Three takeaways ‘not good enough’ for Boise State defense despite spring game victory
The Boise State defense set a goal of getting three takeaways per game last season.
Three won’t cut it in 2022, according to senior safety JL Skinner.
“I mean, it’s not really good enough to get three,” Skinner said. “We want four, five, six. We want as many as we can get. Three’s good. We reached our goal, but we want to break that goal.”
Boise State’s defense earned a steak dinner with a 42-28 victory over their offensive counterparts in the spring game Saturday afternoon at Albertsons Stadium.
The Broncos intercepted three passes, recorded three sacks and forced five three-and-outs to earn points using a nontraditional scoring system. The defense was awarded points for takeaways (3 points), three-and-outs (2), sacks (2) or forcing a redzone field goal (4).
“It was exciting to see the guys come out here with the intensity that they did,” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said. “On the defensive side of the ball, it was good to see that we cleaned up some tackling. In scrimmage No. 2 we didn’t tackle very well. There were a lot of missed tackles that led to some explosive plays for the offense.
“It was good to see the coaches and players clean that up on the defensive side of the ball.”
The defense limited the offense to just two explosive plays — a 25-yard reception by redshirt senior Stefan Cobbs and a 14-yard run from true freshman Ashton Jeanty.
Weber State transfer and Borah High graduate George Tarlas set the tone for the defense on the first play from scrimmage when he stopped Jeanty for no gain, which eventually led to a three-and-out for the offense on the game’s opening drive.
The defense held a 13-1 advantage after the first quarter, collecting a pair of sacks on back-to-back plays from true freshman Braxton Fely and redshirt freshman Ty Tanner. Fely sacked redshirt freshman quarterback Taylen Green for a 2-yard loss and Tanner met Green in the backfield for a 4-yard loss.
Sophomore defensive tackle Ahmed Hassanein collected the Broncos’ third sack of the day, taking down redshirt freshman QB Sam Vidlak — a transfer from Oregon State — for a 3-yard loss in the third quarter.
“It’s a big part of playing defense,” Avalos said. “If you can’t pressure the quarterback, you can’t cover all day. ... You’ve got to be able to disrupt the quarterback’s timing and get him off his mark.”
Skinner grabbed the game’s first interception at the goal line off a deflected pass by Hank Bachmeier with the offense threatening to score.
Sophomore safety Seyi Oladipo intercepted Green in the third quarter, and redshirt sophomore safety Jaylen Clark closed out the game with a pick of Vidlak as the defense outscored the offense 15-1 in the second half.
“Given the scenarios, the interception in the red zone down there on a good drive, we’ve got to be better,” Avalos said. “We can’t force that ball. Hank can’t force that ball in there like that. We’ve got to work through the progression if the first read isn’t there. And being down in the red zone, if we’ve got to pull it down and run, then pull it down and run.”
Sixth-year senior safety Tyreque Jones paced the defense with five total tackles, while Tarlas, redshirt junior cornerback Chip Mitchell and redshirt freshman weakside linebacker Marco Notarainni had four tackles apiece.
Notarainni and redshirt senior middle linebacker DJ Schramm each recorded a tackle for loss, while fifth-year senior cornerback Caleb Biggers, redshirt senior weakside linebacker Brandon Hawkins and Clark each registered two pass breakups.
“As a whole defense, I wouldn’t say that we’re great at one thing yet,” Skinner said. “We have to improve on everything, and that’s what we’re going into the summer, we’re trying to improve every aspect of our game. Looking at certain things to improve, looking at certain schemes, so just really overall making our defense take that next step so we can be elite instead of great.”
Special teams: Kickers perfect on field-goal attempts
The Broncos attempted three field goals during Saturday’s scrimmage, including a career long.
Junior Jonah Dalmas surpassed his career-best of 51 yards with a 52-yard boot with the wind at his back just before halftime.
“We celebrated that in the locker room at halftime, given the conditions out there,” Avalos said. “When the wind is blowing, it’s tough.”
Backup kicker Will Ferrin connected on a pair of kicks in the second quarter, making a 31-yard field goal and a 26-yarder.
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 8:22 PM.
