Boise State vs. Toledo: 12 Things We Learned About the Broncos from the Game
Kellen Moore led his No. 4 Boise State Broncos to a 40-15 victory against Toledo, a team that nearly upset Ohio State in the Horseshoe a week prior. This Friday's game had BSU on notice because of the stellar play of Toledo, even though the spread had Boise State winning by 21.
The Broncos lived up to the hype and had little trouble taking care of the feisty Rockets after a shaky start that allowed Toledo to take the lead early in the game. However, it was short-lived as Kellen Moore and his band of Broncos drove down field over and over again as they pulled away from their opponent.
The game was out of reach for the Rockets the minute the fourth quarter started and the nail was driven in the coffin after an onside kick was recovered by Boise State and the second string offense drove down for another touchdown. This was Boise State's 35th consecutive non-conference win against a non-BCS opponent.
With this win in the bag; we look ahead to a Tulsa team that may also present some problems for the Broncos. Let's take a look at what we learned about Boise State this week.
Mark May Still Hates Boise State
1 of 12If you caught the pre-game show, you saw Lou Holtz and Mark May arguing again about the merits of Boise State's ability to compete in a BCS game. Now I am sure ESPN has one play the devil's advocate, but Mark May is consistently against Boise State when it comes to them playing against BCS teams, and because of this, Mark May is consistently wrong.
May claimed BSU has no depth, and I vehemently disagree. The second-string offense drove down the field against the same defense that gave Ohio State problems. Also, are all nine of the receivers who catch the ball starters? I doubt it.
I'm not going say that BSU could win the SEC and after tonight's less-than-perfect performance, the BSU haters may have somewhat of an argument. The bottom line is, nobody knows.
The fact of the matter is that BSU has beaten BCS teams seven out of the last eight times they have played them. Speculation or not, they have won the games.
Whether they could win consistently in a BCS is all a matter of speculation and talk around the water cooler. That is, until someone invites them. Until then, all they can do is win.
Boise State Still Starts out Slowly...by Broncos Standards
2 of 12The first couple of drives were very slow for Boise State. Granted, one of them was a scoring drive, but that came after a potentially damaging fumble recovered by Boise State. The opening drive was not very Bronco-esque, with two dropped passes by two different receivers leading to a punt.
On defense, Boise State allowed the Rockets to move down the field in their opening drive. This is the second time Boise State has allowed the opponent to score first this season.
They did come back both times for impressive wins, but if they continue this trend, teams like TCU and San Diego State may not allow Boise State to get back into the game.
Boise State Offense Is Not Just Kellen Moore...Can You Say Doug Martin?
3 of 12Everyone knows this offense centers around Kellen Moore, and why shouldn't they? He is a true Heisman contender, an outstanding player, and obviously the leader of this team. However, Boise State showcased one other weapon that complements Kellen Moore.
Doug Martin is Kellen Moore's right hand man. He picks up blocks, keeping Kellen Moore safe and sound in the pocket, but also acts as the safety valve when things get a little chaotic in the backfield. Doug Martin had 19 carries for 70 yards and he fought for every one.
Keep an eye on his yards after contact stat at the end of this year. He also had five receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown, proving himself to be one of the more underrated running backs in college football.
His ability to keep his feet moving and muscle through defenders gives him a Mark Ingram look, albeit a little smaller. The skills are there, though.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Boise State Could Not Tackle
4 of 12The defense took a step back from the Georgia game. I actually lost count on the number of missed tackles Boise State had the whole game, and this was very problematic. This was not the lights out defense we saw against Georgia when they shut down the Bulldog run game.
Luckily, the Broncos had couple of breaks when Toledo turned the ball over twice and the fact that the Toledo receivers seemed to have bricks for hands.
Boise State got lucky in this game and if Toledo had brought their "A" game, it could have been much different. Even though Boise State held the Rockets to only 15 points, the tackling was sloppy as the Broncos seemed to refuse to wrap up.
There is an expectation amongst Boise State fans that the Broncos do not make mistakes and Toledo had quite a bit of yards after contact, especially on the screen passes.
Chris Petersen even said at halftime his team needed to tackle better and in the second half, the tackling did improve but not to the same level we have seen before. I'm sure Coach Pete will focus heavily on this over the next week.
Kellen Moore Still Spreads the Wealth
5 of 12Once again, Kellen Moore was hard to pin down because he threw to nine receivers and rather then speak about all of them, here are each player's stats below. I would like to point out Tyler Shoemaker's excellent performance with three touchdowns and two excellent catches by Mitch Burroughs and Kirby Moore.
This receiving corps definitely is more dangerous than the two go-to receivers they had last year. You just don't know where the ball will go. This will only get more dangerous when the 6' 4" Geraldo Boldwijn joins the receiving crew after the investigation into his eligibility is complete. He is a deep threat with 4.3 speed.
