Broncos Surge Over Rainbow Warriors in Record Setting Fashion

There are so many things that can be said about the way that Boise State completely dominated this game. As a fan that sometimes overreacts about things, I was pretty nervous sitting there in the stands before the game started. However, the boys in Blue were nothing short of extremely prepared for the alleged challenge that the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors would bring. It was obvious from the opening kick and subsequent defensive series that this game was not going to be dictated by Bryant Moniz and that annoying run and shoot offense. School records were dropping like flies for the Broncos, and so was Moniz in the Hawai'i backfield. We will discuss more intimate details of the match up as we continue on today. But like always, let's look at some interesting stats;

Yardage:
......Broncos......Rainbow Warriors
Rushing-230...............45
Passing-507..............151
..Total-737..............196

First Downs:
......Broncos......Rainbow Warriors
........30...............11

Third Down Conversions:
......Broncos......Rainbow Warriors
.....8-12 (67%).......3-14 (21%)

Pass Completions-Attempts:
......Broncos......Rainbow Warriors
.......30-37............21-35

Number of Sacks on Opposing Quarterback-Yardage:
......Broncos......Rainbow Warriors
.......7-45..............0-0

Number of Punts:
......Broncos......Rainbow Warriors
........0.................9

Turnovers:
......Broncos......Rainbow Warriors
.........3................0

As you can clearly see, Boise State was dominate in this game in every way except one; turnovers. Two interceptions and one lost fumble left points off the board. One of the interceptions was in the end zone on a scoring drive. The fumble was on about the 10 yard line on a scoring drive. But you don't need to win the turnover battle if you hold your opponent to 196 yards of total offense, especially if said opponent averages 462 per game. In fact, this was Hawai'i's lowest yardage total in twelve years; before June Jones arrived and installed the offense. Needless to say, the defense played very well for the Broncos, and their offense wasn't too shabby either. The third down conversion percentage is impressive in more than one way. It is important to see the team keep their drives alive and with an opponent like Hawai'i, keeping their offense off the field and tiring out their defense is a huge key to winning. Boise State's rushing total is a little bit deceiving. A bulk of those yards came late in the game while attempting to run out the clock. It worked well with a combination of Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin toting the rock. This offense is built to get leads and keep them. Very impressive. On the other side, of the 45 rushing yards for the Rainbow Warriors, 54 of them came on one run by Alex Green. It also accounted for their lone score. You read that right, they had negative rushing yards going into the fourth quarter. The stat that stands out the most to me is the number of sacks that Boise State was able to get. Bryant Moniz was running for his life back there, and did not succeed. Pressure on the quarterback was one of my keys to the game. You have to believe that Moniz was relieved when Coach McMackin pulled him in the fourth.

What We Learned:

Hawai'i was incredibly overrated. Like I said, I was worried coming into this game and as it turns out, there was no need to be. I should have seen it coming. During the Rainbow Warriors' win streak and throughout the season, the pass defenses they have faced rank 100th (Utah State), 104th (Nevada), 112 (Colorado), 114th (USC), and LA Tech (118th) respectively. Boise State coming in ranked 39th. There are only 120 teams in the FBS. They were feasting on terrible defenses. Such was not the case yesterday at Bronco Stadium.

The Return of the Fiesta Bowl Defense was a lot of fun. Being present at the the game in Glendale (TCU version), I remember seeing the defensive line and linebackers shifting, moving, jumping, switching, and changing positions constantly. The same thing was happening against Hawai'i yesterday. The 4-2-5 defense strikes again! It confused Andy Dalton just as it did Bryant Moniz. Deer in the headlights.

Hawai'i has a good running back, it's too bad they are hell bent on not using him. Alex Green is a big boy and hard to take down. But he can run! Did you see him take off when he broke through the line and sprinted to the end zone? They would have so much more success if they would give him the ball a few more times a game. It would keep defenses guessing and open up their passing game. Too bad it will never happen.


Titus Young is really fast. Once he had broken free from the defender and Kellen Moore had faked the hand off to perfection, there was no catching the speedster. The Rainbow Warrior defender, as he run towards the line of scrimmage leaving Young to his own devices, must have said something like "Oh crap!" as he realized that Moore was ready to launch the deep ball. There was no one withing 25 yards of Titus when he caught it. House call.

Areas of Concern:

Turnovers. It's pretty bad that Kellen threw two int's and Martin lost a fumble. But it's even worse that Boise State did not force a turnover themselves. I was sure that with as much as Hawai'i passes that they would be able to pick off a couple of passes. Yet again, this did not happen. They had chances, but the ball just flew through their hands. The Rainbow Warriors did fumble the ball 4 times, but the Broncos were not able to come up with any recoveries. Other than that, the performance was great!

Favorite Play:

I have already mentioned it, but the deep ball to Titus Young was so beautiful! The way Kellen Moore faked the hand off, kept the ball hidden behind his leg, and baited the cornerback in was priceless. One busted coverage later and Titus was dancing in the end zone, celebrating an 83 yard touchdown catch. It was awesome!

