Season analysis: Inconsistent Boise State defense gave up big plays. What’s future hold?
Note: This is the second installment in a five-part series wrapping up Boise State’s 2023 season. Next: The Broncos’ special teams were led by an impressive duo.
Boise State is faced with a good-news, bad-news scenario on defense heading into the 2024 season, which will be historic given the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams.
The good news: The Broncos have to replace just one full-time starter: linebacker DJ Schramm.
The bad news: Many of those players deserve some of the blame for a wildly inconsistent season.
Boise State will return starters at every level of the defense, including safety Alexander Teubner, who led the team with 85 tackles. The Broncos return their top seven tacklers and nine of their top 10.
Sack leader Ahmed Hassanein is expected back after his 12.5 sacks were the most by a Bronco in a season since 2019. Cornerback A’Marion McCoy is also coming back after he led the team with three interceptions.
Returning so many battle-hardened veterans gives the Broncos’ defense a chance to be special. That’s if all those returning starters can learn from the mistakes they made in the 2023 season.
Season analysis: Boise State offense put up strong numbers despite QB controversy
Boise State’s defense had its moments. The Broncos held Washington to 78 rushing yards in the season opener. They held Colorado State to 42 yards on the ground and limited Wyoming to 27 — on consecutive weekends. That same defense gave up 280 rushing yards to UCLA in the LA Bowl, however.
The Broncos did a good job of getting to the quarterback. Their 36 sacks were the Broncos’ most since they posted 40 in 2019. But they could use a few more interceptions in 2024 — the 11 picks last year were their fewest since they snagged 10 in 2019.
The Broncos struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks and really had a hard time defending deep passes. Boise State surrendered 79 passes of at least 15 yards last season, more than doubling the 39 they gave up in 2022. They gave up 51 passes of at least 20 yards, 27 of at least 30 and 15 of at least 40.
If new defensive coordinator Erik Chinander can team up with new safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton to fix those deficiencies, the defense could carry the team a long way in 2024.
What we learned
The front seven has a chance to be special
There were plenty of concerns coming into the season about a defensive line trying to replace unquestioned leader Scott Matlock, but the unit proved to be a strength. The combination of Herbert Gums, Michael Callahan, Braxton Fely and Sheldon Newton far exceeded expectations, while Hassanein and Jayden Virgin were disruptive on the edge.
Fely, a 6-foot-1, 290-pounder from Orem, Utah, emerged as a playmaker, posting three sacks, three forced fumbles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Add to that a deep group of linebackers, led by second-team All-Mountain West pick Andrew Simpson, and it’s easy to see the front seven has a chance to be special.
Offseason tracker: Which Boise State players declared for NFL Draft? Who is returning?
Finding a consistent pass rusher to pair with Hassanein would push the Broncos over the top. Maybe it’s Simpson, who has 9.5 sacks the past two seasons. Maybe its Virgin or Utah transfer Tyler Wegis, who looks the part of an elite edge rusher but wasn’t a factor in his first season in Boise.
Maybe the Broncos struck gold when they signed former junior college edge rusher Joseph Marsh in December or when they added former Ball State defensive end Tavion Woodard last week. Wherever they come from, a few more sacks would go a long way for the Broncos.
Something is off in the secondary
Boise State’s secondary will be as full of savvy veterans as the front seven. Cornerbacks A’Marion McCoy, Jaylen Clark, Markel Reed and Kaonohi Kaniho are all expected back. Former Cal cornerback Jeremiah Earby has the experience to compete for playing time after appearing in 24 games the past two seasons for the Bears.
Teubner and fellow starting safety Rodney Robinson should both be back in the lineup. The same is true for starting nickel Seyi Oladipo, who finished No. 2 on the team with 70 tackles. Young safeties Ty Benefield and Zion Washington also made starts last year.
That much experience in the secondary makes one wonder why the Broncos got burned again and again. They gave up passes covering at least 50 yards in six games and surrendered 250.4 passing yards a game, which ranked No. 10 in the 12-team Mountain West.
A more consistent pass rush and a little less leaving the cornerbacks and safeties in one-on-one situations will help improve those numbers. One question heading into 2024 is who will emerge and join McCoy as a ball hawk. Keep an eye on Benefield. He posted 46 tackles, five pass breakups and an interception as a true freshman. He also came close to grabbing at least three more interceptions.
