The Boise State Broncos did what they had to do on Saturday and crushed the Toledo Rockets by a final score of 57 to 14. I am continuously impressed by how Coach Chris Petersen is able to prepare his team every single week to get out there and play the best they can. The only time I have seen a let down or a lazy game from them was last year against UC Davis. In any case, Boise State is taking care of business week in and week out. With Alabama losing to South Carolina yesterday, it will be interesting to see what happens. Let's take a look at some stats that I found interesting from the Toledo game:
Yardage:
......Broncos......Rockets
Rushing-207..........65
Passing-293..........222
...Total-500.........287
First Downs:
......Broncos......Rockets
........25.............18
Average Gain Per Play:
......Broncos......Rockets
........7.9............4.8
Sacks on Opposing Quarterback:
......Broncos......Rockets
.........4..............0
Turnovers:
......Broncos......Rockets
.........0..............5
This game was a little weird to watch and take in. It appeared that Boise State was not able to stop Toledo's offense hardly at all (look at the average gain per play stat. They got almost five yards per play). But somehow the Broncos had a 36-7 lead at halftime. That is where the turnover stat comes into play. Every time the Rockets got something going and had pushed the ball close to the end zone, Boise State forced a turnover. Nabbing 3 fumbles and 2 interceptions is a good way to demoralize a team. Couple that with the fact that Toledo was amongst the best in the nation in turnover margin, and you have a blowout on your hands. The Broncos did give up a lot of yardage through the air, and most of it can be attributed to Eric Page. I said to watch out for him and he did not disappoint. Page ended the game with 11 catches for 120 yards. He also ran a couple of kick offs back, with a long of 41 yards. He did plenty of damage.
What We Learned:
The Broncos offensive line deserves a lot of credit for protecting Kellen Moore the way they have. Don't forget the massive, gaping holes they are creating for the running backs to rush through. They have only given up one sack this year, and that was against Virginia Tech. A lot is made about Moore's escapibility, but he is so protected and comfortable back there thanks to the big fellas up front. Even with the players shuffling positions and new guys stepping in, they get the job done. It's called great coaching and lots of talent.
Boise State is deep, everywhere. From Ricky Tjong-a-tjoe to Jonathan Brown (who?) to Joe Southwick, the Broncos have a lot of depth across the roster. It's nice to see these guys get playing time with huge leads, but they are also dominating when they are out there. Needless to say, the Broncos are set for years to come in just about every position.
Kellen Moore will be in New York in December, but he probably won't win the Heisman, even though he should. If Coach Pete would leave the kid out there the entire game, he would throw for 600 yards and 9 touchdowns every time! It is insane how calm he is. After throwing a touchdown pass to Tyler Shoemaker, he was seen on the sidelines not even sweating, chatting with his teammates, and laughing. Did he even play??? He should win the award, he is the best player in college football, but Petersen wants to save him for future games, and at the same time it possibly ends his chances of bringing home the stiff-arm trophy, much in the same way that he is not lobbying for the team to move up in the polls. They refuse to play "the game." Good for them! Stick it to the man!
You shouldn't try to run the ball against Boise State. It's just not a good idea and it won't get you anywhere. Toledo gained 65 yards on 31 attempts. That is 2.1 yards per rush. In fact, there have only been two teams to gain more than 100 yards against the Broncos this year. They are Virginia Tech (44 attempts, 2.9 yards per) and New Mexico State (41 attempts, 2.9 yards per). In other words, you might have more success passing it, maybe.
Maybe the WAC Sports Network isn't as bad as I thought it was. I think the big difference was that Dick Tomey was nowhere to be heard. The camera quality and camera work were just as bad, but at least I wasn't considering jabbing a rusty screw driver into my temple from having to hear the garbage pouring out of Tomey's mouth. The two commentators yesterday were much better and actually fairly intelligent. Like I said, the whole network is still a terrible idea, but I feel better this week about it. Sigh...
