BOISE, Idaho — Editor's Note: The video above is coach Bryan Harsin's full press conference following the Broncos' 52-21 win over Colorado State.
The Boise State football team accomplished a rather rare feat in their, 52-21, victory over Colorado State last Thursday.
The Broncos became just the third FBS program in at least the last 20 years to score 50-or-more points while failing to eclipse 300 total yards of offense in a game. The other two occasions were:
- Florida State only needed 296 yards on offense to beat Wake Forest, 59-3, back in 2013. The Seminoles scored two non-offensive touchdowns, one was a 97-yard kickoff return by Chad Hedlund, and the other a 56-yard interception touchdown return by Kermit Whitfield.
- LSU gained just 251 yards in a 51-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe in November 2010. The Tigers scored twice on defense, a 32-yard interception return by Ron Brooks and a 29-yard fumble return by Lavar Edwards.
That's right, despite hanging a season-high 52 points on Colorado State, the Broncos were limited to a season-low 291 total yards of offense.
How does that happen?
You can largely blame the production of the Boise State special teams unit for the lack of yards. The Broncos scored three non-offensive touchdowns in a game for the first time since the 2011 MAACO Bowl. That means that the Boise State offense never even touched the ball on three of their 17 total possessions against the Rams. Also, with the backup largely in charge of the fourth quarter, the Broncos only gained 43 yards on 19 plays over the final 15 game minutes.
Boise State has scored 50-plus points 64 different times since 2000. Their previous lowest yardage total in one of those games was 381 against BYU in 2003.
CT THOMAS: THE STREAK CONTINUES
Wide receiver CT Thomas has now caught a pass in 34 straight games, the third-longest active streak in the FBS.
The last time he played in a game and was held without a catch was the dramatic, 59-52, overtime comeback at Colorado State in 2017.
Thomas has also been ridiculous on third down this season.
- Catches: 8
- Yards: 131
- First Downs Catches: 7
- Catches of 15+ Yards: 3
All of those marks are at least tied for first in the Mountain West.
SHANE IRWIN: THE NEW GUY IS GOOD
San Diego State transfer Shane Irwin made his second straight start for Boise State on Thursday.
He finished the game with 6 tackles, 2.0 sacks and forced a fumble. With those serving as the benchmark, here is a list of
- Leighton Vander Esch, 2017 at Washington State: 16 tackles, 2.0 sacks, FF
- DeMarcus Lawrence, 2013 vs Wyoming: 7 tackles, 2.0 sacks, FF
- Andrew Browning, 2006 at Nevada: 7 tackles, 3.0 sacks, FF
- Colt Brooks, 2005 vs Nevada: 9 tackles, 2.0 sacks, FF
THIRD DOWN AND LOOOOOONG
Boise State was outstanding on third down on Thursday night. Colorado State only converted 6.7% (1-of-15) of their 3rd down opportunities against the Broncos.
It's Boise State's best performance on 3rd down since 2015 when New Mexico went 0-for-10 in a November matchup on The Blue.
The Broncos now ranked 9th in the FBS in 3rd down defense (27.3%) this season.
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