Boise State Football: Grading the Broncos' Game vs. Fresno State

By the time the Bulldogs crossed midfield for the first time all game, they already trailed by 30 points. That statement pretty much sums up the dominating performance Boise State had over Fresno State in their 57-7 shellacking on ESPN Friday night. 

In fact, Boise State nearly scored as many touchdowns (eight) as Fresno State had first downs (nine) showing just how complete this Bronco team was on Friday. It was definitely the best performance of the year for Boise State as they crushed Fresno State in a way that no other teams have this year, and that includes BCS teams like Nebraska, Cal and Ole Miss.

What should have been a budding rivalry game has become an embarrassment for the Bulldogs. In the last two games, Boise State has outscored Fresno State 108-7 and have won 10 of the last 11 matchups. The last Fresno State win came in 2000.

With all of that in mind was this performance good enough to halt Boise States fall in the polls despite still being undefeated? I do know this at least one BCS conference has taken notice of Boise State. With that in mind, here are this week’s report card grades for the Broncos.  

Quarterbacks: Moore, Southwick, Hedrick

Grade: A+

Kellen Moore bounced back quite nicely from what was deemed a "bad game" against Nevada last week. Though he only played a little over two-and-a-half quarters, Moore racked up 254 passing yards, completing 23 passes on 31 attempts. He had zero interceptions and efficiently connected with a season-high 11 separate receivers in what has become yet another statement game for the Heisman candidate.

Moore has thrown at least two touchdown passes in 18 straight games and has 25 career games with at least three. Currently, he sits only two wins behind Colt McCoy for the all time wins as a starting QB and moved up to No. 6 in the career touchdown pass rankings.  

Once the game was well out of the hand for Fresno State, Joe Southwick came in and gave Bronco fans a small taste what might be in store for the quarterback position next year. Southwick completed 3-of-5 passes for 27 yards and showed that he can put a little zip on the ball. 

Grant Hedrick once again displayed some great leg work when he capped the game with a 23-yard run on a read option for a touchdown. He would have had a passing touchdown as well were it not for Gabe Linehan dropping a pass in the end zone. 

Running Backs

Grade: A

Eight different Boise State players carried the ball for a total of 184 yards showcasing a strong rushing attack for the second consecutive game this season. Doug Martin led the way with 16 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. His lone touchdown run came a play after Martin ran for 55 yards to the Fresno State 1-yard line. 

D.J. Harper also played a solid game, scoring a pair of touchdowns on six carries. 

Rounding out the rushing attack was Mitch Burroughs and Grant Hedrick who each had a touchdown. The outside lanes seemed to be most effective for the Broncos on Friday, as Burroughs scored on a sweep and Hedrick's touchdown came on a 27-yard read option.  

This was the first game this season where both the run and passing attacks was effective, and it showed on the scoreboard.

Wide Recievers: All Eleven of Them

Grade: B+

There was improvement in the receivers catching ability during this game over last week. I only saw a couple of drops, however, both were in the end zone, and it continues to be something the Broncos need to work on.  

If you look back at prior report cards, I repeatedly said that Geraldo Boldewijn would definitely make an impact for the Broncos. His speedy 6'4" frame added a different dimension and moved the top secondary player away from Matt Miller and on to Boldewijn. He had a pair of touchdown catches in his opening game but also showed that he has room to improve.

Even though Boldewijn almost always gets separation from the opposing secondary, the fact that a perfect pass bounced off his chest in the end zone left Bronco fans a bit disappointed. He made up for it in the remainder of the game. 

Despite Boldewijn's return, the top receiver for the night was Matt Miller with his five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. He is proving his worth in just about every game, and in the coming years, both him and Boldewijn will shine. 

Finally, Mitch Burroughs and Gabe Linehan combined for seven catches and 91 yards adding to the Broncos receiving stats totaling 26 catches for 281 yards on the night. 

Offensive Line

Grade: A-

The Bronco offensive line looked very good today giving Kellen Moore plenty of time to make passes. They made improvements over the Nevada game in their run blocking as well. Though the running game seemed to stumble a bit at the beginning  because holes just were not opening up, the Bronco line did an excellent job containing the edges allowing for sweeps and read-options to be effective. 

