Boise State Barely Escapes the Bayou

The following is a live journal composed during the Boise State/Louisiana Tech game. All times listed are Pacific Standard Time.

PREGAME

4:57 – This was viewed as a “trap game” for Boise State since the beginning of the season; Louisiana State has played them tough the past couple of years and the Bulldogs are fielding a full litter of seniors for this contest.

FIRST QUARTER

5:02 – The Bulldogs’ first possession: A fumbled kickoff return, a botched handoff, and a ball that would’ve been intercepted had the defender stayed in bounds. You can’t expect your opponent to step in your “trap” if you are already populating it.

5:07 – Safety Deon Young should have picked off that terrible throw by Kellen Moore; the Bronco quarterback threw off his back foot to the sidelines—Young had jumped the route—and it hung there for Young to grab, but he couldn’t haul it in.

3-0 Boise State

5:17 – That was been a “Perfect Storm” drive for Tech—a running game established, big receptions, a couple of major penalties on the Bronco defense, and, unlike Boise State, the Bulldogs finish things with a touchdown.

7-3 Louisiana Tech

5:19 – After getting those first drive jitters out of the way, the Bulldogs look like they can go paw to hoof with the Broncos tonight. Tech’s only clear advantage over Boise is the running game, which should pay big dividends should more red zone opportunities be made available. The Broncos’ red zone offense has been less than stellar this season when it comes to scoring touchdowns, so unless that is fixed, then Tech will be happy to trade field goals for touchdowns all evening.

5:26 – Following a short kickoff, Boise is back in the red zone again; time to see the Broncos can get that red light to turn green.

5:28 – A rushing loss, an incomplete pass due to miscommunication, and a drop; at this point, you can talk as much smack as you’d like about Boise provided you paint a goal line at your feet—that way the Broncos can’t reach you.

7-6 Louisiana Tech

5:34 – That was a great, and vital, series for Boise’s defense; the Broncos got to quarterback Ross Jenkins and forced the Bulldogs into third and long. If the offense keeps up their red zone ineptitude, then the Bronco D is going to have to limit Tech’s contributions to the scoreboard.

5:36 – Q: When is it smart to commit a defensive pass interference penalty? A: When the rest of your secondary colleagues get completely burned on a trick play.

5:39 – On their third trip to the red zone, Boise finally gets it right…with nothing but passes; it’s worth noting that on 1st and Goal from the 1, the Broncos got stuffed on a running play before throwing for the touchdown. Such is life?

END FIRST QUARTER. BOISE STATE LEADS 13-7

SECOND QUARTER

5:49 – Okay, if the Bronco offense can’t score on this red zone possession, then they are a lost cause. That was a great punt return by Kyle Wilson and the picket fence blocking—that let him turn to corner and dash down the sideline—was masterful.

5:50 – Boise State rushes for a touchdown! Unbelievable! And it only took them two attempts!

20-7 Boise State

5:54 – Tech is switching to freshman Colby Cameron at quarterback; he nearly led them back against Idaho last weekend, so there needs to be an encore performance and then some from him.

5:56 – Good call on going with “running into the kicker” instead of “roughing…” on Boise; the contact on punter Cade Glasgow’s leg was minimal and he spun like a Fox News talking point.

6:01 – Boise gets stuffed on 3rd and 1 near midfield; I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Broncos can’t run the ball…the Broncos can’t run the ball…the Broncos can’t run the ball…

6:06 – The Bronco defense has reverted back to opening night form; that is five straight three-and-outs for the Bulldogs.

6:10 – See? That’s how Boise overcomes their red zone problem: Throw a long touchdown pass to cap off a one play drive!

27-7 Boise State

6:13 – That is a 4th and 1 the Bulldogs might have considered going for; Tech is extremely close to being completely out of this game before halftime and they just gave the ball back to a Bronco offense that is firing on all pistons now.

6:21 – Boise gets stuffed on 3rd and 1 near midfield; I hate to sound like a broken record but the Broncos can’t run the ball…the Broncos can’t run the ball…the Broncos can’t run the ball. (Yes, this entry reads exactly like the 6:01 entry because the exact same thing happened.)

6:28 – Good thing Boise’s offense got rolling before Kyle Brotzman missed a field goal.

HALFTIME. BOISE STATE LEADS 27-7.

6:31 – It’s hard to believe that Louisiana Tech was leading 7-3 at one point; before Boise’s offensive onslaught, the Bulldogs were moving the ball on offense and forcing field goals. The Bronco defense, though, began looking at the Bulldogs like they were the Oregon Ducks and treated them as such. Both of Tech’s quarterbacks began to feel the pressure and were forced into making bad throws—including an interception near the end of the half by Jenkins—and the three-and-outs became frequent. If Tech even has a prayer to fight their way back, then they need to get running back Daniel Porter going again; it was his two big runs on the first drive of the game that opened things up for the offense and resulted in a touchdown. As for the defense, the Bulldogs need to find a way to get pressure on Kellen Moore; other than one poor throw that should’ve been picked off, he has had all day in the pocket to shred the Tech secondary.

6:48 – Wow. LeGarrette Blount has been bested in the “Brutality in a college athletic event by a single player” category for 2009. Elizabeth Lambert needs counseling and anger medication—seriously.

