It was an ugly, smash mouth football game. The Broncos had arguably their worst offensive game of the season and still managed to come away with the victory. This game had plenty of drama, including a missed field goal that gave the Broncos a 20-17 victory in overtime. Let’s take a look at my keys to the game and see how things turned out for the Broncos:
Will the defense work out the kinks?
I thought the defense had a solid outing, especially considering the fact that special teams and the offense did not do them any favors in terms of field position. Wyoming’s three scoring drives were only 36, 30, and 47 yards. When field position was in the Broncos favor, the defense had no issue stopping the Cowboys. Curtis Weaver wreaked havoc on the Wyoming offensive line, finishing the game with two sacks and multiple key tackles in the running game.
Can Boise State start strong on offense? Are they prepared to air it out?
This felt eerily similar to the BYU game. A beautiful first drive and almost nothing else until the fourth quarter. Boise State coaches had an excellent game plan for the first offensive drive, but what happened afterward? It didn’t help that the Broncos could not pick up a blitz. There were multiple plays where Bronco offensive lineman could be seen blocking one lineman, while a blitzing linebacker came in uncontested. It is clear that the biggest issue on this team is the play of the offensive line. If the Broncos can’t figure this out, it could be a long night in Logan in two week.
Can the Broncos reach 28 points?
I really thought this was the magic number for a Bronco Victory. I had a hard time seeing the Cowboys score enough points to keep up with the Broncos. To be fair, I thought the Broncos were going to have starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier. However, the defense was able to overcome losing the field position battle and did just enough for BSU to come away with the victory.
My Prediction: I predicted a 24-14 victory for Boise State. I think that probably would have been a better guess if Hank Bachmeier was the quarterback for Boise State. It was the ugly contest that I predicted, but the Broncos were lucky to come away with a 20-17 victory.
Players of the Game
Khalil Shakir: Shakir was the Broncos leading receiver with 7 catches for 70 yards and scored the game tying touchdown on a beautiful run along the sideline. Other than Shakir, there were not a lot of highlight plays for the Boise State offense.
Curtis Weaver: Weaver was a beast all game long, he finished 5 tackles and two sacks. He had countless other pressures on the quarterback and made it clear why he is expected to be a first round draft pick this spring.
Riley Whimpey: Whimpey played his best game of the year when it was needed the most. He was a force in stopping the run, including the 4th and 1 stop in the fourth quarter. Whimpey finished the game with 12 tackles and 2 tackles for loss.
Eric Sachse: Sachse continues to be a bright spot for this team, he made both of his field goals including the game winner in overtime.