“Breathe in. Breathe out. Without the fire, the phoenix never rises from the ashes.” - Forest Curran

2022 got off to one of the worst starts imaginable with a deflating loss to Oregon State and a program-altering defeat at the hands of the UTEP Miners.

In less than 20 games, Tim Plough was sent packing.

The kid who garnered the nickname “Hurricane Hank” left town not even 48 hours later.

Dirk Koetter, a memorable figure in Bronco lore, stepped up to the plate to salvage an offense that was stuck in quicksand and sinking fast.

Taylen Green, the athletic freak out of Lewisville, Texas, was tabbed as QB1 heading into a season-defining game against west division foe San Diego State.

No one had a clue on what might happen Friday night.

SCORING DRIVES

1st Quarter (7:23) - 21-yard field goal by K Jack Browning

Boise State 0 - San Diego State 3

1st Quarter (1:53) - 25-yard field goal by K Jack Browning

Boise State 0 - San Diego State 6

2nd Quarter (9:31) - 36-yard return by WR Tyrell Shavers of off a blocked punt (Browning PAT)

Boise State 0 - San Diego State 13

3rd Quarter (14:16) - 17-yard run by QB Taylen Green (Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 7 - San Diego State 13

3rd Quarter (4:43) - 12-yard run by RB George Holani (Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 14 - San Diego State 13

3rd Quarter (0:46) - 32-yard run by RB Ashton Jeanty (Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 21 - San Diego State 13

4th Quarter (10:08) - 39-yard run by QB Taylen Green (Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 28 - San Diego State 13

4th Quarter (4:35) - 29-yard run by RB George Holani (Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 35 - San Diego State 13

FINAL

BOISE STATE BRONCOS 35

SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS 13

Takeaways

• The first half lacked much of any offensive spark outside of a Green rollout to the left that resulted in a first down early in the 1st quarter.
• The second half, however, was night and day as offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter made the proper adjustments and lit a fire under Taylen Green.
• Boise State only attempted FOUR passes the entire second half. They pounded the rock 28 times and zeroed in on utilizing the read option.
• After showing some timidness in the opening half, Green did his job and then some. While he did only pass for 48 yards on five completions, Green ran for 105 yards on eight carries, eclipsing 13 yards per carry. He also tacked on two touchdowns on the ground for good measure.
• George Holani had his best performance in quite some time, totaling 131 yards on 17 carries as he found the endzone twice.
• Ashton Jeanty got in on the action as well, snatching up 82 yards on 12 carries. He was able to notch his first touchdown as a Boise State Bronco towards the end of the 3rd quarter when he used a dead-leg move to create an open lane for a 32-yard house call.
• Backup QB Sam Vidlak did make an appearance as he played nearly the entirety of the 2nd quarter. His biggest moment came when he hit WR Billy Bowens on a nice deep ball for a 53-yard gain.
• You can’t say much about the receivers as they didn’t cause any unnecessary stress, but they weren’t the main targets of the offensive attack throughout the course of the game. Look for them to be more utilized via the play-action pass next week.
• Nickelback Tyreque Jones made the play of the game in the beginning of the second half when he picked off Aztec QB Braxton Burmeister to set up Boise State in the red zone.
• Linebacker DJ Schramm continues to put up impressive performances as he recorded nine solo tackles and four tackles-for-loss.
• Ezekiel Noa, George Tarlas, and Demitri Washington all found their way to the QB, each recording a sack on Friday night.
• JL Skinner somehow avoided a targeting foul on a bang-bang play that has tended to go against the safety in recent years.
• Kicker Jonah Dalmas did his job, nailing five extra points and providing moral support on the sideline as the Broncos found the endzone each time they made it inside the 20.
• Punter James Ferguson-Reynolds continues to make progress in his true freshman campaign, averaging 41.9 yards on seven punts that included a long of 59 yards.

Considering what was riding on this game, Boise State calmed the waters in a tumultuous season. The fans showed up in full force Friday as they helped contribute to San Diego State committing seven false starts. Doug Martin raised the Blue Chaos flag prior to kickoff and the Broncos were 18 yards away from having three different players rush for 100 yards, something that has never been done in the history of Boise State football.

That is what you call a response to adversity.

Going Forward

The Broncos got a major win against the Aztecs, but that is only the start of a difficult stretch in October. Coming up this week is another home game with Fresno State coming to town. A matchup circled as a potential Mountain West championship preview in the preseason, this matchup has lost a little bit of its luster.

Boise State has a loss to UTEP on its resume while Fresno State just suffered an equally devastating loss to the UConn Huskies, led by Jim Mora Jr.

However, this is the “Battle for the Milk Can” that we are talking about.

No one will take this game lightly.

Look for a preview to be released on Friday.

What are your thoughts on the Boise State - San Diego State result?

Leave your comments down below.