Key takeaways from home opener: Boise State mostly puts its best foot forward
Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson demanded more effort from his team in the days after the Broncos’ 34-7 season-opening loss to South Florida.
By the time Friday night’s home opener against Eastern Washington came around, his Broncos wasted no time showing they’d listened.
It took just three plays for redshirt freshman Sire Gaines and sixth-year Malik Sherrod to rush for 75 yards, with Sherrod capping the drive off with a 20-yard touchdown run. Each carry was marked by the offensive line blasting huge holes in the defense.
By the end of the first quarter, Boise State led 20-0 — thanks in part to a huge effort play from defensive back Jaden Mickey, who ripped the ball out of a receiver’s hands for a fumble recovery.
When all was said and done, the Broncos ran out 51-14 winners to move to 1-1 on the season. Eastern Washington fell to 0-2.
“I told our staff, told our players, I don’t care what play calls you make, the 11 dudes on that field will play with elite effort and mentality,” Danielson said after the game. “... Without watching the film, I’m not saying that those were perfect, but I believe we grew in that area.”
Of course, the level of the opponent has to be taken into account. Eastern Washington lost its opening game last week and has not had a winning season since 2021. Danielson did his best coach-speak talking up the opponent this week, but when the Big Sky celebrates multiple FCS playoff teams again this season, the Eagles likely won’t be among them.
Still, that isn’t a factor when considering how hard and inspired the Broncos played in front of a ninth straight sellout crowd at Albertsons Stadium.
They ended the game with 637 total yards — 309 through the air and 328 on the ground — the most in a game for Boise State since last season’s opening win at Georgia Southern (651 yards). It’s also the first time Boise State has had more than 300 yards both throwing and running since defeating Connecticut 62-7 in 2018.
There was no letup in the effort with a huge lead, either. In the fourth quarter, No. 3 running back Dylan Riley tore through the defense for a 77-yard TD run. Backup cornerback Treyvon Tolmaire had an interception.
Here’s what else stood out in the home opener.
Hometown kid Ben Ford impresses
If there was a big winner from Friday night, it was redshirt senior receiver Ben Ford.
Well, a big surprise winner, perhaps.
Ford, an Eagle High School graduate, has had to wait to shine because of a series of injuries over the past couple of years. That time finally arrived against Eastern Washington.
Ford had three receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard catch late in the first quarter — a one-play TD drive. Both of his scores were his first as a Bronco on The Blue.
“It means a ton being from here and being out there on the blue turf,” Ford said. “Growing up watching them play, it means a lot.”
Ford was outgained among receivers only by redshirt junior Chris Marshall, who had 132 yards on four receptions — and showed his effort by getting 81 of those yards after the catch.
Kicking performance leaves more questions
The Boise State coaching staff has talked about inconsistencies in the kicking game throughout fall camp, and that was on full display on Friday.
Redshirt junior Colton Boomer and true freshman Canaan Moore each missed a field goal — Boomer from 46 yards and Moore from 24. Boomer also missed his first extra-point attempt of the night.
“We’ve got to find a way to be more consistent kicking field goals,” Danielson said. “We missed a PAT and missed a field goal. That can’t happen as a championship team.”
Danielson said Boomer won the competition at kicker through his fall camp performance, but the coaching staff will continue to evaluate the two players throughout the coming bye week.
Eastern Washington quarterback medical emergency
Friday night’s game was momentarily paused in the fourth quarter after Eastern Washington senior quarterback Jared Taylor suffered a medical emergency on the sideline.
Taylor took a hit to the head on a running play and walked off the field under his own power, but appeared wobbly before he went down on the sideline.
Following an approximate 15-minute break, in which the Boise State players took knees on their sideline while the Eastern Washington players surrounded Taylor, he was stretchered off the field in a neck brace to applause from the fans.
Taylor was taken to a Boise hospital for evaluation, according to Andrew Quinn, sports director for the Spokane, Washington-based KREM 2 News. An Eastern Washington team official told The Spokesman-Review that Taylor was taken off on the stretcher and to the hospital for “precautionary reasons.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 1:20 AM.
