How is Boise State fixing ‘very inconsistent’ special teams? No one’s position is safe
Receiving the ball on his own 1-yard line on a kickoff against San Jose State, Boise State’s Cameron Bates dug a foot into the ground and quickly took off down the middle of the field.
Great blocking allowed the freshman to charge untouched downfield for about 25 yards. But all it took was a slight tug from a San Jose State defender to force the ball to slip out of Bates’ left hand, bounce away and be recovered by the Spartans deep in Broncos territory.
The next time the Broncos got the chance to return a kickoff, Dylan Riley caught the ball. This time around, the freshman was able to keep a tight grip on the ball and return it for 37 yards.
“Every week in practice is a competition,” head coach Spencer Danielson said Monday. “Even during a game, if it’s not what it should be, we’re going to make moves.”
For a program that has typically prided itself on special teams, those units have been a sore point this season. If it weren’t for two special teams gaffes in the 37-34 loss at Oregon — an 85-yard punt return and 100-yard kickoff return, both for touchdowns — the Broncos likely would be pursuing an undefeated season.
Aside from Bates’ fumble, the Broncos have performed well on kickoff returns this season, averaging 23.5 yards per return, the 25th-best mark in the nation.
But that’s where the positives end for the special teams. In other key metrics, out of 133 FBS teams, the Broncos’ special teams rank 99th in kickoff defense (22.1 yards per return), 121st in punt returns (3.7 yards per return) and 130th in punt return defense (17.9 yards per return).
“We’ve got to find guys in all four of our units,” Danielson said. “They’ve got to make the plays they should make.”
Danielson said the plan was for Bates and Riley to switch on and off for each kickoff return, and it wasn’t because of Bates’ fumble. Instead, the switch happened because Danielson still doesn’t think either player has done enough to nail down the spot permanently.
“Those guys are young,” Danielson said. “They’ve both done some really good things, but no one has separated themselves to be the full-time kickoff returner yet.”
Who’s taking kickoffs?
It’s not just on kickoff returns that Danielson is switching things.
Boise State had three players boot a kickoff against San Jose State — senior Taren Schive, who had five kicks, and one apiece from fifth-year Jonah Dalmas and redshirt sophomore Jarrett Reeser.
Danielson said Monday that he wants every kickoff to be a touchback — against San Jose State, only one of the seven went for a touchback.
“We’ve had consistent issues kicking the ball where we need to on kickoff,” Danielson said. “We’ve got to find guys that can consistently kick the ball where it needs to (go) and create more touchbacks than we have.”
Special teams coordinator Stacy Collins signed a two-year, $350,000-per-year deal with Boise State this past January, making him one of the best-paid assistant coaches on the team.
Danielson still considers Collins “one of the best special teams coordinators in the country” but acknowledges that the special teams have played “very inconsistent.”
“I do not put (the special teams issues) on our players; that’s on us as coaches,” Danielson said. “That’s on me, first and foremost, as a head coach and on Stacy Collins as special teams coordinator. But we’ve got to get it fixed.”
Boise State at Wyoming
When: 5 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
Where: War Memorial Stadium (29,181, turf)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 162 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 9-1, 6-0; Wyoming 2-8, 2-4
Series: Boise State leads the series 17-1
Vegas line: Boise State by 23 points
Weather: High of 55, low of 34, humidity 45%, partly cloudy with gusty winds, 8% chance of rain or snow
