2023-10-08 04:13:00
The glass-half-full take on Boise State’s big come-from-behind win Saturday night over San Jose State is that the Broncos showed a lot of guts to overcome a bad first half, seized momentum, made a wealth of key plays and stayed unbeaten in Mountain West play.
The glass-half-empty take is that Boise State needed a massive rally at home — with great help from the second-largest crowd in Albertsons Stadium history — to score a 35-27 victory over the Spartans (1-5, 0-2), a 9.5-point underdog whose only win this season came against FCS Cal Poly.
The glass-half-full take is that employing a two-quarterback system and allowing opposing offenses to run amok with regularity is a sustainable way to win the Mountain West and not wind up in one of the three dozen throwaway bowl games.
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The glass-half-empty take is that the Broncos can’t keep living on the edge like this, because they probably can’t beat teams like Fresno State and Air Force by making a slew of mistakes, falling behind, and relying on perseverance and the other team’s inadequacies.
No doubt coach Andy Avalos and fans will embrace the glass-half-full approach, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Avalos and his team are to be commended for regrouping at halftime, when they trailed 27-14, and playing inspired football in the second half. Thanks to that effort, the Broncos are 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the conference, and they have an impressive comeback to build on, one that staved off what would have been a disastrous loss.
Main takeaways: Fueled by a boisterous crowd that the players spent the second half imploring to get louder, the Boise State defense stepped up after being torched in the first two quarters. It allowed 316 yards in the first half and five straight scoring drives. It allowed 10 so-called big plays — passes of 15 yards or more, runs of 10 or more. It got beat deep, burned on screen passes and victimized by elusive quarterback Chevan Cordeiro.
In the second half, the Broncos allowed just two of those plays, forced a turnover on downs with a fourth-down stop and allowed zero points. There were absolutely no big passing plays surrendered, and the defensive pressure had Cordeiro zigzagging around the field like a balloon with a leak.
(And seriously, by the way, this was a game where it’s not possible to overstate the importance of home-field advantage. It was difference-making. And this was from a crowd that was actually booing a little in the first half.)
Offensively, eliminating turnovers — Boise State had three in the first half — was integral, and people kept delivering big plays. Wide receiver Eric McAlister caught an 83-yard TD pass from Maddux Madsen and a 44-yard pass from QB Taylen Green to set up a score.
Green had an incredible 11-yard, go-ahead TD run where he covered about 40 yards. Madsen scrambled for 21 yards to pick up a huge first down. Green followed that up with a 15-yard run that saw him leap over a defender. Ashton Jeanty, who lost two first-half fumbles, rumbled 68 yards to set up Boise State’s first TD of the second half. He leaped over a defender to pick up a first down on fourth-and-1 to keep the game-clinching drive alive.
Main questions: What is the future of the two-quarterback system? Madsen and Green both had big plays. They had drives in which they went the whole way, and a few where both played. Both were major catalysts on scoring drives. Both shined with runs and throws. It can be considered a success because of the win and 491 total yards. Overall, the Broncos had five TD drives, three punts and three turnovers. Obviously, more time is needed to see whether it’s sustainable.
Can the Boise State defense right itself when not bolstered by a home crowd? The fans made such a difference in the second half. Their noise forced the usual false starts and inspired the Broncos to play their best half of the season, a shutdown two quarters that they desperately needed. They all seemed a step quicker. Now they need to carry that over to away games, because in the first half, problems that have been there all season were apparent — yielding big plays, not getting off the field on third down, not being able to cover.
Main drives: With 7:20 left in the third quarter, Boise State got the ball at its own 20 trailing 27-14. The Broncos’ next three drives: 80 yards in four plays, 71 yards in five plays, 80 yards in 13 plays. All touchdowns. It should be noted that Green started each of those drives, but Madsen entered on the third drive and had a huge scramble for a first down.
Main men: McAlister and Jeanty. Regardless of who was quarterbacking, the redshirt sophomore receiver was a big-play demon once more, making his five catches count for 170 yards. The sophomore running back rushed for 167 yards on 24 carries. Jeanty has had a bit of a fumbling problem, but so much of it comes from his fights for extra yardage because he refuses to go down when the first guy hits him. He’ll get it worked out.
Up next: Boise State goes right back on the road to Fort Collins to face Colorado State (2-3, 0-1), a 44-24 loser at Utah State on Saturday night. Kickoff is 7:45 p.m. Saturday. The Broncos famously have never lost to the Rams, beating them 12 straight times.
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