Fort Collins Redemption: Boise State at Colorado State Game Recap

Broncos 64, Rams 38

Fort Collins Redemption: Boise State at Colorado State Game Recap

Continuing the revenge tour of exorcising the demons of improbable losses past, the Broncos headed back to the scene of the crime from 2023. The offense was dominant. The defense was…whatever the opposite of dominant is. Midnight Max (Cutforth edition) and Dylan Riley were GREAT, and even the backup running backs got in and put up numbers. The end result was an 669 yards of offense and an 8th straight win. Let’s recap:

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First Quarter

Boise State really took their time to get going on the first drive. Just plodded along. Took an entire two plays and 46 whole seconds off the clock to go 76 yards and score. The heavy lifting on the “drive” was a short pass to Dylan Riley that he took all the way to the domicile from 73 yards out. A two point conversion was successfully attempted with a short pass to Matt Wagner.

Broncos 8, Rams 0

The Bronco defense immediately allowed a 5 play, 75 yard drive (featuring two explosives) to get the Rams on the board.

Broncos 8, Rams 7

On the bright side, the Bronco offense put together an 8 play, 78 yard drive to answer right back. This one was capped by a 42 yard TD run by The Jet himself: Mr. Dylan Riley. It took him all of four touches into the game to have 150+ all-purpose yards and 2 TDs.

Broncos 15, Rams 7

Next Bronco drive, Boise State benefitted from a short field. An explosive from Rasean Jones and a short run from Juelz Goff later, Cutforth found Wagner in the end zone for 15 yard TD.

Broncos 22, Rams 7

Second Quarter

The Bronco defense started to figure some things out and limited Colorado State’s next scoring possession to a field goal. Which was probably frustrating for them after 15 plays and covering 71 yards.

…good.

Broncos 22, Rams 10

The #RamsTears likely started welling up on the ensuing Boise State possession. It included 8 plays, 75 yards gained, and several missed tackles on Rasean Jones’s 35 yard, drive-capping TD reception from Max Cutforth.

Broncos 29, Rams 10

HALFTIME

Third Quarter

The Boise State defense, who had forced a couple punts and a turnover on downs to end the half, started out strong with another forced punt to kick off the third quarter. The offense immediately went to work with a balanced drive that ended with Terrious Favors’s second TD of the season; an elusive, 29 yard YAC special after a pass from Cutforth. #RamsTears flowing freely now.

Broncos 36, Rams 10

Unfortunately, just when it felt like the rout was on, Colorado State put together another scoring drive. It wasn’t so much that they scored…it was how. It took only three plays for them to go 75 yards because, yet again, the defense allowed an extreme explosive of 65 yards. Traversing the final nine yards and coming away with six more points after that was fairly easy for them and one could only think “Oh, no. Not AGAIN!”

Broncos 36, Rams 17

The ensuing Bronco drive temporarily put those thoughts to rest, though, because a nifty 5 play, 64 yard effort put the Broncos ahead by another six points. The final play was yet another Dylan Riley breakaway from the defense for a 31 yard house call.

Broncos 43, Rams 17

So, that’s it, right? The Boise State defense clamped down and closed out the night by maintaining the rout? Well…kind of. But not yet! Instead: Rams. 8 plays. 75 yards (two explosive plays). Six. More. Points. W. T. F?

Broncos 43, Rams 24

Fourth Quarter

Thank goodness the Boise State offense came to play. After a very balanced drive, the Broncos were in the end zone again, 8 plays later. It looked like they were going to let Juelz Goff take it in, but he had to leave the game after a goal line carry that left his mouth and face bloodied up. So, instead, we were graced with a one yard TD run from Midnight Max. For those keeping track, that was FIVE touchdowns for the home state, walk-on QB from just outside of town.

Broncos 50, Rams 24

That was fun. Okay. Surely the Rams offense is done for the night now.

NOPE! 4 plays. 9 yard pass. 25 yard pass. 23 yard rush. 18 yard TD pass. SIX MORE RAMS POINTS WHAT ARE WE DOING?

