BOISE STATE FOOTBALL: TEN WAYS THE BRONCOS CAN BEAT FRESNO STATE IN A REMATCH

Posted on November 26, 2017

BY MIKE PRATER
KTIK.COM

The Boise State-Fresno State battle has reached halftime … with momentum clearly not on the Broncos’ side.

First four quarters: The Bulldogs, for a variety of curious reasons, beat an uninspired Boise State squad 28-17 in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday in California.

Second four quarters: The same two teams play again next Saturday night in Boise, with a Mountain West championship and a Las Vegas Bowl invite up for grabs.

It’s only the second time since 1935 that two major college football teams have played each other in back-to-back weekends. Clearly, Fresno State handled The Meaningless Game better than Boise State. Now here’s what the Broncos need to do to win The Championship Game:

  1. Play with more focus and energy; be mentally tougher. Boise State marched 75 yards on its first drive with a perfect flea flicker and a Montell Cozart TD pass. The next nine drives netted 326 yards and 10 points as the Broncos looked awkwardly flat on both sides of the ball. The 17-point finish was Boise State’s lowest output of the season, and lowest since scoring 12 in the Baylor bowl fiasco last year. Neither team had to win this game, but Fresno State played and coached like it mattered more, especially after three straight punts early in the first half. “I hope we have better focus,” coach Bryan Harsin told the media after the game. Mysterious and concerning.
  2. Get healthy – fast. Boise State came into the game with injury issues, which might help to explain the poor second half, and the road trip seemed to make it worse at tight end and linebacker. TE Jake Roh and LB Riley Whimpey didn’t play, while LB Gabe Perez (street clothes in the second half), LB Tyson Maeva (lower left leg in second quarter, played in the second half) and TE Alec Dhaenens (woozy after big hit in second half) are at least three players to keep an eye on this week.
  3. A more aggressive defense. Boise State produced no turnovers (only third time this season) and no sacks (28 in first 11 games). The defense entered the game No. 1 in the MW in sacks, and Fresno State’s offense was No. 1 in sacks allowed. Clearly, the Bulldogs won that battle, though defensive coordinator Andy Avalos didn’t dial up a ton of pressure. Saving for next week?
  4. Smarter QB rotation. For the first time this season, the two-QB system didn’t work. Starter Brett Rypien was brilliant again (22-of-31, 278 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, with one gutsy 13-yard rush for a first down in the second half). Cozart tossed the opening TD pass, and finished with four rushes and five pass attempts. They seemed forced, and messed with Rypien’s rhythm. Rypien is playing well enough that he doesn’t need help from Cozart, whose role should be limited to decoy/selected trick plays and running options.
  5. Better efficiency in the red zone. Boise State has struggled to score TDs in the red zone this season (58th in FBS), and that trend continued. Drives No. 2 (missed field goal) and No. 3 (failed fourth down at the Fresno State 25) produced no points. Boise State pushed Fresno State’s top-ranked defense all night, gained 401 yards, won the time of possession and averaged 6 yards a play – and still finished with its lowest point total this season. Fresno State’s defense is legit, and Boise State’s offense needs to be better at play-calling and execution in crunch time.
  6. More Mattison. Running back Alexander Mattison had 15 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown (and now has 1,024 yards for the season). Backup Ryan Wolpin had six carries, averaging 2.8 yards. More Mattison (30-plus carries next week?) and less Wolpin, please.
  7. Better on third/fourth downs. Boise State was 6-of-14 on third-down conversions and 0-for-2 on fourth down, including one ill-advised Rypien sneak (BSU is last in the FBS in fourth-down conversions, 2-of-16 for the season). Boise State has been solid on third downs, although inconsistent at times. Harsin has never lost at Boise State when his offense converted on 50 percent or better on third-down conversations. Seems like a good place to start next week.
  8. Neutralize Fresno State’s speed. The Bulldogs have better team speed than Boise State, especially in their passing game. Defensive backs Avery Williams and Kekoa Nawahine got burned for an 81-yard, back-breaking TD in the fourth quarter, and three other Fresno State players had catches of at least 26 yards. The defensive staff needs to find an extra gear/strategy to slow down that speed Saturday night.
  9. No kicking issues. Boise State’s late-season history includes a series of kicking/big-game nightmares, and junior Haden Hoggarth suddenly looks vulnerable. Hoggarth made his first six attempts this season, but has missed two of his last four (51 vs. Air Force and 38 vs. Fresno State).
  10. Sell, sell, sell tickets. Boise State is hosting the MW Championship Game over Fresno State because of its higher standing in the season-long computer rankings. Boise State already started selling tickets to the game, and had about 7,000 sold as of last Friday. Boise State and Fresno State played in the first MW Championship Game in 2014, attracting 26,101 fans. How much will Saturday’s loss impact the gate for next week’s encore?
  • NEXT GAME: Boise State (9-3, 7-1) vs. Fresno State (9-3, 7-1), Mountain West Championship Game, Albertsons Stadium, Saturday, Dec. 2, 5:45 p.m., ESPN, KBOI 670 AM and KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket.
  • CAVES’ BLOG: Harsin to Oregon State and Avalos the next head coach? Details here.