Storylines to watch in 2024
Who are the alphas in the linebackers room?
The deepest position on Boise State’s roster heading into next season, and the foreseeable future, is linebacker. Schramm was a gritty leader with an impressive nose for the ball, but the Broncos shouldn’t miss a beat when it comes to replacing him.
Simpson has become a household name. He has a knack for rushing the passer and making big plays. He snagged two interceptions and ranked No. 3 on the team with 66 tackles this season.
When Schramm got dinged up and missed a few games, Marco Notarainni emerged as one of the team’s most consistent tacklers. He led the Broncos at one point with 53 tackles before suffering an injury late in the season.
Simpson and Notarainni probably will top the depth chart in 2024, but don’t be surprised to see Chase Martin get a few more snaps. He was one of the Broncos’ most consistent tacklers on special teams and delivered a couple of big hits. He got snaps on defense in the Mountain West championship game and the LA Bowl.
The Broncos’ top three linebackers are trailed closely by a group of highly recruited tacklers, including Dishawn Misa, Wyatt Milkovic, Gavin Hambrick and Jake Ripp. Keep an eye on junior college transfer Udoka Ezeani, too. Chinander said he needs to put on some weight, but Ezeani might already be the Broncos’ fastest linebacker.
What is Markel Reed’s role?
The most experienced member of Boise State’s secondary could be a wildcard in 2024. He also could be a liability. Reed, a sixth-year senior, has gone from the Broncos’ clear-cut No. 1 cornerback to a player struggling to figure out his role over the past couple of seasons. A string of season-ending injuries have taken their toll, physically and mentally. The question is how much of a toll?
Will Reed’s surgically repaired knees hold up in a position as physically demanding as cornerback? Can he still turn and run with next-level receivers like Colorado State’s Tory Horton, who announced in December that he’s returning for one more year?
Can Reed still compete with McCoy and Clark to be one of the team’s top corners, or is he better suited as a situational pass defender, filling in at multiple roles depending on matchups? Maybe he’s the answer to the team’s need for a ball-hawking safety in the middle of the field.
Season Awards
MVP — Alexander Teubner, S: Teubner shouldered much of the blame for the secondary’s struggles in coverage early in the season, but he rebounded to become the team’s top tackler. He led the Broncos with 85 tackles, including a career-high 14 against Air Force and 12 on the way to being named Defensive MVP of the Mountain West championship game. Teubner also finished the season with one interception and one forced fumble, and he tied for No. 2 on the team with five pass breakups.
Breakout Player of Year — Ahmed Hassanein, Edge: Hassanein had 3.5 career sacks heading into the fifth game of the year. He finished the season with nine more, and his 12.5 sacks ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West behind Colorado State pass rusher Mohamed Kamara’s 13. Hassanein was the first Boise State player to finish a season with more than 10 sacks since Curtis Weaver posted 13.5 in 2019.
Runner-up: LB Andrew Simpson — Simpson gave Boise State fans a glimpse of what he could do in 2022. In the 2023 season, he emerged as a star. He ranked No. 3 on the team in tackles (66), No. 2 in tackles for loss (16) and No. 2 in sacks (6.5). He also intercepted two passes, forced two fumbles and recovered a pair of fumbles.
Newcomer of the Year — A’Marion McCoy, CB: McCoy’s skills as a ball hawk were the topic of discussion as soon as he arrived on campus last January. He showed why with a team-high three interceptions that could have easily been five or six if he was able to hold on to a couple of passes. McCoy earned a starting job midway through the season, and he has to be a favorite to hold down a starting spot in 2024.
By the numbers
Total defense: 385.1 yards a game (No. 5 in the Mountain West, T-No. 72 in the country)
2022: 292.5 yards a game (No. 2 in the Mountain West, No. 7 in the country)
Rushing defense: 134.8 yards a game (No. 2 in the Mountain West, No. 40 in the country)
2022: 124.8 yards a game (No. 4 in the Mountain West, No. 30 in the country)
Passing defense: 250.4 yards a game (No. 10 in the Mountain West, No. 110 in the country)
2022: 167.7 yards a game (No. 2 in the Mountain West, No. 5 in the country)
Scoring: 25.6 points a game (T-No. 4 in the Mountain West, T-No. 59 in the country)
2022: 19.5 points a game (No. 3 in the Mountain West, No. 15 in the country)
