COACHING GRUMBLINGS GROW AFTER BOISE STATE LOSES TO VIRGINIA 42-23

Posted on September 23, 2017

BY MIKE PRATER
KTIK.COM

There were boos inside Albertsons Stadium on Friday night. And frustrated fans on social media/radio were relentless. All for completely fair reasons: Boise State (2-2) was run over by Virginia (3-1), which took advantage of the sleepy Broncos for a 42-23 victory before a crowd of 33,947. It was the program’s worst home loss in 16 years, its fourth loss in six games dating to last season, and leaves coach Bryan Harsin with a .500 record over his past 10 games.

Virginia of the ACC came into the game with 20 losses in its past 21 road games, and the Cavaliers won their first game west of the Mississippi River since 1991.

The Broncos’ run game produced 30 yards on 24 carries, the defense gave up 440 total yards, the offense converted 4-of-16 third downs and the team committed nine penalties (Virginia had three).

“We got a lot to learn, a lot to get better at,” coach Bryan Harsin said on his post-game radio show.

Cedrick Wilson caught 13 passes for 209 yards, most of them from starter Brett Rypien (24-42, 285 yards, 1 interception), and Robert Mahone led all rushers with 21 yards on three carries (all on the same drive early in the second quarter).

“Obviously very poor in the run game,” Harsin said.

After the game, Harsin promised changes: “There’s gonna be some changes. What they are, I don’t know yet, but we need to fix the consistency of our entire team in all three phases. It can’t just be about one side. Good football teams play together, play off each other, and help all sides of the ball in one way or another. And that just didn’t happen tonight.”

Montell Cozart played quarterback in relief, completing 4-of-11 passes for 68 yards and a late TD to Wilson. Both Boise State quarterbacks were sacked twice.

  • NEXT: Boise State at BYU, Friday, Oct. 6, 8:15 p.m., Provo, Utah, ESPN, KBOI 670 AM and KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket. The Broncos’ next three games are against BYU, San Diego State and Wyoming.

PRATER’S POST-GAME POINTS

  • Harsin is 33-11 at Boise State, but coaching has clearly become a concern. The offense has been inconsistent all season, and definitely got worse Friday night. Why did Mahone, the most effective runner despite a small body of work, carry the ball only three times? During the week, coaches said they needed to get him more involved. The most efficient offense (after the opening drive) was an up-tempo offense, but that was abandoned despite success. There’s too much Ryan Wolpin, and not enough Cozart on the field. Players are too flat, too emotionless, too uninspired. Early, scripted drives have worked this season, but as the game goes on, the Broncos seem to get worse and opponents seem to get better. Harsin couldn’t even get a challenge right Friday night. All coaching issues.
  • More coaching issues? How about this botched series late in the third quarter, when a touchdown could have made it 35-21: Rypien complete to Jake Roh for nine yards. Alexander Mattison no gain on a predictable run (isn’t second-and-1 the perfect time to shake things up?). Rypien incomplete. Timeout on fourth-and-1. Punt formation. Delay of game penalty. Boos. ESPN talks potatoes on TV. Virginia scores on its next possession to take a 42-14 lead.
  • Harsin promised changes during the bye week, before the BYU game. Could he … Replace offensive coordinator/QB coach/playcaller Zak Hill with the more experienced Eric Kiesau (now the wide receivers coach)? Make Mahone the starter as we play running back roulette each week? Remove the redshirt from freshman running back Drake Beasley, who was a standout in fall camp? Heck, the running game couldn’t get any worse …
  • Yes, the run game is in complete shambles, thanks to a struggling line, a lack of physical playmakers, inconsistencies all over the place, and some questionable decision-making from coaches, who promised more Mahone during the week then ran him three straight times in the second quarter and never again. Boise State finished with 30 yards on 24 carries. Mahone carried three times for 21 yards. For the season, Boise State is averaging 3.2 yards a carry, has converted 22-of-60 third-down attempts and 1-of-9 fourth-down attempts.
  • The defense handed out explosive plays like candy: Virginia had plays of 64, 56, 27 and 25 yards.
  • Boise State had too many dropped balls (even on defense). The count was at least seven, probably a couple more. That’s not coaching, that’s on the players.
  • Boise State ran 77 offensive plays, and Cozart should have been on the field for at least 40, even if he isn’t the starting quarterback. He’s a rare playmaker on a roster that doesn’t have many. Along those same lines, it would be nice to see more Avery Williams on offense.
  • Coaches burned the redshirts of true freshmen wide receivers CT Thomas and Octavius Evans. Combined, they’ve touched the ball eight times this season. A wasted season, so far.
  • Junior defensive lineman David Moa didn’t play in the first quarter after his arrest last weekend for disturbing the peace. The star player had one tackle and clearly wasn’t his dominant self. P.S.: Not a fan of one-quarter suspensions; he should have played the entire game.
  • Kohl, the tee-retrieving dog, is the MVP of the season so far.