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 26-17 loss at Fresno State drops the Broncos to 13-6 all-time against the Bulldogs. The Broncos are 5-5 when playing in Fresno.
  • The loss marks the second year in a row in which Boise State has dropped its regular-season finale. Last year, the Broncos fell at Air Force 27-20 on Nov. 25.
  • The Broncos finished conference play with seven wins for the first time since 2014.
  • Boise State finished with its lowest point total of the season (17).
  • The Broncos failed to force a turnover, marking just the third time that has happened this season (Sept. 22 against Virginia, Oct. 28 at Utah State). Boise State is 1-2 in such games this year, with the win coming at Utah State.
  • Fresno State’s Marcus McMaryion finished with 332 passing yards, becoming the second passer to hit the 300-yard mark against the Broncos this year (Colorado State’s Nick Stevens, with 309 passing yards on Nov. 11).
  • Fresno State’s 81-yard touchdown pass from McMaryion to Keesean Johnson in the fourth quarter was the second 80-plus-yard play given up by the defense this season. The other was an 89-yard touchdown pass from San Diego State’s Christian Chapman to Fred Trevillion on Oct. 14 in San Diego.
  • The Broncos have allowed five opponents to score touchdowns on their opening drives this season – BYU, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado State and Fresno State – with Saturday’s game being the first time the Broncos have lost after doing so.
  • Rypien had his streak of four games with a touchdown pass snapped.
  • Cozart threw his 10th touchdown pass of the season when he connected with wide receiver AJ Richardson for a 4-yard reception in the first quarter. It was Richardson’s second touchdown reception of the season and second in as many games.
  • Mattison’s 63 rushing yards give him 1,024 on the season, his first 1,000-yard season. It also extends the Boise State streak of seasons with a 1,000 yard rusher to nine (2009-present).
  • Cedrick Wilson’s 134 receiving yards (on seven catches) marks his ninth career game with 100-plus receiving yards, sixth most in Boise State history. He has a career-best 1,142 receiving yards on the season, good for fifth best in the Broncos’ single-season record book.
  • Redshirt freshman tight end John Bates collected his first career catch, a 9-yard reception from Rypien in the third quarter. He finished the game with two receptions for 17 yards.
  • Nawahine led the Broncos’ defense with 12 tackles (five solo).
  • Boise State checked in at No. 23 in this week’s College Football Playoff Rankings, the Broncos’ eighth week being ranked in the poll since its inception in 2014. The Broncos concluded the inaugural year of the poll ranked 20th and climbed as high as No. 19 in 2016. Boise State is 6-2 when ranked in the CFP.
  • With Boise State cracking the top 25 in both the AP and Coaches Polls last week, the Broncos extended their streak of consecutive seasons in the national rankings to 16. Boise State has been ranked for at least one week in either the AP of the Coaches Poll every season since 2002. Boise State has a record of 101-16 when ranked in the top 25 of the AP poll, the Coaches Poll or the College Football Playoff Rankings after Saturday’s loss.
  • Hoggarth was 1-for-2 on field goal attempts, making a 24-yard attempt in the third quarter, and missing a 38-yard attempt in the first quarter. He is 16-of-19 on field goal attempts this season.
  • Cornerback Tyler Horton led the Broncos onto the field with The Hammer, while defensive tackle Daniel Auelua carried the Bleed Blue flag and Mattison carried the American flag.
  • STUD Jabril Frazier joined Rypien, Wilson and Leighton Vander Esch as game captains.

Courtesy of Boise State Athletics

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