Boise State’s ‘Boneyard Boys’ focused on creating more turnovers at New Mexico
Boise State’s defense will be hunting for skulls Friday at New Mexico (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
Boise State debuted its latest turnover prop last weekend in the season opener at Oregon State. Whenever a player forced a turnover, they were presented with a small skull, which was hung from a spear planted near the Broncos’ bench.
Three skulls hung from the spear at the end of the Broncos’ 34-17 loss. The defense did not achieve its ultimate goal and help the team win, defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said, but it was a good start for a unit that has adopted the nickname “Boneyard Boys.”
“Getting a turnover is a huge deal,” Boise State nickel Tyreque Jones said. “You’re taking the ball away from the other team and giving your offense a chance to score. That should be something that’s fun and that you celebrate.”
Boise State’s latest turnover prop was Danielson’s idea, and he surprised the Broncos with their new turnover skulls the night before the Oregon State game.
The turnover prop fad began with Miami’s opulent turnover chain. Georgia has a pair of spiked shoulder pads, several teams have a turnover belt, and UNLV celebrates takeaways with a tug on the lever of a slot machine.
Boise State has had its share of turnover props. There was a decked-out bike, which players got to ride off the practice field if they forced the most turnovers that day. The Broncos also had the turnover throne, which made its debut in 2018 and was sold to Albertsons last year.
The Broncos went without a turnover prop the past couple of seasons, but they forced so many takeaways last year that the coaches decided to bring back the gimmick.
“Is a boneyard a place you want to visit or vacation?” Boise State pass rusher Demitri Washington said. “No. When people come here and play our defense, they don’t want to be on the field with us. That’s just something we want to hold as our standard.”
The Broncos went into every game last season with a goal of forcing at least three turnovers, and they did it more than once. They forced 23 turnovers in 2021, the most they had tallied in a season since 2018.
The Broncos hit their goal on Saturday. Safety JL Skinner, who tied cornerback Jaylen Clark for the most turnovers created in fall camp, intercepted his first pass of the season against the Beavers. Cornerback Caleb Biggers snagged the first interception of his career on Saturday, and he also pounced on a fumble caused by linebacker Ezekiel Noa.
“Turnovers are huge because they can change a game,” Skinner said. “The more, the better; that’s how we look at it.”
Boise State would like to see its defense create a few more turnovers Friday at New Mexico (1-0), which is coming off a 41-0 trouncing of Maine, an FCS program.
The Broncos also would like to see a better performance out of a running game that produced just 126 yards on the ground against Oregon State.
And, of course, Boise State wants to see more consistent play out of four-year starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who was benched last week after contributing to three turnovers in the first quarter. The Broncos finished the game with five.
Taylen Green, a 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman, took over in the second quarter, and while he wasn’t perfect, he did dazzle the crowd in Corvallis, Oregon, with a 74-yard touchdown run. He also scored on a four-yard touchdown run and completed 19-of-28 passes for 155 yards and one interception.
Boise State football coach Andy Avalos won’t say which quarterback is going to start on Friday, but he confirmed that both have been working with the starters this week in practice.
“I’ve got trust in both of them,” Boise State wide receiver Stefan Cobbs told reporters on Wednesday. “Whoever is in the game, I have 100 percent faith in them, and it’s our job to go out and make plays for them.”
Boise State will face an offense that likes to operate out of triple-option sets and utilize the talents of dual-threat quarterback Miles Kendrick, a transfer from Kansas. Kendrick finished third on the team with 40 rushing yards last week against Maine. He also completed 14-of-17 passes for 170 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Lobos also got 58 yards and two touchdowns on the ground out of running back Sherod White, and versatile wide receiver Luke Wysong ran the ball for 43 yards and a touchdown.
New Mexico will also have the services of running back Nate Jones on Friday. He redshirted last year and was held out of the season opener last week by head coach Danny Gonzalez.
The Broncos will be looking for turnovers but they also know they have to contain the Lobos’ running game to get the win, Washington said.
“It’s trusting your eyes and verifying what you see and what you know,” Washington said when asked about slowing down the triple option. “It’s just paying attention to our keys so we can help our team.”
BOISE STATE AT NEW MEXICO
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
TV: CBS Sports Network (Chris Lewis, Danny Kannel, Amanda Guerra)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 0-1, 0-0 MW; New Mexico 1-0, 0-0 MW
Series: Boise State leads 11-1. The Broncos’ only loss was in 2015; they shut out the Lobos 37-0 last season.
Vegas line: Boise State by 17
Weather: High of 94 degrees, 15% chance of rain, 10 mph wind
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
