This game was rough. We’ll just preface with that. However, for posterity’s sake, we have to document what happened. So *deep breath*, here goes…
Boise State started with the ball and were moving it fairly easily until Malik Sherrod fumbled after a short reception on 3rd and long. After not being able to do much on their next offensive possession, the Broncos forced the Bulls into a turnover on downs. The Bronco defensive line actually kept being impressive for the rest of the first half, with four first half sacks. Two from Fely, alone.
Following that turnover on downs, though, Maddux put together a 9 play, 38 yard drive that culminated in a 6 yard TD pass to Chris Marshall.
After that? Things got weird. There was a series of unfortunate events where USF ended up getting a 52 yard field goal. And then, after negating a three and out via a roughing the passer penalty on Davon Banks, South Florida’s bulldozer of a QB ran 23 yards for a TD. It was pretty ugly too, with Broncos bouncing off his 6’3″ 230 lb frame.
Boise State wasn’t able to get much going on offense in that intervaling period. And then, just before halftime, the Broncos were putting together a very nice drive, with a couple huge catches by Ben Ford. But…then Sire Gaines coughed up the ball at the USF 36 to put an end to it There were no more points in the first half for either team.
Boise State at South Florida Halftime: Bulls 10, Broncos 7
The Bulls started the second half by receiving the ball. Thankfully, they didn’t do anything with it and punted away. UN-thankfully, the Bronco offense had a rough go and, after a TFL and a near-safety sack, they also had to punt.
The next points on the board…well, they sucked. A lot. Boise State stifled the Bulls’ offense and seemed to have forced another three and out. Unfortunately, the “out” turned into a 45 yard South Florida TD on a fake punt.
…the next score was South Florida as well. After Boise State turned the ball over on downs deep in Bulls’ territory, it only took South Florida 3 plays to go 77 yards and score again. This time, on another run by the QB. After a 55 yard pass completion, Byrum Brown scored on a keeper from 15 yards out.
Believe it or not, the Broncos actually moved the ball fairly consistently the rest of the game, in spite of a LOT of drops…just not on 4th down. Four total times. Also, the ball slipped out of Madsen’s hand deep in the South Florida red zone on a later drive.
The Bulls kicked another field goal somewhere in there to add insult to injury. The game ended with BSU running the ball to finish off the clock and put an end to the misery, yet again, deep in South Florida territory.
If you were to just look at the box score, without the turnovers, you’d think Boise State cruised to an easy win. They dominated time of possession, had 25 first downs (SF had 15), and outgained South Florida in yards. As previously mentioned, they made it deep into Bulls’ territory several times. But…then you factor in three fumbles lost and FOUR turnovers on downs and the 7-34 final score makes a lot more sense. Including 4th down conversion fails, they were functionally -6 in the turnover battle (SF had on TO on downs).
This obviously is about the worst possible outcome for the first game of a season with high hopes, so let’s get the bad out of the way.
The Bad
-Barring blowouts most of the rest of the way and a close game or a win at ND, the Broncos’ CFP repeat chances are very low, even if they manage to still win the conference.
-Drops were a major problem for WRs, TEs, and RBs. Minor upside: Since it was across three position groups, you could almost chalk that up to the environmental factors rather than the coaching. Sweaty, slippery hands or something? Especially since South Florida had a couple as well. Still bad though.
-Tackling was–to put it mildly–very bad. H
Byrum Brown is a huge QB and would be hard to take down regardless, but he shouldn’t have looked invincible. He actually had THREE rushing touchdowns, where Bronco defenders were bouncing off him like…like would-be tacklers off of Jeanty last year. Oof. That feels so far in the past now, doesn’t it? Thankfully, one of those touchdowns came back, but he and a number of other Bulls players seemed to be able to shrug off tackle attempts far too easily. On that fake punt TD, the Broncos still had three players that had a shot to take the ball carrier down and failed to do so.
-Offensive line was very inconsistent. With four returning starters from a very impressive season, much was expected from them. They weren’t able to create much running room for the running backs and, despite only being sacked once, Madsen was frequently under pressure.
-This was an early game, in the week and in terms of time zone, so the Broncos had allll the attention to themselves. That would have been a great thing if it had showcased a win. Instead, it resulted in the worst season opening loss since the Washington game. At least that one was against a team that played in a national championship though. This is unlikely to be a repeat of that.
The Good (believe it or not, there was some)
-Maddux didn’t turn the ball over and his completion percentage looks a LOT better without the half dozen dropped passes. He even added some timely scrambles that bailed us out a few times. He also had some very good throws.
-The defensive line got significant and consistent pressure on the opposing QB. Braxton Fely is going to end up as a top-50 pick in the NFL if he keeps this up.
