Evidences of a Derserving Win

So there have been some libelous statements being tossed around that the Boise State Broncos lucked out on Monday night when they beat the Virginia Tech Hokies. Others have slandered that the Broncos backed into the win, didn't deserve it, or should have lost to a better team. I am here to go Mythbusters on such unfounded and reprehensible remarks. I have proof as well, unlike those obtuse detesters of all things impressive and dramatic, such as the Boise State Broncos. They not only deserved to win that game, but were the better team on the field in a night filled with first game jitters and nerves.

Case number one for why the Broncos won and did not luck out:
Ryan Williams, the electric sophomore who ran for 1,655 yards as a freshman was not only bottled up, but was basically ineffective during the game. He was held to just 44 yards on 21 attempts. That is just over 2 yards per attempt. Also, I might point out, 44 yards was a career low for Williams. The other beast in the backfield, Darren Evans was held to 12 yards on 3 attempts. That is a dominate defense if I ever saw one. It is also a huge difference from the last time we saw the Boise State defense go up against a back with all star NFL capability (ie Ryan Mathews from Fresno State, last seen gashing the Broncos for 60 and 70 yard runs all night). Mathews is now the starting back for the San Diego Chargers. The trickiest part for the Broncos was trying to contain quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He had 73 rush yards on 16 attempts. Most of that was scrambling when his receivers were covered and he had no other options. He was a slippery fellow that night indeed. Regardless, the Broncos dominated the rushing game of the Hokies, and that was supposed to be their bread and butter. That's not lucking out, that's planning/scheming and playing.

Case number two:
Special teams. The Hokies are respected and feared around the country for what they are able to accomplish in the kicking, returning, and special teams game. In fact, the head coach himself, Frank Beamer, is the special teams coach. The Broncos owned them. One blocked punt from Austin Pettis and a huge return from Mitch Burroughs to set up the winning drive later and VT had no idea what hit them. They were outgunned, outplayed, and outsmarted on specials teams, and Boise State didn't even run a fake punt against them (which I was partly expecting, by the way)! The important numbers here are; 1 punt return attempt for the Hokies netting 0 yards. Compare that to 4 attempts for the Broncos for 44 yards. The numbers don't seem like much, but the 0 for VT tells a huge story.

Case number three:
This one is about as obvious as can be. The Duke University head coach David Cutliffe somehow missed it. Here is what he said; You can't make mistakes in the kicking game, nobody emphasizes it more than Frank [Beamer]. But they were clearly the best team, guys. Anybody that watched the game could tell that Virginia Tech was the dominant team physically. They didn't win but this stuff about we can't compete with the best. ... You know, Boise's a good football team. They're not a dominant physical football team. Gimme a break on some of the publicity. Real well coached, good team, got some great skill players. Not as good a football team as Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech just blew the ball game." What the freak was Cutliffe watching? Maybe VT versus a division 2 school from last year and then substituted Boise State's name in there. What a tool. Those are some strange comments considering the Broncos out gained the Hokies 383 to 314 in total yardage, out rushed them 168-128 (again, the featured part of their offense), and ate more penalty yardage. Also, the Broncos had a punt blocked themselves and had a stupid running into the kicker penalty. There were mistakes on both sides. His comments show his ineptitude for the obvious. Tool... Then again, what else would you expect from a coach that averages 2 or 3 wins a season. Enough said.

Case number four:
Kellen Moore and Austin Pettis. That is all.

The game was a lot of fun to watch, but by no means was it something where the Broncos lucked out and backed into a win. The best, most prepared, and most physically dominating team on the field won that night, mistakes included.

The Aftermath/Reaction/Ridiculous Generalizations

Well, the Boise State Broncos came out of Washington D.C. victorious Monday night, although, it did not look good for a while. As it turned out, not only was "The Clash in the Capitol" the best game of the opening weekend of College Football, it was dubbed an instant classic by ESPN and replayed the following day on ESPNClassic. It sure was a good game. As a huge fan of the Broncos, I was living and dying from play to play. There were so many momentum swings, ebbs and flows, and great and stupid plays from both sides. I thought there was no chance for the Broncos to beat the Hokies that night when the second and third quarters played out the way they did, but they pulled it out. ESPN's Heather Cox interviewed Boise State head coach Chris Petersen just before kick off and he said that the Broncos HAD to play for all four quarters in order to win. They definitely competed for all four, but relaxed too much in the second and third, only to pick it back up in the fourth. There are many angles that I wish to cover right now and I will try and get to them all.

First of all, the uniforms. Virginia Tech's were sick! I really liked them. Boise State's were pretty good. I would like to see the Broncos wear them for all away games. But they have to wear the orange pants in the bowl game. They are a good luck charm to the Broncos.

Please refer to my previous post when I thought Boise State's experience with returning starters would prevail over a relatively young Hokie squad, especially on defense. I also stated that Boise State would score early (which they did) and tack on a couple more late (which they kind of did) and that the final score would be 35 to 17 in favor of the Broncos. However, when I made that prediction, I completely underestimated how beastly amazing Tyrod Taylor was! The plays he was able to extend and make were nothing short of super-human. The one that stands out the most was when he kept his balance through a tackle, didn't let knee, elbow, or ball touch the ground and broke off for a big gain. I have never seen anything so athletic and (pardon the term) majestic! I am convinced that the ball did touch the ground, but obviously it wasn't enough to merit a "spiked ball" which would have stopped the play and the clock. As good as Taylor was, Boise State's secondary made him look even better. It's amazing what losing one first round draft pick will do to the entire defensive back unit. His replacement Jamar Taylor will be very good, he just needs some more work and experience. Also, Winston Venable was plagued with cramps and couldn't play except for a little bit in the beginning. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and Coach Petersen have some work to do to get them back up to the level that they can and should be at. Also, Fiesta Bowl defensive Brandon Thompson made some really stupid plays that were very hard to look at. As bad as some of those plays were from Thompson, he made a fantastic stop in the last seconds on a deep pass from Tyrod Taylor that saved a huge gain and at least a field goal. Also, Jamar Taylor broke up the final pass of the game for the Hokies to seal the win for the Broncos. So call them the cardiac kids; stupid plays and then some good ones. They will need to be more consistent to have the team success that they want.

In the end, it was the experience of the Broncos that prevailed. The fast start in the first quarter and the amazing fourth quarter were what being a veteran team is all about. The second and third quarter were moments of unfocused non-execution and relaxation. The coaching staff will have to work on and fix that. But the big players came up big in crunch time and made the plays that they needed to make. All in all, it all made for a great game and a lot of fun to watch.

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer is a class act and then some! The post-game press conference was nothing but owning up to his team's mistakes and giving the Broncos credit for the win and playing well. Those press conferences are the lamest thing in the world and extremely difficult for the coaches. Think about it, you have a room full of reporters who are trying their hardest to get a rise or a incriminating remark out of the coach through asking loaded, biased, unfair, and difficult questions. The coach has to try and stay neutral and not throw his team, the opponent, or the referees under the bus. If he bad mouths the refs, a fine will be coming his way and he won't get the 50/50 calls from them in the next game. If he talks smack about the opponent, he is seen as a sore loser and doesn't give credit where credit is due. If he undercuts his own team, he loses respect. It is a fine line he must walk and Frank Beamer was great. He is a class act above and beyond what you normally see.

All in all, the game was amazing and a great way to start the season. Boise State has a long way to go before they can get to the national title game, but they have kept themselves in the conversation for the time being. Wyoming will be a stiff test on the 18th and then the Oregon State Beavers come into town. This season should be a good one!