Giving up 45 points and 461 yards to Georgia Southern in the season opener wasn’t what Boise State had in mind.
Fortunately for the Broncos, they were still able to come out with a 56-45 victory. But one would think things aren’t going to get any easier when Boise State comes to Autzen Stadium Saturday night against an Oregon offense looking to prove something.
Boise State gave up 322 yards through the air and 139 yards on the ground. The Broncos have a pair of preseason All-Mountain West defenders in Ty Benefield and Jeremiah Earby.
Benefield, who plays mostly the safety position, led the Broncos with nine tackles last week and was voted to the preseason All-Mountain West Second Team as a sophomore. As a freshman, Benefield had 46 tackles, 4.5 for loss and three sacks.
As for Earby, the former California Bear, he is no stranger to Autzen as he came to Eugene playing for Justin Wilcox’s crew. He managed seven tackles last week with a forced fumble.
Last season with Cal, Earby had 26 tackles and an interception. He was also voted to the preseason All-Mountain West Third Team as a junior after being a Pac-12 Honorable Mention as a freshman in 2022.
Redshirt junior safety Zion Washington was all over the field at Georgia Southern as he had six tackles and three pass breakups.
But overall, the Broncos know they are in for a tough test against the Duck offense who didn’t exactly perform up to expectations in the 10-point win over Idaho.