Instant analysis: Boise State’s second-half bowl meltdown raises some concerns for 2024
Boise State was firmly in control of the LA Bowl, but a change at quarterback for UCLA created a wave of momentum that the Bruins rode all the way to a 35-22 victory.
Collin Scheer started the game for the Bruins, but he was injured early in the third quarter. Ethan Garbers came in and helped the Bruins outscore Boise State 21-0 in the third quarter and tack on a TD early in the fourth that made it 35-16.
Garbers found Kyle Ford on a 5-yard touchdown pass moments after stepping on the field. He also engineered back-to-back scoring drives that were capped by touchdown runs by TJ Harden. Garbers also threw a long touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, and finished the game 9-for-12 for 158 yards and two touchdowns.
Main takeaway: Boise State’s defense dominated UCLA in the first half, limiting the Bruins to just 174 yards, but the Broncos’ issues slowing down mobile quarterbacks and giving up big plays came back to bite them in the second half.
Schlee racked up 127 rushing yards, most of which came on a 70-yard sprint in the first half. Garbers moved the chains with a 15-yard run in the second half, but he did most of his damage with his arm. He completed passes of 39 and 41 yards on back-to-back scoring drives in the third quarter. He also found J. Michael Sturdivant on a 40-yard touchdown pass in the fourth.
The Broncos were regularly burned by big passing plays throughout the season, which will be something to keep an eye on for 2024.
Boise State was probably hoping for a Garbers-type performance from its starting quarterback, CJ Tiller, but the spotlight seemed a little too bright for the freshman. He never looked comfortable in the pocket, rushed several throws and threw a bad interception into a crowd in the fourth quarter. Tiller finished the game 12-of-21 for 117 yards.
After scoring on all four possessions in the first half, the offense’s three third-quarter drives were all three-and-outs, with just 17 total yards. Once the Bruins committed to stopping Boise State running backs George Holani and Ashton Jeanty, the Broncos looked lost.
They also were really missing former starting quarterback Taylen Green’s athleticism in the first half when three drives to the red zone ended with field goals instead of touchdowns. Green has committed to Arkansas, so the Broncos’ starting job is going to come down to Tiller or Maddux Madsen next year, unless the team pulls a starter out of the transfer portal. That may be the Broncos’ best bet from the look of things on Saturday.
Player of the game: Holani, the redshirt senior, led the Broncos with 138 rushing yards, and he scored their only two touchdowns in his final college game. He scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and a 66-yard burst up the middle in the fourth with about 5 minutes left.
Stat of the game: UCLA allowed three rushing touchdowns all season and surrendered just 69.6 rushing yards a game heading into the LA Bowl. Boise State racked up 126 yards on the ground in the first half and finished with 280.
This story was originally published December 16, 2023 at 8:53 PM.
