Broncos Beat Beavers!

If you watched the Boise State Broncos home opener against the Oregon State Beavers, you saw a great football team make mistakes that almost cost them the game. But at the same time, it never really felt like the outcome was in doubt. If you did not see it, then join me in this next part. Let's all just pretend that we didn't see it and we don't know how it ended. I will show some stats from the game. Look at them, act as if you don't know the final score, and guess who won. Ready? Here we go:

Yardage:

......Boise State........Oregon State
Rushing-175..................78
Passing-294..................159
Total-...469...................237

First Downs:

Boise State........Oregon State
.....22...................16

Sacks on Opposing Quarterback:

Boise State.......Oregon State
.......4....................0

Time of Possession:

Boise State.......Oregon State
...33:18...............26:42

It sure looks like it was a complete shellacking that Boise State bestowed upon a crappy Beaver team. In many ways this was true. The final score was 37 to 24 in favor of the Broncos. But why did I leave the stadium with what I can only describe as a sour taste in my mouth? It is because the third quarter was really rough on fans of the Broncos. Bad special teams play (mainly Titus Young fumbling a punt that gave Oregon State fantastic field position) and some really terrible penalties nearly derailed everything Boise State had worked for. In fact, 17 points that Oregon State scored were directly related to miscues by Boise State's special teams. It's tough because the defense played so well and the points allowed by special teams will be put on them. It was definitely hard to watch for a while. Oregon State did what they needed to do; play well on special teams, keep it close, and don't be intimidated. But still, it wasn't enough.

What We Learned:

-Kellen Moore should just be given the Heisman Trophy now. Well, at least be extended an invite to New York for the trophy presentation right now. In a night where mistakes, nerves, hype, and emotions took its toll on the Broncos, Moore was as cool as a cucumber. He went 19 for 27 with 288 yards and 3 touchdowns. Every time Boise State needed a score to hold the Beavers at bay, Kellen delivered. It also helps a lot that he has some talented receivers to throw the ball to.

-Mike Riley is a really freaking good coach! Not only did he have his players prepared and ready for the game, the environment, and the competition, but he had his guys in it mentally. Oregon State was not intimidated or scared to play in Bronco Stadium. Through the noise, the pressure, and a lack of respect, Riley and his crew were up to the task. They may have been outmatched in just about every facet of the contest, but he did what he could to keep it close, and it almost worked. Mike Riley; one of the top ten coaches in the nation. Take it to the bank.

-Boise State's run defense deserves all the hype it got, and then some. The combination of Billy Winn, Shea McClellin, Chase Baker, Ryan Winterswyk, Tyrone Crawford, and co. absolutely man-handled Jacquizz Rodgers. They held him to a career low 46 yards on 18 carries. That is absolutely unheard of! Quizz never got going. All I can say to finish this off is; watch out Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick and Vai Taua. The Broncos D-line is really big and really good.

-Doug Martin is a beast and eats children for dinner. OK, maybe just steak. But Coach Pete went to him in the fourth quarter to eat up clock and gain yardage. That is precisely what he did. On their final drive that netted a Kyle Brotzman field goal, Martin gained 61 of the team's 67 yards. Yards after contact are his specialty and he had plenty. Tons of credit to the offensive line and Dan Paul for blocking perfectly for Doug. They don't call him the Muscle Hamster for nothing.


Areas of Concern:
Penalties, again. The Broncos cut down on the number of them, but the ones they did have came at really inopportune moments. On one particular drive the defense had two fifteen yarders that kept the Beavers' drive alive, both times after a stop on third down. There was a taunting penalty on Tyrone Crawford and a phantom unnecessary roughness call against Winston Venable (I say phantom because it didn't happen. In order for it to be unnecessary roughness you actually have to hit the guy, right? Ridiculous). Either way, Boise State needs to fix that big time. Another concern is still the secondary. I know they were playing a prevent defense and didn't give up anything deep, but they left some receivers wide open. It is still better than against Virginia Tech, but there is room for improvement. Turnovers; The Broncos need some! It is almost ridiculous that they did not force any against Oregon State. Jeron Johnson should have had an interception but mistimed the jump and it ended up as an OSU touchdown. They will need to be a lot better at forcing turnovers if they expect to do big things this season.


Favorite Play:
Although it was a catch and a first down for the Beavers, George Iloka delivered a huge snot bubbler on the OSU receiver. He went up for a high ball from Katz and was greeted with a full speed face mask in his rib cage. It was awesome! We need more of that from Iloka.

Thoughts and Tidbits:
Austin Pettis got out of the dog house and threw his first touchdown pass ever in the first quarter. It was awesome! Matt Kaiserman got into the game at running back before Jeremy Avery did. Kaiserman hasn't played since breaking his leg against Idaho last season. Brandon Thompson had a great game. He kept star wide out James Rodgers in check, limiting him to 2 catches for 11 yards. Let's hope he continues doing just this instead of reverting to his Virginia Tech "I can't tackle worth crap" self.

Maybe I should stop picking weekly PTW's. Everyone I choose gets injured. Shea McClellin last week and DJ Harper this time around. When I saw him go down after cutting to his right on that surgically repaired knee, I was like "oh crap!" He did not return to the game. He was limping a little bit on the sideline, but Coach Pete says he is fine and will play next week.

A huge part of the outcome of the game was the national perception of the Broncos. A lot of experts said they needed to win big to earn more respect. It looked good for the first half and the fourth quarter, but as mentioned, the third almost messed it up. That sour taste in my mouth and yours is our perception of the team, the game, and the public perception (yes, I said it is our perception of the public perception. Quite a quandary, huh?). What I mean by that is Bronco fans are afraid that they did not pass the test as well as they could have in the eyes of the voters and viewers. Still, beating a ranked team will bode well for the Broncos. Couple that with the fact that Virginia Tech is back in it with a shut out win at Boston College and the ship may be righting itself (please refer to a previous post where I cautioned people to not overreact when James Madison beat the Hokies). Boise State should stay put in the polls for at least one more weak. I think that even if they had blown out the Beavers, nothing would have changed. Boise State still needs chaos to reign down on college football in order for them to get to the National Championship game. There is still a lot of season to play. Overall, I think that in the end a win is a win and the Broncos need to keep taking care of business. Oregon State has got to be the best 1-2 team in the country. Let's hope they can start to win and make some noise of their own. Again, here is a link to the photos taken of the game on idahostatesman.com. Enjoy!

My thoughts and prayers go out to James Rodgers. The poor kid took a hit and was knocked out of the game. It's too bad because it was a big game and I know him and his little brother had been looking forward to playing in it. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope that there are no lasting effects. Those two kids are gamers and they should be applauded.

Keep checking back in for more thoughts and feelings about the Broncos, the WAC, and just about everything else as it comes to me.