Due to some issues, the Bronco line did struggle a bit on long snaps and also on getting ran over by the some Bulldog defenders, but as the starters return, there will be no issues with blocking whatsoever.

Defensive Line

Grade: A+

What can I say about this defensive line that hasn't already been said? They contained the rush incredibly well, put tons of pressure on the Fresno State quarterback and did not allow a single big play. Even when they were rotating second-string players in, the line held its ground. Recovering two fumbles was just the icing on this defensive line's cake for the evening. 

I am a firm believer this defense may be able to contain any offense in the country. It will be exciting to see what they can do in conference play and in their bowl. 

Line Backers

Grade: A+

Once again the work horse in containing anything that got past the defensive line, the Bronco line backers stopped everything up the middle. Just about every tackle for a loss had Tevis or Hout in the pile somewhere, and they were a big part of Fresno State only having two plays that went for over 16 yards. 

I was especially impressed with the Boise State line backers play during the screen passes. While the secondary was being held up by blockers, the linebackers would swarm in and stop the play from progressing. I've said it before, and I will say it again. These linebackers are the safety net to any weakness in the front line.  

Secondary

Grade: A+

This was the best game I have seen the Bronco secondary play this season. Tight coverage and even an impressive jumping interception by Jamar Taylor seemed to be the theme of the evening for the Boise State secondary. 

Quaylon Ewing-Burton once again was a force to be reckoned with, leading the Broncos with nine tackles in his second start. One of the best open field tackles I saw all night came from Ewing-Burton after a pass to the flats. QEB (hope he doesn't mind me calling him that) came flying in flattening the Fresno State receiver near the line of scrimmage.

A second pick by Jonathon Brown that led to a Boise State offensive touchdown capped an excellent evening for the defense all around. I was really happy to see the secondary come out and play like they are on the No. 5 team in the country.

Special Teams

Grade: B-

After a great performance last week the Boise State kicking game regressed to its old ways. Kicker Dan Goodale missed two extra points (one was blocked) leading to five missed extra point tries this season.  This will continue to be a major issue for the Broncos

The lone Fresno State touchdown came on a 78-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter. Though the game was well out of Fresno State's hands, it was the one sore spot of the night. 

On the bright side, and frankly what saved the special teams from a lower grade, was the play of punter Brad Elkin, the kick-off specialist Trevor Harmin, and the one blocked punt by Hunter White.

Brad Elkin continues to pin opposing offenses deep into their own territory with Fresno State's average starting field position being their own 22-yard line. He is a big part of why the Broncos are currently second in the nation, behind Alabama, in allowing opponents to cross midfield. 

Coaching

Grade: A+

The confusion we saw in communication against Nevada last week was obviously weeded out as the Broncos drove effortlessly down field and were lights-out while working their two-minute offense towards the end of the second quarter. 

I was extremely happy to see Chris Petersen keep his foot on the gas well into the third quarter, and was satisfied when he sat his starters once the game seemed well out of Fresno State's hands. His leadership allowed the Broncos to make a statement this game.

Injuries and suspensions do not seem to be affecting this coaching staffs ability to have their team prepared for the game. There is an absolute lack of letdowns even when things like kicking go awry.  Chris Petersen continues his march towards a third Paul "Bear" Bryant award. 

Intangibles

Grade: B+

There is one intangible I need to point out and that is attitude. This game was basically a walk in the park for the Broncos so the fact that I saw a few players, including George Iloka, getting into scuffles with the Fresno State players was just unnecessary. 

I was glad to see Coach Petersen handle the situation immediately by sitting Iloka, but in high energy emotional games, those kinds of outburst may hurt the Broncos. It is imperative that these Bronco players keep their attitudes in check otherwise an outburst when the game is really on the line may be all it takes for the opposing team to take control. 

As a follow-up to last week's report card, the Broncos made vast improvements in the amount of penalties they committed. A season-low two penalties for only 15 yards is outstanding, and I commend Boise State on returning to such a disciplined state.