Boise State’s pass game ‘definitely lacking’ through first two games, coordinator says
The Boise State football team totaled 318 yards in a 31-14 win over New Mexico on Friday.
Offensive coordinator Tim Plough said Monday he would ideally like to see the Broncos’ passing game accumulate that much yardage on its own. Starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier completed 16-of-27 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
“Our pass game … has been definitely lacking in the first two games,” Plough said. “And from a guy that grew up … throwing the football all over the yard, it’s definitely something that’s hard for me to sleep at night if we’re not throwing the ball for closer to 300 yards.”
Although the Broncos produced more explosive passing plays against the Lobos, Plough specifically cited third-and-long situations as the offense’s current Achilles heel.
Boise State converted on just 4-of-15 third-down attempts at New Mexico — or 26.7%. Seven of those attempts were considered third-and-long, or a distance of 9 or more yards, and two of the successful conversions resulted in a touchdown.
“Third downs in those scenarios, it’s gonna come down to a guy winning his matchup, an accurate throw with good protection, and a guy making plays,” Plough said. “So there’s been a combination of whether it’s been inaccuracy from the quarterback or a guy not winning that 50-50 rep or winning on that route, where I know our guys are motivated and emphasizing that this week.
“We’ve got to be able to throw the ball with more efficiency and with more aggressiveness to be the offense that we want to be.”
Further complicating the Broncos’ offensive efforts, Plough said, was a New Mexico defensive front that creates “complete chaos” with movement. That forced Bachmeier to adjust on the fly. Of the 63 plays Boise State ran, 26 were adjusted at the line of scrimmage, Plough said.
“Some of it is based on what he sees at the line of scrimmage, his freedom to change plays, some of it’s based on we might have two plays called. Some of it’s, you know, he gets up to the line of scrimmage and notices something different. And again, that’s a lot to put on a quarterback,” Plough said. “… That can become overwhelming. We’ve got to do a good job as a staff of piecing together what he can handle and what he can’t. But everyone’s gonna judge by how many touchdown passes did he throw or how many yards did he throw for? Which, obviously, those stats matter, too.
“But what they don’t see is that he was 100% in the run game for us this week, and he was close to 100% in getting us in the right protections this week. And if he does that, that sets up everyone to be successful.”
When defense becomes offense
Defensive linemen Scott Matlock and Herbert Gums entered the game on the offensive side of the ball for the final play of the first quarter, helping the Broncos convert on a fourth-and-1 situation on New Mexico’s 22-yard line.
Matlock lined up as an extra tight end and Gums lined up at fullback.
It was a play that’s been in the making since spring ball.
“The first rep (Gums) had I think it was a very scary experience for the corner on the edge when the down blocks came and Herb came screamin’ off the edge,” Boise State head coach Andy Avalos said. “You go back and watch Herbie play some tailback in high school, he was a little bit lighter then, but he’s still got a little bit of twitch and he’s fast footed and all those things.
“He did a really nice job actually following the puller up behind off Scott’s block up into the hole there. And I think just from the standpoint of, you know, a team effort, being able to get some guys on defense to help jump in there on some short-yardage situations is always fun.”
The result of the play was a 4-yard run by George Holani, and it led to the Broncos’ first score of the game a play later.
“Whenever that package is called on offense, you just see the defensive sideline just light up when they see Herbert Gums and Scott Matlock go out there,” Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said. “It’s an awesome way to really bring both sides together.”
Broncos aim for fast start
Plough and Avalos cited the need for a faster start on offense against UT Martin on Saturday at Albertsons Stadium (2 p.m., Fox Sports 1).
The Broncos were 0-for-7 on third downs in the first half and just 1-for-10 through three quarters. Their first two drives of the game resulted in three-and-outs and the Broncos didn’t reach the end zone until the second quarter.
“It’s a goal in all three phases to start fast,” Avalos said. “On offense, we did not start that fast. Again, we got stronger as the game went on.”
Added Plough: “We’ve got to do a better job starting the game faster and trying to get up on teams. If we can get a lead on teams and turn our defense loose and not play so tight, it’ll help us out obviously early in games.”
UT MARTIN AT BOISE STATE
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (35,944, turf)
TV: Fox Sports 1 (Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 1-1, UT Martin 1-1
Series: Saturday’s game marks just the second meeting between Boise State and UT Martin. The Broncos previously defeated the Skyhawks 63-14 at Albertsons Stadium in 2013.
Vegas line: Boise State by 21
Weather: High of 73 degrees, 24% chance of rain, 8 mph winds
