The Boise State Broncos are going back to the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State took care of No. 20 UNLV last Friday night 21-7 and the win sealed a second straight Mountain West Championship and the Broncos’ first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. Before we turn our attention to the playoffs (and there will be plenty of playoff articles) lets reflect on the game that got the Broncos to the Playoff. Here are six observations from Boise State’s Mountain West Championship win.
The offensive line is back to early season form
One of the storylines of this season has been Boise State’s health issues on the offensive line. The Broncos have seen five different linemen miss games due to injury including Mason Randolph and Roger Carreon, who each missed a combined 18 games this year. Carreon came back against Wyoming and Randolph came back last week against Oregon State and the two are difference makers for this offense. The Broncos offensive line opened up running lates more consistently against UNLV than we saw in the first matchup with the Rebels in October. This helped Ashton Jeanty cruise to his sixth 200+ yard performance of the season (more on him later).
In pass protection, you could argue it was the Broncos best performance of the season. The offensive line was credited with just 6 pressures allowed on Friday, UNLV averages 15.5 pressures per game this season. The offensive line was credited with 5 against Oregon State the week before as well. Three Broncos (Randolph, Casey and Dooley) finished the game with an 80+ Pass Block Grade (Generally considered an elite game).
The Broncos are getting right in the trenches at the best time. Penn State or SMU will pose a challenge to the Broncos front but right now this group is playing their best ball of the season. The bye will be a welcome sight for Carreon and Randolph, who get an extra few weeks to get back to full speed. Randolph played just 50 of Boise’s 65 snaps on Friday and the hope will be that he can play a full game in the Fiesta Bowl.
Home field advantage mattered
There was a lot of discussion online about how UNLV would respond to playing on their road. The Mountain West Championship was the largest road crowd that the Rebels played in front of and the coldest game they had played in by a wide margin. Turns out, the Rebels never got acclimated. From the time the game started, the UNLV offense had issues with communication. There was an accidental snap that UNLV QB Hajj-Malik Williams wasn’t ready for that killed a UNLV drive, there were multiple false starts and UNLV wide receivers were constantly checking with one another on play calls that they couldn’t hear in the huddle.
In regard to the cold, UNLV’s go-go offense looked like they forgot to defrost their engine. UNLV’s usually explosive passing game was limited to just one explosive pass the entire game. Hajj-Malik Williams never found a rhythm 13/28 with 110 yards and an interception. Williams ended up with 4 turnover worthy plays and a season worst 39 PFF Passing Grade (60 is where every player starts and ~65 is considered average). First Team All-Mountain West kicker Caden Chittenden came up short on a 48-yard field goal in the first half. It’s impossible to quantify just how much the cold factored into UNLV’s struggles but UNLV players looked visibly cold all game long. Many stayed wrapped in oversized parkas when not on the field and huddled on heated benches. I think it would be impossible to argue that this game being in Boise didn’t have an impact on the Rebels.
Boise’s secondary stepped up in a big way
I mentioned UNLV’s issues creating explosives in the passing game. Some of that was due to the cold but a lot of credit needs to be given to Boise State’s secondary who had their best game of the season. UNLV rarely had open receivers and never had guys schemed wide open. Williams missed some throws but the cornerbacks did a wonderful job of sticking to their man and limiting windows. Per PFF, Jeremiah Earby had his best game as a Bronco and was the highest graded defensive player in the Mountain West Championship. Earby finished with an interception, a pass break up and just one catch allowed on 7 targets. A’Marion McCoy had a phenomenal game as well, finishing with a pass breakup and 2 catches allowed on 9 targets for just 18 yards. UNLV’s future NFL Draft pick Ricky White finished with just 21 yards and was visibly frustrated throughout the game, and McCoy and Earby were eager to let White know he was having a bad day. After nearly every single play McCoy or Earby was in White’s face talking trash. After an A’Marion McCoy pass break up in the corner of the end zone on White, McCoy got in White’s face and had to be carried away by Earby to avoid a penalty. These corners play with swagger, and they earned the right to do so on Friday
In the first matchup with UNLV it was the safeties who struggled more than the cornerbacks. In particular, Ty Benefield had one of his worst games as a Bronco down in Las Vegas. He responded in a big way this time around. Benefield finished the game with 7 tackles, many of them open field tackles that this team has been prone to miss in past weeks. Benefield, who is missing tackles at a 17% clip on the season, finished with just one missed tackle against an elusive UNLV running game. Benefield was excellent in coverage as well with just 2 catches allowed for 6 yards. With Alexander Teubner out, the Broncos needed Benefield to have a good game and he responded with his best of the season so far.