Mike Prater, editor of The Opinionator, co-hosts Idaho Sports Talk with Caves & Prater weekdays from 3-6 p.m. on KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket and can be heard on Bronco GameNight after BSU football games on KBOI 670 AM and KTIK 93.1 FM. He can be reached at [email protected], and found @CavesandPrater(Facebook) and @MikeFPrater (Twitter).

POST-GAME NEWS & NOTES FROM BOISE STATE

  • Boise State’s 42-23 loss to Virginia drops the Broncos to 2-2 on the season, and 2-2 all-time against the ACC.
  • The 42 points allowed is the most by the Broncos at home since a 69-67, four-overtime victory over Nevada on Oct. 14, 2007.
  • The loss snapped Boise State’s 24-game home nonconference winning streak. The last such loss was a 27-21 decision against Boston College on Dec. 28, 2005 in the MPC Computers Bowl.
  • Boise State’s last home, nonconference loss in the regular season before Friday was a 41-20 loss to Washington State on Sept. 8, 2001.
  • Boise State’s 30 rushing yards (on 24 attempts) was its lowest output since rushing for 34 yards on 30 carries at Utah State on Oct. 16, 2015.
  • Boise State’s offense drove for a touchdown on its opening drive for the third straight game. The last time the Broncos did this was a four-game run beginning with the 2015 Poinsetta Bowl against Northern Illinois, and continuing with the first three games of 2016 (at Louisiana, vs. Washington State, at Oregon State).
  • Boise State’s defense recorded a safety late in the fourth quarter. It was the team’s first safety since Sept. 25, 2015 at Virginia.
  • Senior wide receiver Cedrick Wilson posted the first 200-yard receiving game of his career, and the seventh 100-yard receiving game of his career, setting career highs in receptions (13) and receiving yards (209) with a touchdown. His previous career high in receiving yards was 193 at Air Force last Nov. 25, while his previous career high in receptions was nine (twice, most recentl at Washington State on Sept. 9 of this season). Wilson’s 209 receiving yards are tied for seventh in Boise State single-game history (Tim Gilligan, at BYU, Oct. 30, 2003), and his 13 catches tie for eighth-most in a single game (tied with four others, most recently Shane Williams-Rhodes at Utah State on Oct. 12, 2013).
  • Redshirt junior wide receiver A.J. Richardson set career highs in receptions (five) and receiving yards (80).
  • Quarterback Brett Rypien returned to action, completing 24-of-42 passes for 285 yards.
  • Tight end Jake Roh ran for the second rushing touchdown of his career, scoring from two yards out just before halftime. It was Roh’s fifth touchdown of the season.
  • Ryan Wolpin’s five-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was the first touchdown of his career.
  • Redshirt freshman STUD Curtis Weaver recorded his third sack of the season, finishing the game with four tackles (two solo), 1.5 TFL, and a pass defended.
  • Linebacker Tyson Maeva led the Broncos onto the field with The Hammer, safety DeAndre Pierce carried the “Bleed Blue” flag, and wide receiver A.J. Richardson carried the United States flag.

Courtesy of Boise State Athletics

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