Areas of Concern:
Again with the penalties. We saw yet another time when the Broncos had forced their opponent to punt only to see it disappear with a penalty. The roughing the kicker was just a stupid play. Kick off coverage. It is still really bad. Granted, Eric Page may or may not be human, but that is still no excuse for letting them gash the coverage team for 30 or 40 yard returns every time. The secondary was pretty bad. Toledo had receiver's open all night. That will not fly against Hawai'i. That's it for this game. It seems like there has been a lot of improvement through 5 games, which is great to see.
Favorite Play:
There were so many to choose from. Let's make a list and go from there;
1. Titus Young's jump for a Moore pass, catching it, rolling over the defender, and getting into the end zone even though his knee clearly touched the 2 yard line first. Sick catch! Suck it instant replay!!!
2. Jarvis Hodge trucking some line backer who tried to get in his way as he was toting the rock up the middle. The fool got owned!
3. Shea McClellin sniffing out the screen pass from Dantin and Supermanning into the air to snatch it and take it in for a house call the other way. Pick-six baby!
4. The play where Moore faked an end around hand off, and the entire defense chased after the alleged hand off-e, even though Kellen still had the ball in his hands. They got duped bad!
5. The fake punt that was called back for holding. It was so beautiful! Too bad it didn't count, but it is still in the running for my favorite play! You will see it again this season, mark my words.
I don't know which one was the best. I think I will go with the McClellin interception just because of how athletic one must be to pull it off. Plus he outran the quarterback to the end zone. You could see he really wanted to stiff arm Dantin if he had gotten the chance. Remember, he played a lot of running back in high school, so it was familiar ground to him.
Thoughts and Tidbits:
Michael "Canadian Bacon" Atkinson was suspended for the game and as we found out later, is indefinitely suspended for the rest of the season for a violation of team rules. We don't know what he did, but this is his second suspension of his short career at Boise State. It would not surprise me if we did not see the Bacon for a
long time, if ever again. It's too bad too, because he is a really good player. Toledo lost a quarterback, a running back, and a defensive lineman to injury during the game. It was very physical out there.
My Weekly PTW was wide receiver Tyler Shoemaker. He finished the game with 2 receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown. His TD catch was the last pass Moore threw for the game. He was also the recipient of a Kyle Brotzman fake punt-pass that unfortunately got called back for holding. "Shoe" also laid down some pretty sweet blocks for his teammates when the situation called for it. He played a good game and finally we have a Weekly PTW who did something and did not get injured! Good job Tyler!
Perception:
The score of this game is a little mis-leading. Like I said, the Rockets were moving the ball down the field fine for most of the game. Unlike the Broncos, however, they were not able to make the plays when it mattered. 5 turnovers spelled doom for Toledo, especially when they happened they way they did, in the red zone and during almost every promising drive. Still, with the Broncos out of the spotlight, all the voters see is the final score and the stats. It will look very good and with Alabama's loss to South Carolina, they will move back up to number three in the nation. What will be interesting is where they will land when the BCS Rankings come out early Sunday evening. My guess is either 2, 3, or 4, but most likely number 3. As long as Boise State can continue to put up good numbers, play great defense, and be prepared mentally, things will stay looking good. Next up for the boys in Blue, the San Jose State Spartans!
Photos:
Thank you yet again idahostatesman.com for taking great pictures that I can post a link to on my blog. Enjoy.
Make sure to check back in tomorrow to see my WAC football weekend recap. I have chosen the upset two weeks in a row! Yeah baby! Go Broncos!!!!!!!
Showing posts with label Chris Petersen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Petersen. Show all posts
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Broncos Take Down Hapless Aggies
In what may have appeared like there was only one team on the field, the Boise State Broncos completely dismantled the New Mexico State Aggies at their home stadium, winning 59-0. The game was over after the Aggies' second possession, when Ryan Winterswyk (that's right, a defensive lineman) intercepted a Matt Christian pass. The game was even more lopsided than the final score indicated, if that is even possible. Let's take a look at some stats to start off and go from there.
