Boise State’s second fall scrimmage is ‘back and forth,’ but the run game shines again
The Boise State football team held its second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, and the Broncos’ offense had to overcome a little more adversity this time around, head coach Andy Avalos said.
Unlike last weekend, when the offense had the defense’s number most of the day, Boise State’s defense dominated the early portion of Saturday’s game, Avalos told reporters on Saturday evening.
“If we’re going to improve, it’s going to go back and forth,” Avalos said. “Otherwise, one side is getting better and the other isn’t.”
It took the offense four drives to get into a rhythm, but Avalos said the unit was able to make adjustments and win the later portion of the scrimmage with explosive plays in the running game and a commitment to spreading the ball around in the passing game.
“It ended up flipping pretty quick, so it was good to see that the offense stuck with it and made some in-game adjustments and hit some explosive plays,” Avalos said.
Avalos shared several observations from Saturday’s scrimmage. Here’s what he had to say.
▪ The scrimmage was the same length of a regular season game.
▪ Boise State held the scrimmage at Rocky Mountain High School to simulate traveling for road games and everything that goes into preparing for a game, such as the team meal, time with trainers and pregame warmups.
▪ The running game looked good for the second week in a row, averaging 3.8 yards a carry on.
▪ Starting running back George Holani scored on a 75-yard run. Avalos praised the Broncos’ wide receivers for how they blocked for the running backs on Saturday, particularly on Holani’s long touchdown.
▪ Holani and freshman running back Ashton Jeanty have looked explosive on kickoff returns in both of the Broncos’ scrimmages.
▪ Freshman James Ferguson-Reynolds and redshirt freshman Will Ferrin continue to dominate the battle to replace punter Joel Velazquez. Avalos called Ferguson-Reynold’s performance on Saturday “phenomenal.” Ferrin has also been handling kickoffs.
▪ Boise State’s top three quarterbacks, senior Hank Bachmeier and redshirt freshmen Taylen Green and Sam Vidlak, all spread the ball around Saturday. Eleven players finished the scrimmage with at least two catches.
▪ The competition between Green and Vidlak to be Bachmeier’s primary backup will continue into the final two weeks of camp.
▪ Redshirt freshman wide receiver Eric McAlister caught several deep passes on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of Azle, Texas, joined the Broncos last year as a three-star recruit but didn’t appear in any games.
▪ Former wide receiver Kaden Dudley, who switched to running back this summer, had some nice catches out of the backfield. Avalos said one of Dudley’s catches didn’t end until he put his shoulder down and ran over a defensive back.
▪ Redshirt sophomore slot receiver Cole Wright also got a shout out from Avalos for a one-handed catch he made on the sideline.
▪ Nickel Tyreque Jones played in Saturday’s scrimmage after he was held out last week. Avalos said his presence had a ripple effect on the whole defense.
“It looks a little different when Ty Jones is in there,” Avalos said. “Now guys are really able to hone in on their positions heading into the season.”
▪ The competition between Seyi Oladipo and Rodney Robinson to replace Jones at field safety will continue into the next couple weeks, but Avalos said there’s a good chance they’re both going to play this season.
“They both have done a really, really good job in their second years with the amount of time they’ve had on the field,” Avalos said. “It’s much improved from where they were last year.”
▪ Avalos praised weakside linebacker DJ Schramm and field side defensive end George Tarlas for the second week in a row. Schramm’s consistency appears to have made him a favorite to win the starting job that former Bronco Riley Whimpey held for five years. Tarlas has been the team’s top pass rusher so far this fall.
▪ The focus of practice the next two weeks will shift to preparing for specific opponents, including Oregon State, which Boise State faces in the season opener on Sept. 3. Most players will also begin classes on Monday, which will cut into the amount of time they can spend on football.
This story was originally published August 20, 2022 at 7:59 PM.
