Bronco Blitz: Boise State @ BYU

Boise State’s perfect season came to an end Saturday night, as the Broncos comeback effort fell short against BYU. The Broncos nearly pulled off an amazing comeback, but a poor third quarter that saw the Cougars score 21 unanswered points, was too much for BSU to overcome. Boise State ultimately lost the game 28-25. Let’s take a look at my keys to the game and see how they turned out for the Broncos.

How will Boise State handle the quarterback situation?

Chase Cord took nearly all of the snaps. Cord struggled throughout the game. Many balls were underthrown, and he made some bad reads that resulted in two interceptions. Ultimately, we learned why Hank Bachmeier won the starting job in fall camp, and I think it will be a while before we hear from the people that were calling for Bachmeier to be benched.

Will the Broncos have a let down after an offensive explosion against Hawaii?

Well, the offense played well in the fourth quarter. I thought the play calling was questionable in this one. The Broncos did not make an effort to get the ball into Khalil Shakir’s hands until the second half, and they didn’t do enough to get their playmakers the ball in space. Boise State will almost always have the best athletes on the field, and when you have guys like John Hightower, Khalil Shakir, and CT Thomas, you have to find a way to capitalize on that kind of talent. Outside of a solid second half from George Holani and a breakout game by Octavius Evans, there wasn’t much to brag about on that side of the ball.

Can the defense dominate like they should?

This was the most shocking part of the game. I thought the Boise State defense would terrorize an injury plagued BYU squad. But, somehow, a team with their third string quarterback that was also missing their starting running back and four offensive lineman managed to put up 28 points on the Broncos. That was the most surprising outcome of this game.

My Prediction: I predicted a 27-10 Boise State victory. Boy, was I wrong. I guess I understand why Vegas had the spread so close. Hats off to the Cougars; they pulled out all of the tricks in the book and came away with an impressive victory.