Yardage:
.........Broncos......Aggies
Rushing...299.......118
Passing...309.......90
Total......608.......208
First Downs:
......Broncos......Aggies
.........26............11
Turnovers:
......Broncos......Aggies
..........0.............3
Average Gain Per Play:
......Broncos......Aggies
........9.7...........3.3
I think the one that stand out to me the most is the average gain per play stat. Boise State was averaging almost a first down on every single play that they ran. You will always win if you can do that. Granted, New Mexico State is one of the worst teams in the nation, but those are still some impressive stats. The Broncos were giving up an average of just over 60 yards per game on the ground, but the Aggies were able to eat up 118. Some of you may ask why. The answer is this; of the 63 total plays they ran, 41 of them were rushing calls. When it takes a team 41 attempts to gain only 118 yards, the defense has done their job. Besides, it's not like they were getting anywhere throwing the ball anyway. When you beat a team so badly, there are not many story lines to follow, get all excited, and blog about, but let's see what my little brain comes up with...
What We Learned:
The Broncos defensive line is amazing. I believe that they are a bunch of man-yeti's out there mauling opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. It is seriously amazing what Chase Baker, Billy Winn, Ryan Winterswyk, Shea McClellin, and all of their back ups have been able to do thus far this season. They only got one recorded sack last night, but that gives them 12 on the year so far. What they were able to do very well was bottle up the rushing attack and force turnovers. Ricky Tjong-a-tjoe stripped the quarterback twice (Boise State recovered both fumbles) and McClellin was able to bat a pass into the waiting arms of Winterswyk (actually, Swyk swooped in and took the INT from McClellin!). Giving your offense a short field to score with is great a sign of a successful program.
Michael Couglin and Joe Southwick are capable back ups: First of all, Coughlin can run and he scored the first 6 points of the game with his legs. It was great to see him have some success after what could only be considered a disappointing 5 years at Boise State (remember, he won scout player of the year when he was a gray shirt freshman. He was supposed to be the next great Bronco QB). When it was announced that Coughlin and Southwick were going to get a few more snaps per game during crunch time, I was excited to see what the heir-appearant to Kellen Moore could do. Southwick can do a lot with his legs, but when I saw that pass that he zipped to Chris Potter for a 78 yard TD, I almost peed my pants! It was a beautiful sight! Now if Moore goes down injured (please no! It won't happen, it can't!), I feel comfortable with who we have to replace him. Plus we know that Boise State will be set at quarterback for years to come.
The WAC Sports Network Sucks Really Bad: I thought Altitude Sports Network was bad! Listening to that verbal diarrhea spewing from the two commentators' mouths was enough to force me to change the channel (which I did frequently. That or mute the TV). Dick Tomey (the more annoying, less knowledgeable of the pair), I understand you coached at San Jose State and that means you have sub par intelligence and wit, but holy heck you are terrible! I have no idea how half the stuff they were talking about related to football, much less the Broncos or Aggies. Sadly and shockingly, it made me long for the days of KTVB broadcasting the games and Mark Johnson slaughtering the names of every player on the field, as well as screwing up the action on most plays. I would also prefer the muscle hamster guy from CBS CS over that garbage. Seriously, I am not looking forward to next week when they get to disgrace broadcasting again as the Broncos take on Toledo at home. Kill me now...
Coach Pete is a Master at Mental Preparation: The Broncos had made it through the toughest part of their early season schedule unscathed. Now they face a long line of cupcakes and crappy teams before finally getting to play Fresno State and Nevada. How many teams and players in the nation would have taken time off, plays off, or even games off (mentally, of course)? The answer is a lot. But from the beginning of time, Chris Petersen has preached the "one game at a time" attitude and it has never been more appearant than it was last night. Boise State never let up, never quit, never eased-up, and never even thought about doing anything but playing their best. Petersen wouldn't have it any other way. All coaches' attitude, morals, beliefs, and mentality are reflected in their players and how they perform on the field. There are few (if any) better than Coach Pete at instilling an attitude of preparedness in his players. Do not expect the Broncos to slow down at all. It will not happen.
