Growing pains, a stifling defense slow down Boise State’s offense in spring game
The Boise State football team had its first chance to show how much it’s grown in year No. 2 in offensive coordinator Tim Plough’s scheme Saturday in the annual spring game.
Instead, players on the defense got to cut into steaks after a 42-28 win. The offense had to settle for hamburgers.
“It was exciting to see the guys come out here with the intensity they did,” Boise State football coach Andy Avalos said. “On the defensive side of the ball, it was good to see we cleaned up some tackling issues we struggled with in the second scrimmage.”
Boise State employed a nontraditional scoring system, which awarded the defense points for sacks, turnovers, three-and-outs and holding the offense to field goal attempts in the red zone. The unit lit up the scoreboard on Saturday.
The Broncos’ offense produced just one first down in its first three possessions. The defense forced five three-and-outs and three interceptions and came away with three sacks.
All three of Boise State’s quarterbacks — returning starter Hank Bachmeier and redshirt freshman Taylen Green and Sam Vidlak — threw interceptions.
Bachmeier’s interception is going to stick with him for a little while. It followed his longest completion of the game — a 25-yard strike to wide receiver Stefan Cobbs — and the Broncos’ soon-to-be four-year starter was late on a pass over the middle that was tipped and settled into the hands of safety JL Skinner.
“On the drive where I threw a pick, we did execute on a couple of crucial third downs,” Bachmeier said. “I’ve just got to do a better job of not forcing it there. I’ve got to be a better quarterback and go through my progression.”
Plough has praised Bachmeier’s efficiency and decision-making this spring, but mistakes like that can’t be made in the red zone when points are on the line, Avalos said.
“Hank can’t force that ball in there like that,” Avalos said. “Being down there in the red zone, if you’ve got to pull it down and run, pull it down and run.”
Bachmeier completed 12-of-23 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. His lone touchdown pass was an 11-yard lob to Cobbs in the back corner of the end zone late in the first half.
“That was a nice grab in the end zone, and that was the second time they’ve hit that play this week,” Avalos said of Cobbs, who led the Broncos’ receivers with six catches for 61 yards.
Vidlak, who joined the program in January, trotted on the field with the second-team offense, and he was the last quarterback to play. He completed 3-of-10 passes for 13 yards, but after rolling out of the pocket to escape pressure, he was intercepted on the final play of the game by safety Jaylen Clark.
Green — a 6-foot-6, 215-pound quarterback who enrolled early in January 2021 — completed just one of his four pass attempts. He finished with four yards through the air and was intercepted in the second half when safety Seyi Oladipo undercut a pass.
Green’s first drive of the game ended with back-to-back sacks by freshman defensive tackle Braxton Fely and redshirt freshman linebacker Ry Tanner. Sophomore defensive lineman Ahmed Hassanein also finished with a sack.
Avalos said the competition to name Bachmeier’s primary backup won’t be decided until fall camp.
“They did some good things today, but obviously they struggled at times today, too,” Avalos said. “We’re really excited about both of those guys from the standpoint of how they’ve grown.”
Struggles on the ground
Boise State’s offense was on a hot streak coming into the game, having run the ball better in its second scrimmage last Saturday than it had all spring, according to Avalos. But the defense owned the line of scrimmage on Saturday.
Redshirt junior George Holani — the Broncos’ leading rusher in two of the past three seasons — fielded a couple of punts on Saturday, but he finished the game without a carry. Holani missed three games last season because of a hamstring injury and was limited in several others. In 2020, he played in just one full game because of a knee injury.
The debut of freshman running back Ashton Jeanty got off to a slow start. He seemed a little timid in the first half and couldn’t break through the defensive front for any substantial gains.
He showed some life in the second half.
The native of Frisco, Texas, got into the end zone on a 2-yard run in the third quarter. On back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter, Jeanty ran over a defender on a 4-yard gain and showed a burst of speed while getting around the right side of the offensive line on his longest run of the day, which covered 14 yards.
“Ashton got going late and had a couple nice runs, but he’s done that throughout the course of spring ball,” Avalos said. “Whether he’s running inside and can get behind his pads or he gets to the perimeter quick, we’re excited about what he’s done.”
Jeanty and former Skyview High star Tyler Crowe both finished with a team-high 26 rushing yards. But it was Crowe — a former walkon who was put on scholarship last year — who took a big step toward replacing Andrew Van Buren as Boise State’s short-yardage back this season. Van Buren announced he was transferring in January, but he has yet to sign with another team.
“Tyler runs with a lot of power and heart,” Cobbs said. “He never lets one man take him down.”
Red zone growth
Avalos and Plough have been open about the need for Boise State’s offense to improve in the red zone this year. The Broncos got a chance to do just that Saturday in a game called Lockout.
The game is similar to overtime in college football, but in those games, each team starts from its opponent’s 25-yard line. In Lockout, the offense started at the defense’s 15 and had four plays to score.
Lockout took up much of the second quarter on Saturday, and the offense came away with points in three of its four rounds.
Redshirt freshman Will Ferrin connected on field goals of 31 and 26 yards, Jeanty crossed the goal line on a short run and Cobbs was all alone in the back corner of the end zone on fourth down when he came down with his touchdown catch.
Beresford debuts
On Saturday, Boise State was without three starting offensive linemen, who have been out all spring with injuries: left tackle John Ojukwu and guards Garrett Curran and Ben Dooley.
The Broncos still had a veteran protecting all of their quarterbacks’ blindside, though.
Washington State transfer Cade Beresford manned left tackle in the spring game. In fact, he was the only player who took a snap at left tackle on Saturday.
“We’re really excited about what he’s done, not only as a player but as a person,” Avalos said. “We were missing two all-conference O-linemen today, so when they reconvene this summer, it’s going to be a different looking offensive front.”
Beresford spent most spring practices at right tackle, and that’s likely where he’ll start when Ojukwu returns to the starting lineup. Ojukwu, a sixth-year senior, is heading into his fifth year as a starter, and he has played left tackle since replacing former Bronco Ezra Cleveland in 2020.
Redshirt senior Dallas Holliday filled in for Curran at left guard on the first-team offense. Texas Tech transfer Will Farrar started at right guard in place of Dooley and redshirt junior Julian Simpson started the spring game at right tackle. Center Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez also started after missing all of last season for undisclosed reasons.
Boise State has one more spring practice scheduled for Monday, which Avalos said they’ll use to tie up loose ends. Players will then have May off before they return to campus for voluntary workouts in early June.
“The biggest thing is just being more consistent with basic fundamentals,” Avalos said. “All those little things, now we know what we need to do to get better, and the guys know what they have to do to get on the same page.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 8:21 PM.
