‘I call him automatic.’ This Boise State kicker is steadily climbing the record books
Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas gets some help from the stands before every field goal.
Dalmas’ father, Stephen, and mother, Lisa, have been to every game the past two seasons — home and away. They’ve been sitting in the north end zone of Albertsons Stadium for years. When the team is on the road, they always make sure to get end zone seats right behind the goal posts.
“It’s a blessing to have them there,” Dalmas told reporters on Wednesday. “Whether we’re in Nevada or Colorado, they’re always going to be there to support me.”
Stephen Dalmas isn’t just an observer. Before every field goal, Jonah gets in position and raises his right arm toward the goal post, ensuring his body is properly aligned and envisioning the trajectory of the ball. Stephen raises his arm in the same fashion, giving his son an easy target.
“With all the years I’ve spent watching a ball come off of Jonah’s foot, I’m really good at knowing where it’s going to go as soon as it connects,” Stephen Dalmas told the Idaho Statesman.
Stephen even caught one of Jonah’s kicks after the ball made its way over the netting that hangs behind the goal posts during the Broncos’ 30-7 win over UT Martin earlier this year.
“I’ve caught a lot of balls in practice, but doing it in a live game experience when it really counted was cooler than I thought it would be,” Stephen said. “What really made it cool was all the fans around us have gotten to know us over the years, and when I caught it, they all cheered like I scored a touchdown.”
Jonah Dalmas has done a good job bringing crowds to life. He’s been named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week three times, connected on 16-of-19 field goals and tied the longest kick of his career with a 51-yarder against Air Force.
Boise State coach Andy Avalos said the success simply comes down to consistency.
“He’s very deliberate with everything he does at practice,” Avalos said this week. “His process and the way he works, those things carry over into games.”
Dalmas connected on 26 field goals last season, breaking former Boise State kicker Tyler Rausa’s single-season record. He’s sitting at 49 career field goals, which ranks No. 3 in program history. He needs three more to supplant Mike Black (1988-91) as No. 2 on the list. Kyle Brotzman (2007-10) owns the Broncos’ record with 67.
Dalmas, a local product who went to Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian, said setting the Broncos’ all-time record would be cool. He also wouldn’t mind breaking the Mountain West record, which Nevada kicker Brandon Talton set last week with the 65th field goal of his career.
But seeing his name in the record books is not his main focus.
“My mentality is to help the team and put points on the board,” he said. “It’s a process, and you have to be perfect. The snap has to be great, then it’s the hold and the kick. It’s everybody coming together to get the job done.”
The whole process takes only about 1.3 seconds, but it also takes some serious tunnel vision, Dalmas said.
“It’s a mental game,” he said. “You just have to block everything and everyone else out. It’s just you and the holder. It’s the same process you work on every day in practice, and you just have to execute.”
Dalmas doesn’t miss very often, but he was off on two field goals in the Broncos’ season-opening loss at Oregon State. He wasn’t fazed, though, and responded by going 3-for-3 against UT Martin and 4-for-4 in wins over Air Force and Fresno State.
“I call him automatic,” Boise State pass rusher George Tarlas said after the win over Air Force. “He has a sniper leg. We’re never worried because we always know he’s going to put points on the board.”
Being automatic is nothing new for this kicker. He set the single-season field goal record at Rocky Mountain as a sophomore and broke it his junior year.
“Coach (Scott) Criner once said he has ice in his veins, and he really does,” Stephen Dalmas said. “That’s something that comes naturally. I spent 35 years in corporate America as a regional director and always said you can’t teach people to have a personality. It’s the same when it comes to a kicker blocking out all distractions.”
Stephen and Lisa haven’t missed one of Jonah’s games since 2020, when COVID-19 limited the number of fans who could attend. They’ll be at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday when Boise State takes on Wyoming (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network), but they’ll have to adjust their pre-field goal routine. It’s one of the few stadiums in the country that doesn’t have seating behind the end zones.
But Jonah’s parents will be there, sporting their No. 35 Boise State jerseys. His son won’t be able to see him doing it, but Stephen plans to continue helping him line up kicks from the stands — even if he doesn’t need it.
“Some kickers resign themselves that eventually they’re going to miss,” Stephen Dalmas said. “Jonah never had that. He takes it personal, and his mentality is that he’s going to make every kick.”
BOISE STATE AT WYOMING
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: War Memorial Stadium (29,181), Laramie, Wyoming
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Sherree Burress)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 7-3, 6-0 MW; Wyoming 7-3, 5-1 MW
Series: Boise State is 15-1 all-time against Wyoming, including five consecutive victories.
Vegas line: Boise State by 13
Weather: High of 32 degrees, 2% chance of rain, 14 mph wind
