BOISE — This Boise State team is a confounding squad. For all of its moments of brilliance, there are equally as many instances of perplexity.
After Boise State’s 42-18 win over North Dakota on Saturday, the Broncos finally have a victory on their resume. They are 1-2 with showdowns at San Diego State and Memphis approaching — and it’s hard to gauge the Broncos.
Take this sequence for example: Early in the second half, North Dakota quarterback Tommy Schuster basically hucked the ball into the turf. The refs didn’t blow the whistle. Boise State’s Braxton Fely picked it up and had the Broncos inside the red zone.
“We should be able to capitalize on that situation,” Andy Avalos said.
A play later, running back Ashton Jeanty caught a short pass, made a cut and coughed it up to the Fighting Hawks.
It was one of three Boise State fumbles and the first of two that the Broncos lost (Both from Jeanty.) That doesn’t include a pass to Riley Smith that will count as an interception but was bobbled and snatched by North Dakota. And then there were two passes from Taylen Green in the first half that slipped through the fingers of Fighting Hawks’ defenders.
“We turned the ball over way too many times today,” Avalos said, later adding: “I’m not gonna keep talking about it, we’re gonna do a better job taking care of the ball.”
Obviously, there are two ways to look at those things. Either you think, ‘Boise State needs to clean that up against better competition,’ or “Wow, Boise State had three turnovers and still won by 24!’
If nothing else, it was Boise State’s best performance of the season. The defense, which had given up almost 1,100 yards in the first two games, was much improved, allowing under 200 total yards and recording a half-dozen sacks.
“Once the DBs kind of just picked it up a little bit, we were able to get a lot more pressure on them,” said linebacker Marco Notarainni, who recorded a game-high 13 tackles.
And then there was the Broncos’ offense, which surpassed its season-high in points by halftime, but still managed to have enough turnovers and missed opportunities to walk away from Saturday’s game not completely ecstatic — despite a four-score victory.
Something to note: Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan coached the first half of the game from the sideline, before heading to his normal perch in the press box for the second half. Avalos explained it by not really explaining it, saying, “We’re not afraid to make adjustments. It’s whatever is best for the team.”
The adjustments part of that quote is interesting. It feels like Boise State’s offense is still feeling itself out, still trying to find a groove.
And, thus, with all the good comes bad and with all the bad comes good.
After a remarkable first two weeks, Jeanty found the end zone three times … but lost a pair of fumbles.
The receivers, too, did not have their best day. Sixth-year wideout Billy Bowens dropped another pass in a season filled with miscues. Smith bobbled the one that led to an interception. Stefan Cobbs had one catch for -8 yards until garbage time.
But then there was Eric McAlister. The redshirt sophomore was electrifying, catching a half-dozen passes for 143 yards and a pair of scores.
“It’s always great to be (Green’s) first read,” McAlister said. “He was looking at me a lot more today and it just felt great. … (WRs coach Matt) Miller always talks in our meeting about being the most physical receiver out there. If you go out there and run a full-speed, physical route, I feel like you can get open every time.”
It helps when the ball falls right in your pocket — and Green unloaded a rainbow to McAlister down the sideline for his first score. On the day, Green was 18-of-29 passing for 188 yards and that 28-yard score to McAlister.
His performance basically was the summation of Boise State’s day: Much improved while leaving plenty on the table.
“We don’t need him to try and be anything he’s not,” Avalos said of his quarterback.
