There’s sexy football talk: Travis Kelce hanging with Taylor Swift, or whatever you call that nonsense we witnessed over the weekend.
And there’s non-sexy football talk: Anything to do with offensive linemen.
Boise State’s offensive line, the 2023 version, has drastically changed that narrative with physical and consistent domination through four games. The collection of big, bald-headed, hair-flowing nasties, with running back Ashton Jeanty working his magic, is easily the strength of this team right now.

Mike Prater
It’s been a long time since the Broncos could depend on their offensive line. Fair or not, reputations have taken a beating for most of the past six seasons.
Prior to that, Boise State’s reputation as an offensive-line factory was elite.
The Broncos had four OL coaches between 2000 and 2016 – Jeff Grimes (now the offensive coordinator at Baylor), Chris Strausser (16 seasons with Dan Hawkins/Chris Petersen, in the NFL since 2017), Sean Kugler (long NFL coaching career, former UTEP head coach) and Scott Huff (legendary Boise State center now coaching at Washington).
All are highly respected coaches – and seven Boise State linemen were drafted into the NFL between 2002 and 2016.
Then came the Brad Bedell era (2017-20), followed by the first two seasons of the Tim Keane era (2021-22). One Boise State offensive lineman has been taken in the past seven NFL Drafts, though others have made the league.
Enter the 2023 season, where Keane is killing it with a group on a mission. Seven different linemen have started. Four others have played – and played well.
“Tim Keane and (tight ends coach) Nate Potter probably don’t get enough credit,’’ offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said Monday. “They have done a tremendous job. It’s a testament to their players, it’s a testament to their physicality and their buy-in to everything this program is all about. It’s a huge strength of ours.’’
Jeanty is No. 1 in the nation in all-purpose yards (173 per game), tied for first in points scored (48) and 13th in rushing yards (407). Boise State is averaging an impressive 4.8 yards per rush, and has allowed only five sacks.
Jeanty, dynamic and explosive, gets all the headlines for breaking tackles and busting through massive holes. The offensive line is doing the dirty work, with help from tight ends setting edges. Their combined performance in the San Diego State victory was game-changing.
“Those guys have done a great job creating an identity, creating a standard in that room,’’ head coach Andy Avalos said. “That group probably spends the most time watching film together. … Naturally, what you put into anything is what you get out of it.’’
Left tackle Kage Casey, center Garrett Curran, right guard Roger Carreon and right tackle Cade Beresford have started all four games. Ben Dooley started the first two at left guard before an injury, while Ethan Carde and Mason Randolph have traded starts in Dooley’s absence.
Nikolai Bujnowski, Nathan Cardona, Rick Moore and Jason Steele have played backup roles. Tight ends Riley Smith and Matt Lauter are rock-solid as blocking support on the edges.
Outside of the Boise State family, expectations for the line were at a minimum going into the season. Carreon was vilified for his performance against UTEP last season. Curran had never snapped in a game until the Washington opener. Casey made his first college start against Washington, which could land two defensive linemen in the NFL Draft next spring.
In Seattle, Boise State averaged 4.9 yards a run and allowed one sack. The first impression was strong, a physical vibe was established. Now expectations have changed dramatically.
“The high-end guys that we’ve known about are playing to that level … but the depth and those other guys coming along has been what’s really impressive,’’ Hamdan said.
Randolph was slated to start at center, but suffered an injury in the first week of fall camp. That’s what prompted Curran’s move to center – and he’s not giving it back. Curran has played so well, when Randolph returned last week against San Diego State, he started for Dooley at left guard.
Hamdan said the thought process going into San Diego State was that Randolph would play 20-25 snaps.
“That guy didn’t just make it through the whole game, he played at an extremely high level,’’ Hamdan said. “It’s a testament to him and his toughness to go the distance. … He’s a guy who plays with unbelievable athleticism and physicality. I just can’t say enough about him, I can’t say enough about the unit, their preparation.’’
Boise State has battled strong defensive fronts all season. The task gets more difficult Saturday at Memphis – a 3-1 team from the American Athletic Conference.
Memphis has produced 28 tackles-for-loss this season – by 18 different players. By comparison, Boise State has 19 by 13 players. Memphis has recorded 10 sacks by nine different players, Boise State has nine by seven.
“It’s a defense that has been very aggressive at the line of scrimmage,’’ Avalos said. “This will be one of the best defensive fronts that we play against this year.’’
Will the offensive line respond in the final nonconference game of the season?
Will the group continue to dominate through seven more Mountain West games?
Will the domination continue into next season?
Here’s the early answer to that question: Boise State has 18 offensive linemen on its roster, and loses only three after this season: Curran, Beresford and Carde. That means 15 of these dudes could return in 2024, including four who already have starting experience.
Boise State football. Making offensive linemen sexy. Again.
Mike Prater is the Bronco Nation News columnist who co-hosts Idaho Sports Talk (KTIK 95.3 FM on Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m.) and the Boise State football postgame show (KBOI 670 AM). He is on Twitter @MikeFPrater and can be reached at mikefprater@gmail.com