New Mexico State Has a Long Way to Go, but They are Getting There: Coach DeWayne Walker is trying to pound toughness into his players, starting with a decent rushing attack. I have already mentioned that the Aggies gained 118 yards on 41 attempts. It is a long and hard road when the offense that was put onto the field before he got there averaged about 75 passes per game. It takes time to get your own style of players in there and install the offense and defense that you want. Like I said, there is a lot of work to do, but I think Walker is a good coach and the Aggies will be good with him as their leader, eventually.
Areas of Concern:
It gets pretty difficult to find any problems when we played such an overwhelming and complete game. Looking at the stats on si.com here, the Broncos were only 3 of 9 on third down conversions. That is 33%. They can definitely get better at that, although a few of them were towards the end of the game when they were running the ball and not even thinking about passing it. Special teams; they did not play as bad on special teams as they did against Oregon State, but there are some kick off issues that need to be ironed out. It seems that Boise State has not gotten a touch back after their first kick off in any games so far. It's either really short or they don't cover very well and it goes for a good return. There is a lot of work to do there. Penalties; I hate sounding like a broken record, but we had some mistakes that took back some points and gave the Aggies some extra yardage. A Jason Robinson late hit out of bounds added fifteen. I know it was his first game back and he was excited to play, but chill out dude. A facemask by an offensive lineman brought back a sweet touchdown pass from Moore. Again, it's getting better, but the Broncos need to cut down on the yellow flags.
Favorite Play:
It has to be the Shea McClellin batted ball for an interception. McClellin got some air when he went up to swat the Matt Christian pass. It was a very athletic play for which he deserves all the credit. The best part was when Ryan Winterswyk swooped in and stole the interception. It was great. Idahostatesman.com tells us that they are equal now, since McClellin jumped on a fumble in the end zone against Wyoming that Winterswyk had "gifted" him. Anyway, the play was great and showed the versatility and athleticism of the Bronco D-line.
Thoughts and Tidbits:
The touchdown pass from Southwick to Potter was Southwick's first TD pass as a Bronco and Potter's first TD catch as a Bronco. Ricky Tjong-a-tjoe (again, freaking awesome name) is a beast and will be for years to come. Jason Robinson played in his first game since pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge. He was suspended for the first 3 games. Also coming back from suspension was Daron Mackey.
My player NOT to watch was Brandyn Thompson. He didn't do anything during the game. In fact, I don't remember his name being mentioned at all. I guess that means that he did another good job of taking care of the wide receiver he was on and took him out of the game. He did not have any interceptions, which is kind of disappointing, but the season is long and there are a lot of games yet to play. At least I did not get him injured! My player to watch, Boyblue Aoelua, got his name dropped quite a few times. It turns out he was starting as a linebacker and made some tackles. Good job Boyblue!
This game will do nothing to harm the national perception of the Boise State Broncos. They problem is nobody was able to watch it. A 59-0 victory on the road is a good thing, but will it be enough to keep them at number 3 in the polls? Oregon took control of their game against Stanford late and pulled away to win. The battle between two top ten teams was watched by a lot of people and the victory will go far for the Ducks. I don't know if they pass the Broncos this week, but if they keep winning like they are now, which is by scoring a lot of points, then I think it will eventually happen. Like I said, hopefully and probably not this week, but it's just a matter of time, unless Oregon loses, which isn't looking very likely right now. Just as I type this, I look and Oregon has jumped Boise State in the AP poll. The Broncos are now 4th. So I was wrong. I didn't think it would happen this early but it has. Oh well, let's go Broncos!
Photos:
Like always, I get my pictures from idahostatesman.com, mainly because they have some really good ones! Enjoy!
Here is a video on youtube that shows highlights from the game. I tried to embed it in the post but the loser who uploaded it disabled the feature.
Check in tomorrow for my WAC weekend recap. There is a lot to talk about!