Broncos 50, Rams 31

Whatever. You want a shootout with a three possession buffer, Fort Collins? Fine. Happy to oblige. Let’s get the young ones in on it this time. With Dylan Riley exhausted from racking up 300 all purpose yards and scoring three times, they sent him to the bench halfway through the drive (and one yard short of a record). I imagine this is what was said next on the sideline: “Yo, Harry Stewart III…you want in on this? Sweet. Yes. I know you’re our 4th string running back. Why don’t you ignore that and just go ahead and take it 43 yards for a TD on your fourth carry of the drive?”

Harry Stewart III: “Deal”

Broncos 57, Rams 31

Finally. Mercifully. A Rams punt.

This time, instead of giving the game’s penultimate drive exclusively over to Harry Stewart III, the Broncos let running back #5 on the depth chart spell him for one carry. The result? Mariyon Sloan with a 36 yard run. Stewart III capped off the Broncos’ TDs for the night with a six yard rush a few plays later.

Broncos 64, Rams 31

Did that mean the night was over though? Oh, no. The defense had to allow one more TD. Just because they really want to see us sweat when they face Legree next week. They even allowed a straight up Josh Allen-esque (NFL version) cartoonish play extension by the CSU QB on 4th and 13 to allow the drive to continue.

Broncos 64, Rams 38

Observations:

• I’m going to get the bad out of the way first: I have no idea why the defense is so bad, but it is so, so, so bad. And the craziest part is that there is very frequently a lot of exceptional individual play and effort. But, as a unit, giving up over 500 yards to a 3-6 team is just not it. Especially a week after allowing 45 points at home. If Boise State is going to have a shot at making noise in the postseason, that defense simply has to stop allowing an absurd number of explosive (20+ yard) plays per game.
• Okay, now onto the positive. I’m honestly not sure if it’s more appropriate to start with Max Cutforth or Dylan Riley. Both absolutely balled out. Max Cutforth’s five total TDs were the most by a Boise State QB since Taylen Green’s 91 yard run with 1:09 left in the game achieved the same vs Utah State in 2022. Before that it was Brett Rypien in 2018 vs Air Force. So, as you can see, it’s just not something that happens all that often. Max might be the most successful backup QB in the nation, at this point. His story just continues to get cooler and cooler and he’s making an extremely good case for delaying the (presumably) Cash Hererra era by one year in 2027.
• 192 rushing yards. 88 receiving yards. 20 kickoff return yards. If he’d had two more yards, his 300 yard game would have been 302 and broken Doug Martin’s Boise State record of 301 all-purpose yards from the blowout of Arizona State in 2011. Scoring plays of 73, 42, and 31. Guys, Dylan Riley is averaging 137.9 rushing yards per game so far this year. He’s already at 1,241 and still has two regular season games to play. Not to mention the possibility of a conference championship and at least one bowl game. We’re witnessing yet another legend develop from the sleeper RBU that is Boise State.
• Speaking of rushing success…Harry Stewart III averaged 9.9 yards per carry tonight. Mariyon Sloan, 36. Even Goff cracked 4.3 ypc on his 10 carries, despite a couple that went straight into a pile. So, not only do we have some exceptionally talented backs (and that’s not counting Sire Gaines, who has been out a few weeks), but this offensive line is doing WORK.
• Resean Jones. His production took a nosedive after putting up 117 yards last week. Fell all the way to 116 today. Just slipping up. At this rate, we probably don’t have to worry about him getting poached by an SEC school for a gazillion dollars.
  
  …okay, let’s be honest. This kid is absolutely phenomenal and I lie awake at night in terror at the idea that he might take the portal somewhere else. Could you imagine the kind of numbers he could put together in the PAC 12 over (at least) the next two years? He’s only 17!

Fun game, albeit a bit heart attack inducing with the defensive lapses. Let’s do it again this Saturday vs Oregon State and that ridiculously awesome Legree kid!

We will see you all at home next week when Boise State is back home to take on the Beavers.

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Go Broncos!