Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009

Boise State report card: Defense gets an A

By Brian Murphy

OFFENSE

The 45 points look great and QB Kellen Moore had another very fine performance (21-of-33 for 278 yards and three touchdowns, one rushing touchdown) but there is lingering concern about the Broncos' rushing attack. Boise State rushed for eight yards in the first half against one of the worst run defenses in the country. "They played more physical than us early on," coach Chris Petersen said. The Broncos picked it up in the second half and finished with 140 on the ground behind Doug Martin's 63 fourth-quarter yards. On the plus side, the Broncos completed passes to 10 different receivers and overwhelmed the overmatched Spartans for a decisive 7-minute stretch. Grade: B

DEFENSE

The Broncos continued their turnover binge with two key ones against San Jose State. Cornerback Kyle Wilson got his first interception of the season and turned it into seven points with a great 27-yard return. Safety Jason Robinson had a key forced fumble and recovery late in the second quarter to spark the blowout. Boise State added 11 tackles for loss, including two sacks, and broke up five passes. Holding opponents to seven points - and scoring seven on defense - is a pretty good formula for success. Grade: A

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker/punter Kyle Brotzman made his lone field goal attempt and had a 67-yard punt. The Broncos never gave San Jose State a short field as the Spartans' average starting field position was their own 23 and their best starting field position was their own 40. Grade: A-

BCS CHANCES

The Broncos remained 7th in the BCS Standings released Sunday evening. And, most importantly, they remained behind No. 6 TCU. USC dropped from No. 5 to No. 12, but undefeated Cincinnati jumped both TCU and Boise State from No. 8 to No. 5. Oregon is No. 8 in the BCS after thumping USC on Saturday night in Eugene. The spread between No. 5 and No. 8 is pretty tight and could shuffle around, but it remains improbable that Boise State will be ahead of an undefeated TCU in the end. The Horned Frogs are ahead of the Broncos in the computers (TCU is No. 6 and BSU is No. 8 in the computers) and figures to move even further ahead if they defeat Utah (No. 14 in the BCS) on Nov. 14. TCU moved ahead of BSU in the coaches' poll, too.

And don't hold your breath that Boise State will receive an at-large spot in the BCS. As of today, the three at-large spots (assuming TCU gets a spot automatically as the top-rated non-BCS team) would go to Alabama, Penn State and USC. Teams with nine wins that are ranked in the top 14 of the BCS Standings are eligible to be selected as at-large teams. It's tough to see the Broncos getting selected before any of those powerhouses. And if those teams fall out of the top 14, teams like Ohio State and Miami are waiting to jump into those spots. Then there's No. 22 Notre Dame. If the Irish are eligible, then a game is choosing them.

Brian Murphy