-The final score is not what I would call indicative. It is, however EXACTLY what happens when the opponent is gifted the ball seven times, most of which were on short fields. So, if the Broncos can avoid turnovers, they actually moved the ball pretty okay and should be able to continue doing so.
-This was not a conference game, so it has zero impact on the chances for Boise State to three-peat as conference champions.
Final Score: South Florida 34, Boise State 7
See anything else we missed? Feel free to commiserate in the comments. Still, and as always…
“Everybody has a plan until you get punched in the mouth.”
The personal foul leading to a TD.
The Gains fumble.
USF’s fake punt and pass.
Those three things shifted the momentum beyond repair.
That was rough. Didn’t play Bronco ball. The defensive front 7 looked great most of the game. Secondary has been smelling their own beef. Instead of tackling, just throwing themselves around like lawn darts. Also running their mouths a lot like a bunch of jerks. I hope that slice of humble pie was big enough. The offense could be in trouble. Like last year, no life in the passing game. If we can’t pound the rock and hit the play action we are toast. That’s all I’m gonna say about that. Potter did not call a good game. Special teams… Read more »
Turns out, Ashton Jeanty covered a whole bunch of weaknesses that are now glaringly apparent in his absence. Our secondary continues to be terrible, giving up big plays time and again—without some drops on their side, there would have been even more. Madsen is an average at best FBS QB. Jeanty made him look better than he is. And Spencer Danielson is an average at best FBS coach—Jeanty made him look better than he is as well. We were badly outcoached in this game. I expected that against Penn State in the playoff but not good against South Florida.
Anyone ever replaced a timing belt/chain? When you put on the new one, you have to be careful to not move either of the gears, or you’ll end up moving one or the other (or both) and now you’re one tooth off, the engine timing is off, and the entire ignition process is wrong. This is what I witnessed last night….horrendous. The timing gears were off. We witnessed the fruition of what many have said about Madsen, our secondary hasn’t fixed the long pass problem plaguing us over the past four years, we need a tackling coach, and most everyone… Read more »
Very good analogy.
Coaches must do what John Thornton did in Call of the Wild: whisper in the players’ ears, “As you love me.”
The same goes for fans, “As you love us.”
Embarrassing! Losing by that much to a mediocre team! Its a given the playoffs are gone now..And quite frankly, Boise doesn’t deserve to be there! I dread the Notre Dame game now. All they can do now is try be bowl eligible since im not so sure they can win The MW?
As Bronco fans we’re gonna be humbled this year. We may just have to be content to play in ANY bowl game regardless of its lower prestige.
The test of the players and coaches will be how they respond to this embarrassment of a game.
This could be the worst season in a LONG TIME! We might be longing for Andy to come back. Overall, the team looked terrible (aside from the first quarter). Fumbles, penalties, idiotic chest-puffing by Banks after a momentum shifting penalty (he should be benched for good, IMO), etc. Last night was a study in ineptitude and undisciplined play. Madsen just isn’t good enough to carry an offense. Potter continued the bland play-calling he learned under Koetter. Our seconondary sucks A%$ and hasn’t improved in 3+ years. Danielson’s shine came off a little last night too – no adjustments, poor decision… Read more »
It appears that Koetter was doing the heavy lifting on game planning. The defense has the talent to compete. Im not as pessimistic on the D. I think this was the humbling experience that they needed and they will bounce back. But the offense is terrifying. The running backs are good. Of course there is a talent drop from Jeanty. He was a generational talent. I think the run game could be better if there was any kind of threat to pass the ball. But there simply isn’t. Madsen threw late on most passes despite having a clean pocket. Either… Read more »
The wheels fell off at FSU, but the wheels on the bus are supposed to go round and round. Now we find out if this was a bad bump in the road or if it is a long bumpy ride from here. I like Danielson and believe that he will be able to change the flat tires. Something drastic needs to happen, though, in terms of player and coach hunger. Once they had fumbled the ball on the opening drive they played defeated. The D looked good for a quarter and had moments of great play during the game. They… Read more »
Agree on the QB play. I think the editors of this site have a tendency to romanticize our QB’s and feel like they have to defend them no matter what. It was like that with Bachmeir too. I think Madsen and Hank are great people. It’s okay to say they aren’t very good QB’s. You can rationalize his stats all day long. The reality is that he cannot move the sticks without a super human running back. And a lot of those drops were due to him throwing the ball late in the route. And the reality is that SD… Read more »