Expect Moore to pass to all ten every game. The committee method is very successful for Boise State and with Kellen Moore calling the shots, the Broncos will gain a lot of receiving yards in the future.
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The Boise State Two-Minute Offense Is Still Excellent
6 of 12I am sure you are one of the record number of people that watched the Boise State game against Virginia Tech last year. You also watched an amazing Broncos offense move down the field with ease using Kellen Moore's uncanny situational awareness to win the game in the final minutes on a pass to Austin Pettis.
Well, Pettis is gone, but this same two-minute offense came out today, only they were more efficient than ever before. Moore and company moved the ball downfield from their own 36 yard line all the way to a touchdown in just over one minute.
It was almost too efficient, allowing Toledo to drive back and kick a field goal before heading in for halftime. Although, this will rarely be utilized in dire-straits situation, simply because BSU should dominate all of their games, it's good to know they can move the ball when they need to.
This Offensive Line Is Special
7 of 12Once again, there were no sacks given up by this line in the Toledo game and they opened up much larger holes for the running backs to get through than when they faced Georgia. We definitely would not be talking much about Kellen Moore's Heisman run if it weren't for the offensive line.
Linemen were consistently downfield picking up blocks 7-10 yards away from the line of scrimmage. This is the best offensive line in college football, hands down, and Kellen Moore's and Doug Martin's stats are a testament to that.
The Fans Don't Effect Boise State No Matter How Bad They Are
8 of 12The Toledo fans were awful for this game. Throwing yellow footballs on the field while plays were in progress and causing confusion amongst the ESPN graphics operators about flags. One of those footballs came very close to hitting Kellen Moore and and even the commentators mentioned the poor sportsmanship of Toledo's fans.
On every extra point, the Broncos kicked near the student section, a green Frisbee came flying near and even through the uprights. This was very poor form against a Boise State team that prides itself on its class.
Toledo should be ashamed and they do not deserve the benefit of playing another ranked team at home. However, Boise State played through it and continued to be successful.
There was redemption, though, when the camera panned the Glass Bowl and saw all of the empty seats as a disgruntled Rocket fan base exited the stadium early.
Boise State played with its trademark composure in the face of a fan base that bordered on interfering with the game. This is a testament to their experience and discipline, and I applaud the Broncos fans for not dropping to their level.
The Broncos Are Better Than Ohio State
9 of 12I'm not going to say Toledo is underrated because they looked terrible during the Boise State game. The Broncos held the Rockets to just 15 points on Toledo's turf and other than the first quarter were really in no danger of losing this game.
A lot less can be said for the Buckeyes, who struggled at home against the Rockets. It was in the final minutes of the game that Toledo could not convert on fourth down on the Ohio State 17-yard line.
Toledo held Ohio State to 301 total yards while Boise State racked up over double that with 610. Not to mention, the BSU game was out of reach for Toledo in the second quarter, while they took Ohio State to the very last minute.
Boise State, while away, scored 13 more points and held the Rockets to seven fewer points than Ohio State could, and it was a home game for the Buckeyes. Toledo beat themselves against Ohio State. Boise State beat Toledo soundly in the Glass Bowl.
The Only Week Kellen Moore Is Not the MWC Player of the Week Is a BSU Bye Week
10 of 12You all know Kellen Moore is the best quarterback in the country, and even the rest of the country can't deny it. He once again put up outrageous numbers in his 40th career win. He passed Peyton Manning for fourth place on the all-time wins list and is only six wins away from taking his place at the top of the all-time wins list for college QB's.
He completed 32 passes on 42 attempts, which gave him the highest completion percentage (82.6) in school history for a quarterback making more than 30 attempts in a game. Moore did falter a bit when he tossed his second interception this season, but the Broncos defense responded in the same fashion as they did against Georgia, forcing a turnover on the very next drive.
Moore would have had more passing yards if it weren't for a couple of dropped passes in the opening drive of the game. These completions lead to a monstrous 455 yards with five touchdowns. If he isn't a future Heisman winner, I don't know who is.
Chris Petersen Has No Faith in His Kicking Game
11 of 12Two missed extra points and a fake field goal on top of watching Boise go for it on 4th down while in Toledo territory showed everyone one thing. Boise State may not have a reliable field goal kicker. This is a very scary prospect as at least once in every season under Chris Petersen, Boise State has relied on its kicker to win a game.
Kyle Brotzman, in spite of his issues at the Nevada game last year is sorely missed. Currently the Broncos are using two kickers for extra points and have yet to make a field goal this year. Granted, there has been only one attempt, but it was still missed.
Michael Frisina or Dan Goodale will be called on at some point during this year; the question is, will they be ready?
Kirby Moore Has Beautiful Hair
12 of 12Dare I say better than Tom Brady? Check out the video on ESPN below.
Kirby Moore's (Kellen Moore's brother) golden locks at the 40-second mark of the video in the corner. What do you think?
Caveat: Kirby Moore's hair is not better than Troy Polamalu's.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