THIRD QUARTER

6:55 – Unbelievable! Boise looked to be going right down the field for another score, but Tech’s D finally forced Moore into a bad throw and defensive back Josh Victorian took it back for a pick-six! This isn’t over quite yet!

27-14 Boise State

7:02 – Bronco receiver Titus Young must work as a pizza delivery boy to make money because the way he was holding the ball on that catch made it look like he was serving it to the Tech defense. You need to tuck that ball after you catch it young man.

7:09 – The Broncos are back to their old tricks and that is not a reference to their wacky offensive formations; Boise just kicked another field goal in the red zone. The BCS computers can’t like what they’re seeing right now. (Oh, wait…)

30-14 Boise State

7:17 – With 3:15 left in the third quarter, Tech converts its first third down of the night and keeps a good looking drive alive.

7:20 – The Bulldogs got their running game going again (41 rushing yards on that drive) and got back in the game as a result. The play call that resulted in the score was brilliant enough to warrant description: On 3rd and 2, Jenkins took a shotgun snap and ran right on a keeper while Porter threw a killer block; that allowed Jenkins to turn the corner and scamper to the end zone. That was the first quarterback keeper Tech ran—so Boise wasn’t expecting it—and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

30-21 Boise State

7:24 – An onside kick and Tech recovers! Two can play the tricking game!

7:26 – The Bulldogs are thin at the receiver position and R.P. Stuart has been helped off the field; you may see some redshirts getting burned over on the Tech sideline very soon…

7:30 – Well, when you run out of receivers, there’s always your tight end. Dennis Morris ran straight down the field and Jenkins (who has not thrown an incompletion the entire quarter) hit him for a huge gain. Welcome to Upset Watch—Population: Boise State.

END THIRD QUARTER. BOISE STATE LEADS 30-21.

FOURTH QUARTER

7:38 – What a catch! Morris jumped, reached over the body of the Bronco cornerback (Kyle Wilson), and snatched the ball out of the air right before it hit the latter’s back for a touchdown!

30-28 Boise State

7:42 – Okay, maybe they’ve been playing better in the second half, but the Tech secondary should lose their scholarships for leaving Young that open on 1st and 20.

7:45 – Boise quickly gets back to the red zone, but proceed to have a pass dropped and a false start called; it’s commendable that the Bronco offense has regained their composure, but they have to understand that they have to get seven here.

7:47 – The Broncos don’t get seven…and they don’t get three either. Brotzman hit the left upright with his kick—which was a chip shot; however, the sound of the ball hitting the goal post may have been drowned out by the entire Boise contingent doing a collective face-palm.

7:49 – Tech is inside their own 30 yard line and the fans want them to go for it on 4th and 1? There really is something in the water down on the bayou.

7:58 – Austin Pettis, and his strong hands, haul in a touchdown when Boise needed it most. Once again, the Bronco offense shook off some poor red zone performances from earlier in the half and found the end zone—twice. (The 2-Point Conversion was successful.)

38-28 Boise State

8:03 – Wow. If Philip Livas can concentrate and catch that ball, then he’s gone and the Bulldogs are back in it. Unfortunately, a Bronco defender jumped in front for an interception attempt and turned into a successful eyesight diversion.

8:06 – What? On 3rd and 8, with a quarterback who has only thrown one incompletion in the second half, you run a delayed handoff to your backup running back?

8:08 – Tech is turned away on fourth down, then watches their defense allow Bronco running back Jeremy Avery to take a toss sweep around the right side and dash for a game-clinching touchdown. That quick, folks, that quick.

45-28 Boise State

8:11 – So, Tech, you get a fantastic kickoff return that might keep a glimmer of hope alive with four minutes remaining and you call three consecutive running plays? Coach Dooley, just what has your thought process been on these last two drives?

8:15 – Well, the Bulldogs punch it in on 4th and Goal, but Tech sacrificed more seconds on the clock then they had to with all those running plays.

45-35 Boise State

8:17 – No such luck on the onside kick this time; that’s what happens when the other team knows it’s coming.

GAME OVER. BOISE STATE WINS 45-35.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Louisiana Tech looked dead in the bayou at halftime, but give them credit for fighting back and making a game of it. The Bulldogs needed to use their advantage in the running game and once they did—along with a timely pick-six—a victory was within grasp; unfortunately, the Tech defense could not keep holding their ground against an opponent with superior personnel. Then there’s the boneheaded playcalling in the final minutes that has to be blamed for the Bulldogs coming up short; sure, the Tech run game had gathered momentum, but there comes a time when the clock won’t allow it to pay the dividends that it normally would. Add on the fact that those late runs weren’t very effective and it leaves one to wonder what was going through head coach Derek Dooley’s mind.

Boise State badly needed a blowout tonight and the Broncos were halfway to getting it before they decided to take a nap in the third quarter. Ever since Oregon dismantled USC last weekend, all the talk has been about whether the Ducks should move ahead of Boise in the BCS Standings even though they lost the head-to-head matchup. Well—right or wrong—as long as Oregon takes care of business against Stanford, then that is what will happen after tonight’s performance by the Broncos. It would be easy to give Boise credit for showing poise and holding off a confident opponent, but they are a top ten team and squads in that position aren’t supposed to nearly blow twenty point leads against unranked nemeses. Oh, and did I mention that they can’t run the ball or finish drives in the red zone?

All in all, just another WACky football game in the Western Athletic Conference.