Boise State Suffers Shocking Loss To UTEP, 27-10
Broncos have a problem.
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This has been brewing for awhile
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The writing has been on the wall for the Broncos. Boise State has leaned on their defense to keep them in games until the offense came along regularly over the past few years, and it’s a strategy that has worked well. The defense put in the effort against UTEP, but when you spend almost three-quarters of the game on the field, there aren’t enough bodies on the depth chart to sustain that amount of time.
Boise State’s offense has been a struggle all season. Between injuries and somehow a complete lack of cohesion with the offensive line, the Broncos have not been able to put together a complete game when they have the ball. Oregon State saw a horrendous start, New Mexico was inconsistent throughout, and UT-Martin didn’t come back from halftime. In an effort to outdo themselves, the offense put in their worst statistical performance since 1997 and their worst overall performance, perhaps ever. Gaining a grand total of 177 yards, converting 4 of 12 chances on 3rd down, and averaging only 3.4 yards a play, it is easy to see how they struggled to stay on the field.
After the offensive line, much of the struggles on the field have been from quarterback Hank Bachmeier and tonight was no different. In the first half, Bachmeier’s reads and throws were consistently late with passing windows closing before he could get the ball to the receivers. To open the second half, the Broncos went with an uptempo, no-huddle attack and were able to move the ball down the field and get into the endzone for their lone touchdown. However, the success on that drive didn’t carry on and only worsened the strain on the defense.
Head coach Andy Avalos was asked in his post-game interview about the offense and if there were any changes that would be made, and he responded with, “we are going to go and look at the film, and we’re going to really dissect the things that we’re going to move forward on.” That statement is a bit of a change from recent weeks where Avalos has been fully committed to where his staff is.
Player of the Game:
Linebacker DJ Schramm. With Ezekiel Noa out with injury, Schramm stepped up and had 16 total tackles on the night.
Final Thoughts:
This was definitely an unexpected outcome. The offense was the worst we have seen this year and the defense could not take care of what they needed to to get off the field. Getting back into Mountain West play, the Broncos need to find some way to get consistent production from their offense as they come into the most challenging part of their schedule. This point of the season it is clear that some type of change is needed, with the hottest seat being under offensive coordinator Tim Plough.
Next Up:
The Broncos host San Diego State in Albertsons Stadium in Boise, ID. Coverage begins at 6 PM MT on Friday, 9/30
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