Season analysis: After impressive year, Boise State’s defense will look different in 2023
Note: This is the second installment in a five-part series wrapping up Boise State’s 2022 season. Tomorrow, the Idaho Statesman will break down what was a forgettable season for the special teams.
For Boise State’s defense, 2022 was a year to remember.
The Broncos finished the season ranked in the top 10 in the country in total defense (292.5 yards a game) and passing defense (167.7 ypg). They forced at least one turnover in eight straight games to end the year, and their 15 interceptions were the most for a Boise State defense since 2017.
The Broncos played so well that defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson got a new two-year deal that will pay him $875,000 over the next two seasons.
There will be plenty of turnover on defense in 2023, though. Five seniors have already declared for the NFL Draft: safety JL Skinner, defensive tackle Scott Matlock, cornerbacks Caleb Biggers and Tyric LeBeauf, and linebacker Ezekiel Noa.
And the Broncos are going to have to replace at least six starters, including nickel Tyreque Jones and pass rusher George Tarlas.
Before looking too far ahead, here’s a look at how the Broncos’ defense performed in 2022.
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What we learned
The front seven did its job
Danielson always says the defense’s No. 1 priority was stopping the run. The Broncos checked that off the list in 2022.
Boise State did have a couple of bad games. They gave of 278 yards on the ground against Wyoming and 199 in a loss at UTEP, but the front seven also shut plenty of teams down.
Boise State held opponents to less than 100 rushing yards in six games. Colorado State managed just 3 yards rushing in a 49-10 loss at Albertsons Stadium.
The Broncos had so much success because the front seven was full of savvy veterans.
Sixth-year senior Noa and fifth-year senior DJ Schramm led the way at linebacker, combining for 167 tackles. Defensive tackle Matlock demanded double teams in the fifth and final year of his college career. Weber State transfer Tarlas harassed quarterbacks as a sixth-year senior, and pass rusher Demitri Washington looked as healthy as ever in the fifth year of his career before he succumb to injuries late in the season.
There are going to be plenty of new starters among the front seven in 2023, and they’re going to have big shoes to fill.
The secondary’s future is bright
Boise State is going to experience a lot of turnover in the secondary as well, but the cupboard is far from bare.
Skinner, Biggers and Jones combined for 137 tackles and six interceptions. LeBeauf stepped into a starting role late in the year after leading the Broncos with three interceptions in 2021. Their college careers are over, but the Broncos’ next crop of ball-hawking defensive backs has arrived.
Redshirt sophomore Rodney Robinson started every game at safety this season after Jones moved to nickel during fall camp. Fellow redshirt sophomore Seyi Oladipo played in every game and proved to be a playmaker.
Robinson, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound native of San Bernardino, California, is one of the smallest players on the team, but he doesn’t play like it. He finished the season ranked No. 5 at Boise State with 49 tackles and No. 2 with three interceptions. He hauled in two of those picks in the end zone.
Oladipo saw time at safety and nickel this season, and he made a splash at both positions. The 5-11, 200-pound native of Centennial, Colorado, finished the season with 40 tackles and returned his only interception 48 yards for a touchdown. He snagged two interceptions in the first game of his college career in 2021.
Oladipo and redshirt sophomore cornerback Jaylen Clark also finished the season tied for the most pass breakups on the team, with five. Clark emerged as one of the Broncos’ top backups, and he snagged the first interception of his career against North Texas in the Frisco Bowl.
Robinson, Oladipo and Clark all head into 2023 as likely starters. Add to that the return of cornerback Markel Reed, who missed all but one game with an injury, and the addition of former Wisconsin safety Titus Toller, who joined the program on early signing day in December, and the Broncos’ secondary looks stacked.
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Season Awards
MVP — S JL Skinner (65 tackles, 4 INT, 4 pass breakups): Skinner passed on the NFL Draft last year because he said he wanted to end his career with a Mountain West championship. The Broncos fell just short of that goal after losing to Fresno State in the title game, but Skinner did enough to have NFL scouts salivating over him. Skinner will take part in the Senior Bowl in February, and recent mock drafts have him coming off the board anywhere from the first to third rounds in April. Skinner led the Broncos with four interceptions, two of which helped secure a 20-17 win over Wyoming.
Breakout Player of Year — LB DJ Schramm (107 tackles, 11.5 TFL, .5 sack, 1 forced fumble): Schramm earned his first starting role as a fifth-year senior, stepping in at weakside linebacker to replace longtime starter Riley Whimpey. Schramm made the most of his opportunity and led the Broncos with 107 tackles. He racked up more than 10 tackles in five games, including a career-high 16 against UTEP and 15 against Utah State.
Newcomer of the Year — S Rodney Robinson (49 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 3 INT, 3 pass breakups): Robinson started every game at safety and finished second on the team with three interceptions. He joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2020 after racking up 200 tackles and seven interceptions in his final two seasons at Cajon High School in California.
By the numbers
Total defense: 292.5 yards a game. No. 2 in the Mountain West, No. 7 in the country.
Rushing defense: 124.8 yards a game. No. 4 in the Mountain West, No. 30 in the country.
Passing defense: 167.7 yards a game. No. 2 in the Mountain West, No. 5 in the country.
Scoring: 19.5 points a game. No. 3 in the Mountain West, No. 15 in the country.
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Story lines to watch in 2023
Will a dominant pass rusher emerge?
Boise State’s 30 sacks were the most it has produced since racking up 40 in 2019. The Broncos had 14 players record at least half a sack, but nobody had a dominant year in 2022. Noa and Washington led the team with 4.5 sacks apiece. Matlock’s seven sacks in 2021 are the most in a season at Boise State in the past three years. That’s in stark contrast to the 13.5 sacks former Bronco Curtis Weaver posted in 2019.
The Broncos’ search for its next star on the edge will continue. Matlock, Noa and Tarlas are done, and Boise State hasn’t confirmed whether Washington will be among the returning seniors. Some new pass rushers are going to have to emerge, and linebacker Andrew Simpson and edge Gabe Hunter are first in line.
Noa missed four games with injuries this season and was replaced by Simpson, who finished the year with three sacks and five tackles for loss. Hunter stepped in for Washington, who suffered an injury in the Broncos’ loss to BYU on Nov. 5, and finished the season with half a sack and two game-sealing interceptions.
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Who takes over as the leader of the defensive line?
Matlock will play in the NFLPA Bowl later this month, which means his college career is over and a new leader must emerge on the Broncos’ front. Tarlas is out of eligibility and veteran nose tackle Jackson Cravens transferred to BYU.
Redshirt sophomore Herbert Gums and sophomore Ahmed Hassanein are two people to keep an eye on.
Gums, a 300-pound defensive tackle, played running back in high school and still has the athleticism to prove it. He posted the first full sack of his career in the Mountain West championship game and finished the season with 1.5 sacks.
Hassanein was an accomplished CrossFit competitor in high school, and former Boise State defensive line coach Frank Maile called him the most explosive lineman on the roster. He moved to defensive end after Tarlas was injured, and finished the season with two sacks and a forced fumble.
