Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009

Boise State report card: Offense, special teams earn B's

By Brian Murphy

OFFENSE

Let's focus on the negative briefly. Boise State must figure out its snap problems. The Broncos were assessed with six fumbles in Saturday night's game, all on botched snaps. The exchange problems are happening when quarterback Kellen Moore is under center and when he is in the shotgun. They are happening when starter Thomas Byrd is at center and when Garrett Pendgast moves to the position. Moore was diplomatic when discussing the issue, apportioning blame to himself first and then the centers. A bad snap led to Hawaii's first points of the game - a safety - and the exchange issues clearly have coach Chris Petersen frustrated. Other than that, however, the Broncos offense was great against the Warriors. Moore threw five touchdowns. Running back Matt Kaiserman rushed for 122 yards in his collegiate debut and Titus Young had eight receptions, 115 yards, three touchdowns and one benching for an excessive celebration. Nine different players caught passes in the lopsided victory. But the snap problems cannot be ignored. Grade: B

DEFENSE

The defense's emphasis on turnovers paid off Saturday night as the Broncos, who had not forced a turnover in two games, created six against Hawaii. Safety Jeron Johnson had two interceptions and a fumble recovery to lead the way. Defensive end Byron Hout had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The defense shut out Hawaii until the fourth quarter when the game was already well decided. The Broncos spread the tackles and the playing time around, as no player had more than Winston Venable's six. Hawaii never looked comfortable on offense, though coach Greg McMackin said he was happy with his offensive line's play. Grade: A

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker/punter Kyle Brotzman had an eventful game. He completed a 28-yard pass on a fake punt and booted a 72-yard punt early in the first quarter that changed field position and led to the Broncos' first points. Brotzman matched a career-high with four field goals, through he missed one from the left hash. The return game didn't do much damage, but then again it didn't have many chances. Hawaii punter Alex Dunnachie punted several balls out of bounds, including a 1-yard punt in the first half. Grade: B

BCS CHANCES

The worst fears of BSU fans were realized Sunday when TCU jumped the Broncos in the BCS standings. The computers are what did the Broncos in and, because the schedule doesn't offer many highly regarded opponents the rest of the way, Boise State could be facing a replay of last year when the Broncos were undefeated and left out of the BCS because of a higher ranked team from the Mountain West Conference. There isn't much the Broncos can do at this point but continue winning impressively and hope for a TCU loss or a change of heart by the computers.

Brian Murphy