Yardage:
.........Broncos......Aggies
Rushing...299.......118
Passing...309.......90
Total......608.......208
First Downs:
......Broncos......Aggies
.........26............11
Turnovers:
......Broncos......Aggies
..........0.............3
Average Gain Per Play:
......Broncos......Aggies
........9.7...........3.3
I think the one that stand out to me the most is the average gain per play stat. Boise State was averaging almost a first down on every single play that they ran. You will always win if you can do that. Granted, New Mexico State is one of the worst teams in the nation, but those are still some impressive stats. The Broncos were giving up an average of just over 60 yards per game on the ground, but the Aggies were able to eat up 118. Some of you may ask why. The answer is this; of the 63 total plays they ran, 41 of them were rushing calls. When it takes a team 41 attempts to gain only 118 yards, the defense has done their job. Besides, it's not like they were getting anywhere throwing the ball anyway. When you beat a team so badly, there are not many story lines to follow, get all excited, and blog about, but let's see what my little brain comes up with...
What We Learned:
The Broncos defensive line is amazing. I believe that they are a bunch of man-yeti's out there mauling opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. It is seriously amazing what Chase Baker, Billy Winn, Ryan Winterswyk, Shea McClellin, and all of their back ups have been able to do thus far this season. They only got one recorded sack last night, but that gives them 12 on the year so far. What they were able to do very well was bottle up the rushing attack and force turnovers. Ricky Tjong-a-tjoe stripped the quarterback twice (Boise State recovered both fumbles) and McClellin was able to bat a pass into the waiting arms of Winterswyk (actually, Swyk swooped in and took the INT from McClellin!). Giving your offense a short field to score with is great a sign of a successful program.
Michael Couglin and Joe Southwick are capable back ups: First of all, Coughlin can run and he scored the first 6 points of the game with his legs. It was great to see him have some success after what could only be considered a disappointing 5 years at Boise State (remember, he won scout player of the year when he was a gray shirt freshman. He was supposed to be the next great Bronco QB). When it was announced that Coughlin and Southwick were going to get a few more snaps per game during crunch time, I was excited to see what the heir-appearant to Kellen Moore could do. Southwick can do a lot with his legs, but when I saw that pass that he zipped to Chris Potter for a 78 yard TD, I almost peed my pants! It was a beautiful sight! Now if Moore goes down injured (please no! It won't happen, it can't!), I feel comfortable with who we have to replace him. Plus we know that Boise State will be set at quarterback for years to come.
The WAC Sports Network Sucks Really Bad: I thought Altitude Sports Network was bad! Listening to that verbal diarrhea spewing from the two commentators' mouths was enough to force me to change the channel (which I did frequently. That or mute the TV). Dick Tomey (the more annoying, less knowledgeable of the pair), I understand you coached at San Jose State and that means you have sub par intelligence and wit, but holy heck you are terrible! I have no idea how half the stuff they were talking about related to football, much less the Broncos or Aggies. Sadly and shockingly, it made me long for the days of KTVB broadcasting the games and Mark Johnson slaughtering the names of every player on the field, as well as screwing up the action on most plays. I would also prefer the muscle hamster guy from CBS CS over that garbage. Seriously, I am not looking forward to next week when they get to disgrace broadcasting again as the Broncos take on Toledo at home. Kill me now...
Coach Pete is a Master at Mental Preparation: The Broncos had made it through the toughest part of their early season schedule unscathed. Now they face a long line of cupcakes and crappy teams before finally getting to play Fresno State and Nevada. How many teams and players in the nation would have taken time off, plays off, or even games off (mentally, of course)? The answer is a lot. But from the beginning of time, Chris Petersen has preached the "one game at a time" attitude and it has never been more appearant than it was last night. Boise State never let up, never quit, never eased-up, and never even thought about doing anything but playing their best. Petersen wouldn't have it any other way. All coaches' attitude, morals, beliefs, and mentality are reflected in their players and how they perform on the field. There are few (if any) better than Coach Pete at instilling an attitude of preparedness in his players. Do not expect the Broncos to slow down at all. It will not happen.