Seyi Oladipo is a throwback OKG
One last player in the secondary to note is Seyi Oladipo. Oladipo isn’t on most NFL draft boards at this time and probably won’t go down as a Hall of Famer for the Broncos. He never had a first team All-Conference selection (making second team this season for this first time) and has never been labeled a star player by fans, but Oladipo has put together a phenomenal career as a Bronco. Oladpio has consistently graded out as a positive player for the Broncos and rarely made mistakes, this season he was the key for Chinander’s aggressive blitz schemes and finished the season with 6.5 sacks, #1 in the nation for defensive backs. Oladipo capped his last game on the Blue with a 10 tackle, 1 sack performance that included one of the highest effort plays you will ever see, chasing down UNLV running back Kylin James and bringing him down from behind at the 5-yard line, eventually leading to a 4th down stop and 0 points for the Rebels. It’s the type of play many players would quit on and no coach would blame them. Oladipo is a special player who made a special play and has had a quietly special career for the Broncos.
Erik Chinander saved his best for last
In recent weeks I had speculated that Boise State had been saving some of their defensive schemes for games down the road. Against Nevada, Wyoming and Oregon State the Broncos blitzed less than normal and showed looks that were considerably more basic than what we had seen against UNLV or San Jose State. Was Chinander’s defense figured out? Turns out he saved his best for last. Boise State finished Friday’s game with 6 sacks. It was the most UNLV had been sacked since their first game against Boise. Chinander once again dialed up pressure from all over the field, keeping Williams on his backfoot and out of rhythm. 10 different Broncos finished the game with a pressure and six Broncos were credited with at least half a sack. 4 of those 6 sacks were credited to non-defensive linemen. Oladpio had 1, Notarainni had 2 and Andrew Simpson and Rodney Robinson were each credited with a half-sack. The last time UNLV was held under 20 points? Last season in Ann Arbor against the future National Champion Michigan Wolverines. The Broncos defense looked championship caliber against the Rebels. Chinander’s been excellent all season, but Friday was the type of defensive gameplan that earns you head coaching jobs.
Ashton Jeanty belongs on Boise State’s Mount Rushmore
What is there to say about Ashton Jeanty that hasn’t already been said? UNLV has one of the best linebacker duos in the nation and their sole purpose on Friday was stopping Ashton Jeanty. He finished with 209 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line was better, but Jeanty still managed to finish with 187 yards after contact and 11 missed tackles forced. He holds nearly every record for rushing stats that PFF tracks. No player has eclipsed 1,400 yards after contact in a season, Jeanty is at 1,882. Bijan Robinson held the record for most missed tackles forced in a season by a player with 104, Jeanty is up to 134. Jeanty also has a 97.2 rushing grade which is on track to break Blake Corum’s record.
There’s a case to be made that Ashton Jeanty is the best to ever do. At the very least he belongs in that conversation. He’s certainly the best to do it in the past decade. Despite all the accolades there was one thing this Ashton Jeanty season was missing, something Boise State fans had been waiting a long time for. Another shot at a Fiesta Bowl. I presented the question on twitter last week to Boise State fans, Kellen or Ashton? The responses were overwhelmingly along the lines of “Need to get to that playoff first”
Playoff delivered
In my mind, Boise State now has an unquestionable Mount Rushmore of football players and coaches. Lyle Smith, the father of Boise State football. Chris Petersen, the man who put Boise State on the map for most of the Nation and brought the program to unfathomable heights. Kellen Moore, 50-3 and the man many considered the GOAT. And now, Ashton Jeanty. Time will tell what other accolades Jeanty brings home. He’s a shoo-in for the Doak Walker award, he’ll be a unanimous All-American and at the very least a Heisman finalist. Jeanty has more games to play and is just 132 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders’ record of 2,628 rushing yards in a season.
One thing is certain, by getting Boise State to their first ever playoff, and their fourth Fiesta Bowl, he has established himself in the pantheon of Boise State football. Kellen Moore’s 11 has been unofficially retired for a decade now (last worn by Shane Williams-Rhodes in 2015) and I get the feeling after this season we won’t see #2 in Blue and orange again.
Great article! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Malachi leaving. Seems like a huge missed opportunity even as gritty as Maddog is.