BOISE, Idaho — Wednesday Weekly…November 6, 2024.
Boise State doubled its season interceptions total with two against San Diego State. Can the Broncos build on that? They face a better quarterback this week in Nevada’s Brendon Lewis (11 touchdown passes against five interceptions). The catalyst in the 56-24 win over the Aztecs last Friday was senior A’Marion McCoy and his first-quarter pick-six, the first interception by a Boise State cornerback this year. McCoy is the unofficial leader of the cornerbacks group, and now it has a lead-by-example moment. It was McCoy who had the last pick by a corner last December in the Mountain West championship game.
But McCoy has done a solid job the past few games against some premier wide receivers, like UNLV’s Ricky White III. Here’s something underappreciated about that game at Allegiant Stadium: when quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams ran 71 yards and was headed for the end zone on the Rebels’ second snap of the night, there was McCoy. He hung on for dear life and wrestled Williams down at the three-yard line. UNLV had to settle for a field goal. That was big.
THE DEFENSE AS A WHOLE
Boise State had allowed 127 yards through three quarters against San Diego State last Friday before the Aztecs added 129 more in mop-up time. Is the Broncos defense that good, or is SDSU’s offense that bad? It’s probably a combination—the Aztecs have struggled with their true freshman quarterback—but the progress Boise State has made on that side of the ball is for real. The Broncos have held their past three opponents to 301 yards of offense and 101 yards rushing per game, and a completion rate of just 53 percent. And the sacks keep piling up. There were more against San Diego State, bringing the season total to 38. It’s been by committee—Jayden Virgin-Morgan has now taken over the team lead with eight, next to Ahmed Hassanein’s 7.5. Individually, they rank seventh and 10th in the nation, respectively.
A LEGITIMATE 12 SEED
It took me a while to get to this, right? The committee surprised me Tuesday night. Boise State was ranked No. 12 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, matching their position in the AP Poll. I thought Power 4 bias would have the Broncos lower. But to be No. 12—and seeded 12th in the first projected playoff bracket—gives them legitimacy. Boise State’s opponent in the first bracket: No. 2 Ohio State. That’s because the Buckeyes wouldn’t be in the top four, with Oregon theoretically being the Big Ten champion. We have five more of these weekly debates to go. Cliché alert: “There’s a lotta football left to be played.” The schedule the next three weeks will not raise the bar much for the Broncos (Nevada, San Jose State, Wyoming).
A BIGGER PICTURE
This did not fly under the radar last year, because Boise State had to scratch and claw though the transition to coach Spencer Danielson to secure a winning season. But it has this year. With victory No. 7 in the romp over San Diego State, the Broncos have clinched their 27th straight winning season, extending the longest streak in the country. Now some may say, “What if they play 14 games?” Well, if Boise State loses out (which isn’t going to happen anyway), there would be no Mountain West championship game, hence no 14 games. So 27 straight winning seasons it is, dating back to Dirk Koetter’s first season as head coach in 1998. And there’s this amazing nugget: in 57 seasons as a four-year program, Boise State has had a losing record only five times.
MADSEN’S STEADY EMERGENCE
Let’s talk about how far Boise State’s Maddux Madsen has come—and why—as he has nabbed his first Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week award Monday. Madsen completed 75 percent of his throws versus San Diego State, with career-highs of 307 yards and four touchdowns. He is running the offense like a machine now—Ashton Jeanty or no Ashton Jeanty—and credit needs to go to offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter for developing him this season. Madsen reads defenses and gets rid of the ball quickly, and he escapes pressure and is rarely sacked. That is part Madsen instinct and part Koetter coaching and play-calling. It got to the point last week that Koetter was able to call an option play. Madsen held onto the ball for a second and actually drew the defense in before a perfect pitch to Jeanty for a TD.
CHOATE BACK ON THE BLUE
Nevada coach Jeff Choate was on the Boise State staff for six of Chris Petersen’s eight years as head coach, and he was a fiery presence in the program. It’s no secret that Choate wanted the Broncos job when they opted for Andy Avalos almost four years ago. And his name was brought up again when Avalos was fired a year ago—before Spencer Danielson proved he had Boise State’s locker room in his corner. Choate has surely been looking forward to getting a shot at Boise State Saturday night, and he’ll have the Wolf Pack playing with their hair on fire on the blue turf. But the stars may not align this time, with injuries and youth leading to a three-game losing streak for the Pack. And, if Nevada and Boise State even play next year, it could be Choate’s last chance to make a statement against the Broncos.
JUST LIKE THAT, IT’S HOOPS SEASON
Boise State could have its biggest crowd ever in a home opener when Oakland University visits ExtraMile Arena tonight. It’s not because of the opponent, as the athletic department has all-out blitzed Bronco Nation to sell season tickets, and it has worked. But Oakland—from Michigan, not California—is not a creampuff Opening Night foe. These are the Golden Grizzlies who upset third-seeded Kentucky last March in the NCAA Tournament. You think Leon Rice has been at Boise State a long time? Rice is going into his 15th year. Oakland’s Greg Kampe, on the other hand, is entering his 41st season. The Broncos, of course, are led by senior Tyson Degenhart, who had a treat in his bag on Halloween in the form of a spot on the Naismith Trophy Watch List for men's basketball Player of the Year.
THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW FACE
But the key to the Broncos’ goal of winning the Mountain West and finally getting a victory in the NCAA Tournament may rest more on the shoulders of Alvaro Cardenas than Degenhart or O’Mar Stanley. Cardenas, the transfer from San Jose State, is the first true point guard the Broncos have had in several years. Three seasons ago, Emmanuel Akot was good, but out of position. Two years ago, Marcus Shaver Jr. was nails but was not a natural at that spot. Last season, Roddie Anderson never took root. Cardenas is a known quantity, so much so that he was voted to the Preseason All-Mountain West team with Degenhart and Stanley. Cardenas can run the offense, and dish, and shoot from three-point land, and play defense. There is optimism.
STEELIES GO COAST-TO-COAST
Not that Lake Tahoe is on the coast, but it feels that way to the Idaho Steelheads, as they now travel to the Eastern Seaboard to face Savannah in a three-game series beginning Friday night. The Steelheads thus go from the Knight Monsters to the Ghost Pirates, and things don’t get any easier. Idaho dropped two of three games at Tahoe, and Savannah is 6-1 on the season. The lone victory in Stateline, NV, was like old times, though. Tomas Sholl, now more coach than goalie, made his first appearance of the season between the pipes in last Friday’s 6-1 win. Sholl made 26 saves on 27 Tahoe shots to get the victory.
VANDALS HEAD TO HILLSBORO
Idaho finally had a bye last week, so it promises to be a rested and healed-up group that faces Portland State on the road Saturday afternoon. Quarterback Jack Layne, who returned to the lineup a week and a half ago and threw for 235 yards in a 38-28 win over Eastern Washington, should be even healthier. But Idaho has to be wary of the ol’ trap game. Vikings quarterback Dante Chachere has been named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week two times in the past three games, most recently last week after PSU put up 58 points on the road against Sacramento State. This is a crucial game for the Vandals in terms of FCS Playoffs positioning.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS…November 6, 1869:
The first college football game ever played pits Rutgers against Princeton. Each team had 25 players on the field, and the game looked like more of a cross between rugby and soccer than football. Play lasted for 10 “games,” or scores, with Rutgers scoring six times and Princeton scoring four times, for a final tally of 6-4. The two schools would play again a week later, with Princeton posting an 8-0 victory.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