New Mexico State Has a Long Way to Go, but They are Getting There: Coach DeWayne Walker is trying to pound toughness into his players, starting with a decent rushing attack. I have already mentioned that the Aggies gained 118 yards on 41 attempts. It is a long and hard road when the offense that was put onto the field before he got there averaged about 75 passes per game. It takes time to get your own style of players in there and install the offense and defense that you want. Like I said, there is a lot of work to do, but I think Walker is a good coach and the Aggies will be good with him as their leader, eventually.
Areas of Concern:
It gets pretty difficult to find any problems when we played such an overwhelming and complete game. Looking at the stats on si.com here, the Broncos were only 3 of 9 on third down conversions. That is 33%. They can definitely get better at that, although a few of them were towards the end of the game when they were running the ball and not even thinking about passing it. Special teams; they did not play as bad on special teams as they did against Oregon State, but there are some kick off issues that need to be ironed out. It seems that Boise State has not gotten a touch back after their first kick off in any games so far. It's either really short or they don't cover very well and it goes for a good return. There is a lot of work to do there. Penalties; I hate sounding like a broken record, but we had some mistakes that took back some points and gave the Aggies some extra yardage. A Jason Robinson late hit out of bounds added fifteen. I know it was his first game back and he was excited to play, but chill out dude. A facemask by an offensive lineman brought back a sweet touchdown pass from Moore. Again, it's getting better, but the Broncos need to cut down on the yellow flags.
Favorite Play:
It has to be the Shea McClellin batted ball for an interception. McClellin got some air when he went up to swat the Matt Christian pass. It was a very athletic play for which he deserves all the credit. The best part was when Ryan Winterswyk swooped in and stole the interception. It was great. Idahostatesman.com tells us that they are equal now, since McClellin jumped on a fumble in the end zone against Wyoming that Winterswyk had "gifted" him. Anyway, the play was great and showed the versatility and athleticism of the Bronco D-line.
Thoughts and Tidbits:
The touchdown pass from Southwick to Potter was Southwick's first TD pass as a Bronco and Potter's first TD catch as a Bronco. Ricky Tjong-a-tjoe (again, freaking awesome name) is a beast and will be for years to come. Jason Robinson played in his first game since pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge. He was suspended for the first 3 games. Also coming back from suspension was Daron Mackey.
My player NOT to watch was Brandyn Thompson. He didn't do anything during the game. In fact, I don't remember his name being mentioned at all. I guess that means that he did another good job of taking care of the wide receiver he was on and took him out of the game. He did not have any interceptions, which is kind of disappointing, but the season is long and there are a lot of games yet to play. At least I did not get him injured! My player to watch, Boyblue Aoelua, got his name dropped quite a few times. It turns out he was starting as a linebacker and made some tackles. Good job Boyblue!
This game will do nothing to harm the national perception of the Boise State Broncos. They problem is nobody was able to watch it. A 59-0 victory on the road is a good thing, but will it be enough to keep them at number 3 in the polls? Oregon took control of their game against Stanford late and pulled away to win. The battle between two top ten teams was watched by a lot of people and the victory will go far for the Ducks. I don't know if they pass the Broncos this week, but if they keep winning like they are now, which is by scoring a lot of points, then I think it will eventually happen. Like I said, hopefully and probably not this week, but it's just a matter of time, unless Oregon loses, which isn't looking very likely right now. Just as I type this, I look and Oregon has jumped Boise State in the AP poll. The Broncos are now 4th. So I was wrong. I didn't think it would happen this early but it has. Oh well, let's go Broncos!
Photos:
Like always, I get my pictures from idahostatesman.com, mainly because they have some really good ones! Enjoy!
Here is a video on youtube that shows highlights from the game. I tried to embed it in the post but the loser who uploaded it disabled the feature.
Check in tomorrow for my WAC weekend recap. There is a lot to talk about!
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