of the Week awards. His career long is 51 yards.
“He’s a special player,” Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier said. “He’s got a lot of pressure, that guy, so I credit him.”
Boise State D among nation’s best for turnovers
It may have been Demitri Washington’s first career interception, but it was nothing new for the Boise State defense.
Washington’s interception in the fourth quarter was the 21st takeaway of the season for the Broncos, which is tied for the fourth-most in the nation this season. Cincinnati and Middle Tennessee share the lead with 25 takeaways each.
“Playing as a team would be the answer,” said Avalos, explaining why the Broncos have been so effective at creating turnovers this season. “But how you pursue to the ball, how you run to the ball, the more guys that are to the ball and around the ball, the more opportunities you have to take it away.”
Washington, a Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year candidate, finished with three total tackles. His 37-yard interception return to the Wyoming 13-yard line set up a 12-yard TD run for senior Andrew Van Buren that gave Boise State a 20-7 lead with 7:39 to play.
“I haven’t ran for more than 5 yards in about five years,” Washington said. “So I just kind of tucked the ball, made sure it’s high and tight, and see how much I can get. I’m kind of mad at myself for stepping out (of bounds), but it is what it is.”
Washington, who played quarterback in a Wing-T offense at Santa Fe Christian High School in Solana Beach, California, had surgery for a torn ACL on Nov. 16, 2020.
The Broncos’ defense held the Cowboys to 11 first downs while forcing seven punts. Until Wyoming got a 74-yard touchdown pass in the game’s final seconds, BSU had allowed only 214 yards of offense. The Cowboys’ 288 total yards was still a season low for a BSU opponent.
BSU missing receivers
Boise State was without a pair of starting wide receivers against Wyoming. Redshirt junior Stef Cobbs and redshirt senior Octavius Evans missed the Mountain West contest for undisclosed reasons, Boise State announced shortly before kickoff.
Tight end Tyler Eiguren, defensive lineman Michael Callahan, and offensive linemen Will Farrar and Jacob Golden were also out. Farrar was out for the third straight game, which meant fifth-year senior Jake Stetz started at center again.
Boise State said it was not missing any players because of COVID-19 protocols.
Despite missing two starters at receiver, Bachmeier completed passes to nine different players. Reserves Billy Bowens (4 receptions, 36 yards), Davis Koetter (2-17) and Latrell Caples (1-15) each stepped up.
“(It was) awesome to see Latrell back out there. That’s a guy right there behind the scenes who’s coming along,” Avalos said. “He suffered an injury, kind of a weird thing to his thumb, so he was out for a little while.
“The way he’s come back, the way he’s kept himself in rhythm and knowing the game plans from week to week and staying in it, allowed him to jump right back in and get going. He’s done a great job.”
Broncos honor fallen heroes
In conjunction with the football team’s Military Appreciation Game against Wyoming, Boise State honored three members of the Idaho National Guard who lost their lives on Feb. 2, 2021.
Earlier this year, a Black Hawk helicopter lost visibility through snow and fog in the Danskin Mountains during routine training, ultimately resulting in a fatal crash. All three individuals on board — Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jesse Anderson, Chief Warrant Officer 3 George “Geoff” Laubhan and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Peltzer — lost their lives.
The families of all three individuals were welcomed to The Blue by 35,454 members of Bronco Nation during the first quarter of Friday’s game, in honor of their service to the community and the country.
Quick hits
Team captains Khalil Shakir and Kekaula Kaniho were joined by Washington and running back George Holani as game captains. ... Boise State won the coin toss and deferred. ... Boise State was led on the field by Dalmas, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer. ... Cornerback Caleb Biggers carried the American flag and left guard Garrett Curran carried the Bleed Blue flag. ... Bachmeier completed 23 passes to move into eighth place all-time at Boise State with 453. ... Shakir passed Don Hutt (1970-73) for sixth all-time in career receptions with 195. With Friday’s performance, Shakir passed Cedrick Wilson (2016-17) for the seventh spot in Bronco history with 2,688 yards. ... Wyoming was whistled for four false starts.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 1:10 AM.
