A nightmare in Fort Collins: Boise State waste 20-point lead, falling to 3-4

Scoring Timeline

1st Quarter

9:03 - 3-yard TD run by Ashton Jeanty (Jonah Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 7 - Colorado State 0

2nd Quarter

11:03 - 3-yard TD run by Ashton Jeanty (Jonah Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 14 - Colorado State 0

2:45 - 49-yard field goal by Jonah Dalmas

Boise State 17 - Colorado State 0

3rd Quarter

9:58 - 5-yard TD run by Vann Schield (Jordan Noyes PAT)

Boise State 17 - Colorado State 7

4:07 - 38-yard field goal by Jordan Noyes

Boise State 17 - Colorado State 10

4th Quarter

14:56 - 43-yard field goal by Jonah Dalmas

Boise State 20 - Colorado State 10

7:06 - 29-yard field goal by Jonah Dalmas

Boise State 23 - Colorado State 10

6:12 - 7-yard TD run by Ashton Jeanty (Jonah Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 30 - Colorado State 10

4:01 - 12-yard TD pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Louis Brown IV (Jordan Noyes PAT)

Boise State 30 - Colorado State 17

1:53 - 2-yard TD pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Dylan Goffney (Jordan Noyes PAT)

Boise State 30 - Colorado State 24

0:00 - 33-yard TD pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Dallin Holker (Jordan Noyes PAT)

Boise State 30 - Colorado State 31

FINAL

BOISE STATE BRONCOS 30

COLORADO STATE RAMS 31

By The Numbers

• The quarterback “off-and-on” theory is not working well on the field. Combined, Taylen Green and Maddux Madsen combined for a 62% completion rate (on 24 attempts), 138 yards, 0 TDs and two interceptions. In case you thought that either of the two burned the Rams with their legs...they did not.

Five carries for 12 yards.

At this point, pick a guy to roll with for the rest of the season. Why alienate two QBs on your roster?

It’s not necessary to create in-season competition/drama.

• Ashton Jeanty had a marvelous first half and looked well on his way to possibly breaking Boise State’s all-time rushing game record held by Cedric Minter (261 yds vs. Northern Michigan in 1978).

Jeanty had 167 yards and two TDs at halftime.

Then, the offense stopped revolving around him. Other than attempting to preserve his legs, I don’t get why the mindset would stray away from using the guy who was on pace to rush for over 330 yards.

• The receivers fell back into their old ways. Jeanty led everyone who made at least one reception with 42 yards through the air while Eric McAlister, Billy Bowens and Stefan Cobbs all accounted for 32, 29 and 22 yards, respectively.

Taking away any contributions made by the running backs, the receiving corps was responsible for only 92 yards.

• The defense found their way to the QB twice in Fort Collins thanks to Ahmed Hassenein and Andrew Simpson. Specifically, the defensive line did a great job early on in the game of pressuring Ram Fowler-Nicolosi.

But that rush soon dissipated

• When it comes to the turnover battle, Colorado State won that easily. Two interceptions and a fumble after the catch by tight end Riley Smith cost the Broncos dearly. The Rams had just one miscue via their QB.

The Eye Test

The Offense

It’s hard to know where exactly to go with this. The offense was humming in the first half with Jeanty and the offensive line slicing and dicing the Ram defensive line.

But, as we have seen with this team in 2023, they are inconsistent at best. The offense doesn’t have a true identity after seven games and the only consistent threat on the field is Ashton Jeanty.

Neither quarterback is doing anything of significance other than providing fodder to the local media.

The wide receivers are nonexistent and there has been no second fiddle to support Eric McAlister.

I will say the offensive line has done an incredible job compared to past years. It just so happens that this is the one year where the rest of the unit outside of running back is in shambles.

The Defense

Similar to the offense, Spencer Danielson’s unit did a great job in the first half. This unit actually held up for even more time, but late in the fourth quarter the secondary that had performed so well finally burst.

That is why the Broncos somehow gave up 21 points in the matter of four minutes.

Great and reliable defenses don’t do that.

The Special Teams

The return game and hands team for Boise State was subpar to say the least. Whenever your team allows an onside kick recovery, you know that everything is shifting away from you.

That is what we saw in the closing stages of Saturday’s loss.

Going Forward

For better or worse, Boise State is now officially in their bye week with a 3-4 record. While this loss may seem like a back-breaker, it should be noted that the Broncos are not out of Mountain West contention yet.

We will see how this team handles stewing over this loss for an extra week before hosting Wyoming on The Blue.

What were your takeaways from the game? Let us know in the comments down below!