Incredible turnaround on Blue could be turning point for Boise State’s 2022 fortunes
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Boise State 35, San Diego State 13
After trailing 13-0 at halftime, the Broncos used a punishing rushing attack and an unyielding defense to overwhelm the Aztecs for 35 unanswered points. Read all our coverage here.
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Welcome back, Boise State football.
It had been a long, strange month.
Surely, some fans turned away from their TVs or headed to the Albertsons Stadium concourse Friday night muttering lines from that old Green Day tune: Wake me up when September ends.
The first 30 minutes against San Diego State produced a 13-0 deficit and looked exactly like the same ol’, same ol’ — an inspired defensive effort but a futile offensive showing.
This is Boise State, the princes of points, titans of touchdowns, hombres of offense.
Except none of it was happening. Again.
Then something very unexpected happened, and in the process, it might very well have turned around the Broncos’ fortunes.
After just 148 first-half yards and a big fat zero on the scoreboard, the Broncos came out looking like, well, an offensive force. In his first start, quarterback Taylen Green was dynamite running the zone read, while running backs George Holani and Ashton Jeanty looked like Doug Martin cloned twice over.
In the second half, the Broncos racked up 273 yards rushing, better than any entire game since Nov. 23, 2019. They finished with 316.
Hold on to your hats, Bronco Nation, but halftime adjustments were clearly made by new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, six days into the job.
“I would say we’re still figuring out this offense, but he definitely a great job adjusting in the second half … utilizing (Green’s) speed on the edge,” Holani said.
And that is why, 30 game minutes after the team and fan base could not seem lower, there was a lot of reason for hope.
Were fixes to a struggling offense going to appear immediate? One would hope, but that’s not always how it works. It happened right after halftime Friday.
Did the team to play to its strengths? Green’s obvious running ability was front and center during the final two quarters. In a Mountain West devoid of firepower, Green quickly could become the quarterback most likely to spring a big play. The combination of Holani and Jeanty could be lethal behind an offensive line that is still banged up but for a half was paving holes big enough for Green to carry one of those backs through.
In the second half Friday, Boise State just might have found an identity: a suffocating defense — which incredibly allowed just 25 yards after the first quarter — and a multipronged rushing attack.
“(Koetter) uses personnel for what they’re good at,” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said. “ … It was a little slow to go in the first half, but let’s be honest here, we were working at it for a week.”
Avalos also noted something important: The Broncos saw the fruits of their efforts on both sides of the ball pay off. The defense got stop after stop, eventually seeing the offense break through against a tired San Diego State defense that had to keep rushing back onto the field. The offense didn’t let a first-half shutout in a season full of lulls get to them.
Safety Tyreque Jones, who made perhaps the game- and season-turning play with an interception on the first snap of the third quarter, admitted it took a toll on the defense while the offense struggled, using the word “demoralizing” twice.
“It’s a confidence-booster and somewhat of a relief, because we see it all the time and not have it produce in the game, it is frustrating,” Jones said.
He said the offense “deserved” the second half, when it scored 35 unanswered points.
It was exactly what the Broncos needed.
Winning can cover up some ills, and the Broncos still have their fair share, from special teams lapses to a passing game struggling pretty mightily.
But in the final 30 minutes of the final game of September, it just looked right. A team grasping for an identity found one. And if that offense is still “figuring out” what it is, then somehow, despite all the tumult, this season’s goals are still on the table for Boise State, which is 2-0 in Mountain West play.
“I think it’s scary, honestly … down the road, we’re going to get the receivers open and that’s going to be even scarier,” Holani said.
This story was originally published October 1, 2022 at 12:04 AM.