Fyi! Just about every sports writer has eliminated Boise from the playoffs. And I agree. We simply aren’t good enough .We as fans will be tested this year to support the team. Which i will regardless. But I have to be honest ! I think some teams in the Sun Belt and Mac could give Boise a game! (App State).Hint.Not to mention the rest of the Mw has to smell blood in the water now! They need to shake up the D secondary. Identify the weak links and either motivate them or replace them. And im.sorry Maddux your job is… Read more »
No disputing that. Every mid major that plays us treats it like their biggest game of the year. Beating us is a huge feather in their cap. But the team should know this. The expectation is that we can compete with anyone. The performance on the field didn’t meet that expectation. Also agree that it’s going to be a trying year for fans. Love my Broncos and I don’t live or die on them winning, but I do have an expectation that they play hard and represent our university well. I expect them to do the fundamentals right, have a… Read more »
The sky is not falling. Madsen did not have a great game, and he didn’t have a bad game. He missed a couple of passes, but receivers dropped more than he missed. It looks like Marshall flaked out. His head wasn’t in the game. Madsen wasn’t going to take any more chances than needed to toss 50/50 balls his way. Ben Ford was tied for the top receiver along with Caples. One can make the argument that Madsen was good enough to find a less talented receiver. Some of Madsen’s passes were through incredibly tight windows. The real issue is… Read more »
Disagree on Madsen. He was late more often than not. Yes, he was hitting receivers, but it was late in the route when the catch was contested. Again, the only stat that matters is moving the chains and putting points on the board. Now I will say that we are severely disadvantaged with the play calling. The tell of a good OC is the ability to get the ball to playmakers. So either Madsen can’t execute or Potter isn’t leveraging our talent. Take Breezy for example. He’s very fast, super quick. I realize he may not be too 3 in… Read more »
Disagreement is fine. It’s a matter of perspective. And I do see yours, but the game was all about momentum shift – Madsen wasn’t involved in any of them.
The personal foul leading to a TD.
The Gains fumble.
USF’s fake punt and pass.
I’ve often wondered why we can’t recruit a good QB very often. Our last good QB was Bret Rypien. Yet, we see teams like UNLV getting a pretty good transfer. I obviously don’t have all the facts possessed by the coaching staff but, it’s pretty clear we’re lacking in that area.
Well stated. But any honor or chance at the playoffs is gone now unless they beat ND convincingly in South Bend and run the table. Im.sorry i.dont see that happening! I’ll more than elated to see a MW championship and the – unfortunately low esteem- L A bowl..But there’s always a chance of a bowl with a little more prestige against an opponent with a better record.
I was raised in a time when mediocre wasn’t awarded a participation trophy. Mediocre is okay if your playing flag football with a bunch of friends and all it’s about is having some fun. Mediocre is not okay when you are the leader of an organazation regardless of what that organazation is, even a football team. Mediocre doesn’t deserve awards, it may be in need of some additional training, but after two years at the helm it is painfully obvious to all except the most strident of participation trophy givers that Madsen is mediocre at best. This is my opinion,… Read more »
I certainly appreciate that mentality and share the sentiment. But you also have to remember that this is college football. We recruit in the winter, train in the spring and summer and put the product on the in the fall. At this point, I have to believe that this is our best lineup. The alternative is coaches who ignore the talent we have so they can play favorites. That’s so amateurish that I don’t want to go to that dark place. Having said all that, this team wasn’t even mediocre. It was bad on offense and wretched in the defensive… Read more »
May i.make the following suggestion to.all?
Let’s expect a 10-2 or 9-3 season. I believe if we keep it in that context we’ll weather the storm a lot better. Keep one thing in mind. There are teams that would kill to go 9-3 or 8-4..What’s a bare minimum for Boise is a colossal season to.some teams. New Mexico, Akron, E Michigan to name some.
Btw Bronco fans! Spoke to a friend who lives in western NC. App State is really up for this game! They get to play on the Blue!Theyre coming with both barrels!
App State is going to be a tough game. I hope Danielson has the wheels back on the bus. I’m a little concerned about Eastern Washington Friday night. It’s unfounded, I know, BSU has been here before and has always ben able to land on their feet. Hey, Alabama got beat up on, so BSU can still find their footing.
Im watching ND v Miami right now. Im.cringing. They Will not allow another embarrassment like the did last year against NIU. Im dreading that game
Actually, they might not take BSU seriously now & let their guard down. I’m sure their stinging a bit from losing to Miami (a great team)
I was at the game live & once the shade start hitting the field, it wasn’t that bad. I grew playing in Florida. Your body adjusts & it wasn’t worse that Georgia Southern in 2024, I can repeat all the sentiment about special teams, DBs, dropped passes, fumbles, bad penalties, etc. I do agree this team can rebound. Everyone thought all hope was lost when we lost to UTEP & all the way back in 2014 when we lost to Ole Miss & Air Force & found ourselves in the Fiesta Bowl nesting Arizona. So, things can get fixed. I… Read more »