Boise State has already given up more deep passes than all of last season. Here’s why
The football season hasn’t gone to script at Boise State.
The Broncos ended last season with a 10-4 record and their first bowl win since 2017. This year, they went into the bye week with a 3-4 record after their first loss to Colorado State in program history, and they probably need to go undefeated the rest of the season to be in contention for the Mountain West title.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for the poor start. A two-quarterback system has left the offense with a distinct lack of rhythm and likely dinged the confidence of one of the best athletes to ever suit up at the position for the Broncos.
Taylen Green was named Mountain West Freshman of the year last season. This year, he’s splitting snaps with redshirt freshman Maddux Madsen, and he’s been a bit of a forgotten man in the passing game. Green has only attempted eight passes in each of the Broncos’ past two games and completed 9-of-16 attempts for 103 yards. Madsen is 19-of-32 for 265 yards in that same span.
Injuries have also taken their toll.
The Broncos’ leading receiver last season, Latrell Caples, suffered a season-ending knee injury before fall camp began in August.
Last season’s leading rusher, George Holani, is expected to make his return Saturday against Wyoming (3:20 p.m., FS2). He’s been out since the season opener at Washington. Last season’s leading tackler, linebacker DJ Schramm, is also expected to play on Saturday. He’s been on the sideline with an upper-body injury since the Broncos’ win at San Diego State on Sept. 22.
They haven’t helped, but neither the quarterbacks nor the injury report are the primary reason for Boise State’s struggles.
It’s the defense.
The Broncos are giving up 428.3 yards a game, which ranks No. 116 in the country. They’re especially prone to giving up big plays in the passing game.
Last year, Boise State gave up 39 passes of 15 yards or more in 12 regular-season games. This year, the Broncos have surrendered 53 in seven games. They’ve also given up 11 passes of at least 40 yards and 20 that covered at least 30 yards.
Washington accounted for 16 of those deep passes in the season opener. UCF connected on eight in the Broncos’ home opener. Boise State has given up at least six in each of its past four games, and the Broncos allowed seven in their loss at Colorado State.
Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said the Broncos’ struggles against the pass come down to a lack of discipline and communication.
“The majority of those (big plays) are a lack of us being on the same page, or a lack of eye control,” he said. “At some point, it also comes down to winning your one-on-one.”
Here’s a look at why Boise State has struggled against the deep ball this season.
A gaggle of new starters
Boise State had to replace safeties JL Skinner and Tyreque Jones and cornerback Caleb Biggers this year. That and a slew of injuries left the secondary full of new starters.
Cornerbacks Jaylen Clark and A’Marion McCoy are quickly becoming mainstays on the back end of the defense. Clark made his first career start in the Frisco Bowl in December. He has started every game this season, and he snagged the second interception of his career against UCF.
McCoy joined the team this spring after transferring from Laney College in California. He showed impressive ball skills during spring practice, and his first interception as a Bronco clinched Boise State’s comeback win against San Jose State. He made his first career start against Colorado State.
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Safety Zion Washington cracked the starting lineup for the first time this year after Alexander Tuebner went down with an injury, and true freshman safety Ty Benefield has started the past two games.
New starters come with growing pains. Danielson said the experience they’re gaining now will pay off in the long run, but they have to grow quickly.
“That’s the reality of the sport we play,” he said. “At this point, a lot of growth has happened. There’s been a lot of failure that we’ve learned from, so our best football needs to be in front of us.”
An aggressive scheme
Danielson isn’t shy about admitting that cornerbacks are left to fend for themselves in his scheme.
“I want to be able to tell our corners, ‘I’ll talk to you after the game,’ ” he said. “We trust our guys to make plays, but we play tight coverage and you’re not always going to have help. That’s what we believe in here.”
Boise State runs a lot of man-to-man coverage, and the cornerbacks often find themselves without the aid of safeties. Cornerbacks coach Demario Warren said he encourages his guys to play aggressive to win those one-on-one matchups.
“Corner is not an easy position to play, especially at Boise State,” Warren said. “You have to play with a level of confidence that not a lot of people have, and you need a short memory because you’re going to get beat at some point. It’s how you respond that defines you.”
Playing aggressive while being cautious not to get burned deep is a tough balance to strike. Cornerback Kaonohi Kaniho said it comes down to preparation in the film room and reacting to what you see on the field instead of trying to anticipate what’s coming.
“If you’re anticipating, you’re out there guessing and that’s when you’re going to jump the wrong route and that’s going to be bad,” he said on Tuesday.
Lack of a pass rush
Boise State has struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season. The Broncos’ 16 sacks are tied for No. 67 in the country. FBS newcomer James Madison leads the nation with 34, and Colorado State leads the Mountain West with 21.
The Broncos failed to get to the quarterback in the second half of their loss to Colorado State. They’ve produced just five sacks in the past three games, and the defense managed just one sack in three games this season: losses to Washington and UCF and a win at San Diego State.
Danielson said the players in the secondary are sitting ducks without help from the pass rushers.
“If there’s no pressure in the quarterback’s face and it’s seven-on-seven for him, that’s not how you want to play defense,” Danielson said. “The front end and the back end have to work together if we’re going to cut down on these explosive plays.”
Edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein leads the Broncos with five sacks this season. Linebackers Andrew Simpson and Marco Notarainni both have three.
Boise State hasn’t had a pass rusher finish a season with more than seven sacks since Curtis Weaver posted 13.5 in 2019.
WYOMING AT BOISE STATE
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium
TV: Fox Sports 2 (Eric Collins, Devin Gardner)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 3-4, 2-1 MW; Wyoming 5-2, 2-1 MW
Series: Boise State leads the series 16-1, including a 20-17 win last season in Laramie
Vegas line: Boise State by 5
Weather: High of 49, 22% chance of rain, 10 to 15 mph wind