Thoughts and Tidbits:

Offensive lineman Joe Kellogg did not play due to an injury sustained against Louisiana Tech last week. Gabe Linehan saw more playing time replacing Tommy Gallarda at tight end. Kellen Moore broke the career touchdown passes mark set by Ryan Dinwiddie. Moore now has 85 to Dinwiddie's 82. Oh, and Kellen still has one season and 4 games left to play. Austin Pettis broke the record for career receptions yesterday as well, finishing the day with 196 total to Don Mutt's 189. Boise State also broke the record for most yards gained in one game with 737. The Broncos tied the school record for most wins in a row with 22. Records are falling left and right. Boise State and Coach Petersen made a little boy's dream come true. Read the amazing story here.


Weekly Player to Watch Recap:

Ryan Winterswyk went another game without a sack. This is surprising since the Broncos finished the game with 7 of them. But yet again, he was double teamed often. As I mentioned, in that he contributed very much to the game. He also lined up at tight end on one play. He is so athletic and strong that getting him on the field as often as possible is a necessity.

Perception:

I just found out that TCU jumped Boise State in the polls, which means that the Horned Frogs are guaranteed to stay in front of the Broncos in the BCS Rankings for now. This could change as the weeks go by and Boise State plays a pretty tough schedule to finish the season. Both TCU and Boise State were very impressive in their wins, but TCU will get the nod because they beat a (completely overrated) top 5 team on the road. It looks like yet again we are locked in battle with the purple frogs from Fort Worth. With Alabama and Oklahoma losing, a couple more teams are cleared out of the way. A lot is going to happen between now and when the BCS Bowl game match ups are decided. Boise State may get left out and end up playing 6-6 California in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. We will see what happens. Voters are impressed with this win over Hawai'i. But I think they are more impressed with TCU's win over Utah. We just have to wait and see what happens.

Photos:

Thanks again idahostatesman.com.

Come back tomorrow for my WAC Weekend Recap. I need to get some sleep. It was a long day yesterday.

Weekly Player to Watch, 7th Edition

Here we have the biggest game of the season since Virginia Tech. Nobody saw this one coming, as the Rainbow Warriors were picked to finish toward the bottom of the WAC. Yet here we are, over-analyzing the crap out of the game in every way possible (including me!). I posted my picks yesterday, including a couple of extras. The highlight of the out of conference picks has to be Utah vs. TCU. That will be the one to keep your eyes on. I would imagine that they will be announcing that score throughout the Broncos’ game. I will let you know…Anyway, let’s get started with the Weekly PTW.

It has been a weird couple of weeks with the Tuesday night game and nothing to post about the Broncos for the weekends. It feels good to get back into the normal routine and schedule. That means back to normal Weekend Picks, PTW, and a feeling of complete normalcy with me. With that said, this week’s PTW is…Ryan Winterswyk!


Hawai’i passes the ball a lot. In fact, the only game where they have even tried to rush consistently was at Utah State. Alex Green went for 172 yards, and Moniz still ended up with 389 through the air. I think that even if they try to run against Boise State, Green will get swallowed up and most likely injured by the beasts on the D-Line. I took this into account when picking my PTW. I cannot help but get the images of two years ago out of my head. Hawai’i was on The Blue and their offensive line could not hold water in a bucket. Snap after snap the Broncos were in the backfield harassing whichever quarterback was there (they used a couple, if I remember correctly). This forced some poor throws and led to 3 Brandyn Thompson interceptions. Well guess what, this Bronco defensive line is the best they have ever had, and possibly the best in the nation. I see much of the same happening tomorrow. Bryant Moniz is in trouble. Just ask Andy Dalton.


Ryan Winterswyk is a senior from La Habra, California where he played safety (?). He was named All-state, All-CIF, All-Freeway League, league defensive MVP and team MVP, and finished his senior season with 150 tackles, two interceptions and three touchdowns. Surprisingly, he was not recruited by any big (or even small schools) and decided to walk on at Boise State. At 6’4” he was a little tall to stay at safety. The coaches decided to bulk him up and stick him at defensive end. Now he is an all-WAC performer and even found a place on the all-WAC decade team after his junior year. Those are pretty high honors for a man who has not graduated yet. But then again, he also found his way onto the cover of Sports Illustrated.


I know that ‘Swyk has not recorded a sack yet and a large part of that is due to the fact that he is getting double teamed basically all game. That in itself is important. It has left Shea McClellin, Chase Baker, and Billy Winn to terrorize quarterbacks and running backs alike. Now you have offensive coordinators and head coaches guessing who to double team and trying short, quick passes so as to not allow sacks. As much as the Rainbow Warriors pass, there are bound to be multiple sack and hurry opportunities. Winterswyk will be left one-on-one so as to double team McClellin, Winn, or Baker and ‘Swyk will get the sack. There is just too much talent across the line for the front four to always double team him. Even though Hawai’i’s offensive line has been playing well, Boise State should be able to get plenty of pressure. Bryant Moniz, it’s time to get Swyked!


So there we have it! Bronco Chase’s Weekly Player to Watch in its seventh appearance. Check back in Sunday my review and analysis of the BSU vs. Hawai’i game and then on Monday for the WAC Weekend Recap. I would also like to thank the Virginia Tech Hokies for playing well enough to win last night against Georgia Tech. The spoils of your victory go far and have a couple of great consequences. Number one, you got my Weekend Picks started off on the right foot. Number two and most importantly, your win does wonders for Boise State's reputation, perception, and strength of schedule. Keep it up. We will take care of our end of the deal by beating Hawai'i tomorrow. Go Broncos!