‘They punished that quarterback.’ Broncos’ D stymies Washington State and its mobile QB
Redshirt sophomore quarterback John Mateer set a Washington State record for QB rushing yards with 197 against Texas Tech on Sept. 7.
On his first run Saturday night, on the Cougars’ first offensive snap, he darted 52 yards to set up a touchdown against Boise State.
He’d probably like to forget the rest of the game, which was full of hard hits and failed plays.
On fourth-and-1 late in the third quarter of a one-score game, Mateer met the likes of Boise State linebacker Marco Notarainni at the line of scrimmage and stood no chance.
Notarainni wrapped up Mateer for no gain and a turnover on downs, turning the tide for the No. 25 Broncos in a 45-24 victory in front of a record crowd of 37,711 at Albertsons Stadium.
“I don’t know what the stats are in stopping QB sneak, but it’s got to be very, very low,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “One of the first ones I’ve ever seen stopped was tonight, and that’s Marco. I mean, he’s a guy that’s all about his teammates.”
On yet another night when Boise State Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty plowed through the opposing defense (259 rushing yards and four touchdowns), the Broncos’ defense put on a show of its own.
Washington State entered Saturday’s game having given up five total sacks, but the Broncos brought the pressure to Mateer, sacking him seven times for a loss of 67 yards — to go with 11 tackles for loss on the game.
Six different Broncos registered at least one sack, with defensive end Ahmed Hassanein and edge Jayden Virgin-Morgan getting 1.5 apiece. Hassanein also had a career-best eight total tackles.
“Kudos to the defense, man. They played hard out there,” Jeanty said. “They kept getting us the ball back. I mean, they punished that quarterback.”
The previously unbeaten Cougars were averaging 46.3 points and 515.3 yards per game before they stepped on the blue turf. Boise State held Washington State to 89 yards on the ground, its lowest total of the season, and 416 total yards, 75 of which came on the Cougars’ final drive in a lopsided game.
Wazzu was also averaging 43.8% on third-down conversions (21-for-48) going into Saturday. They finished 7-for-17 against the Broncos, but three of those conversions also came on their final drive, with the game already decided.
“You don’t win those third downs, it’s a whole different football game, especially with the offense we’re playing,” Danielson said. “So getting off the field and getting shots on the quarterback, when you get 10 QB hits in the game, you win the game. Our players hit Mateer a lot, and he’s a big-time football player.”
Boise State also had three fourth-down stops and intercepted a Mateer pass in the end zone to halt a drive at the end of the first half and preserve a 17-10 lead. The Broncos allowed only a field goal on seven drives from midway through the first quarter until 1:22 was left in the third quarter.
“Staying in it and keep swinging, that’s what we train for,” Danielson said. “In the fourth quarter, when we bring it up to finish the game, I always have the guys look up to the deck and say, ‘Look at those decks. Right now they’re filled with fans, but when no one’s around, you were running those, puking on the side.’
“That’s what Boise State football is all about: blue collar, chip on your shoulder, finish what you start, and I’m proud of our guys for doing it.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2024 at 2:58 AM.
