San Jose State Spartans

Boise State vs San Jose State Recap: 3 Things We Learned

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After much struggle, the Boise State Broncos depended on their offense to defeat the San Jose State Spartans for the thirteenth time in as many meetings, winning 45-31.

Boise State–the vaunted Broncos, the perennial powerhouse of the Mountain West–looked mighty beatable in the first half of their game against San Jose State, and on their own blue home turf no less.

At first, the Broncos looked good. They looked like they were ready to show that last week’s loss to Wyoming was little more than a stroke of sour luck. Boise was supposed to get turnovers and they were supposed to turn them into points. That was the plan. That’s exactly what they did.

After Dylan Sumner-Gardner intercepted Spartan quarterback Kenny Potter’s first pass of the game, the usual suspects appeared to be poised to take over: Broncos wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck got his 200th career catch; running back Jeremy McNichols bounced off just about every would-be tackler on the field and went into the end zone, like he always does.

Then, the Broncos softened on defense. Kenny Potter woke up, scrambling and hitting his receivers. By the end of the half, the Spartans were within one score: 24-16. On top of that, they led the Boise State in total yards, time of possession and first downs.

In 12 previous meetings, the Broncos have never lost to the Spartans. After halftime, they decided they weren’t going to start now.

In the second half, San Jose State got more McNichols than they could handle. To make matters worse for the Spartans, Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien started finding his receivers–first, wide receiver Cedric Wilson for two touchdowns, and later, tight end Alec Dhaenens for another.

The Spartans never quit, but neither did the Bronco offense. The Broncos pressed the Spartan defense until they finally broke.

Here are three things we learned from Friday night’s game:

Nov 4, 2016; Boise, ID, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Jeremy McNichols (13) runs through the tackle of San Jose State Spartans linebacker Michael Pyle (50) during first half action at Albertsons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

1. Jeremy McNichols is every bit as good as expected

The junior running back, quick and powerful as he is, deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey. Sure, he’s a very different type of running back, but he is to the Broncos what Pumphrey is to the Aztecs–the engine, the fire in the heart of the offense.

Plus, McNichols finds the end zone on the football field the way a magnet in a sandbox finds iron. McNichols finished Friday night with 158 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns.

On some plays, it seemed to take a whole arsenal of defenders to get him to the ground. And even then he fell forward.

Of course, he’s had some trouble with fumbles in his career, even this season. Not so against the Spartans. He held tight to the ball as he gashed San Jose State’s defensive line.

Next Saturday against Hawaii, a team that gives up a whole lot of points, look for the Broncos to lean heavily on their feature back. His shoulders are certainly wide enough to carry them.

Oct 7, 2016; Albuquerque, NM, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Alexander Mattison carries the ball against New Mexico Lobos (22)at University Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sean Pokorny-USA TODAY Sports

2. The McNichols-Mattison backfield ignites the offense

Alexander Mattison is a freshman running back who runs with the fluidity and patience of a veteran. Friday night at Albertsons Stadium he gave Boise (and San Jose State) a full introduction to what the future holds for the Bronco running attack.

Whenever McNichols needed a breather, Mattison took the field. He slipped through tacklers, sidestepping through their fingers. He may even have surprised the Spartans with his strength. The 5’11”, 206 lb back broke arm tackles, straight armed defenders and pulled Spartans for extra yards.

At the end of the day, he had 100 rushing yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.

Between McNichols and Mattison, the Broncos had one of their most productive performances on the ground in a long time, and the most rushing yards (298) as a team this season.

What is obvious is that the McNichols-Mattison backfield brings a charge to the offense that results in touchdowns, whether it be through the air or on the ground. We can expect to hear these two names a lot more over the final stretch of the season.

Nov 4, 2016; Boise, ID, USA; San Jose State Spartans running back Malik Roberson (20) is taken down by Boise State Broncos defensive tackle Daniel Auelua (90) during first half action at Albertsons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

3. The Bronco defense continues to struggle

Boise State’s offense was consistent and scored often, but their defense had trouble. Aside from the third quarter, the Bronco defense couldn’t keep San Jose State off the scoreboard.

They couldn’t seem to contain Kenny Potter, who danced around, created plays and frustrated the Broncos. Potter ran the ball effectively, which forced Boise State defenders to freeze when he scrambled in the pocket, and then he found open receivers.

Last week against Wyoming, the Broncos gave up 489 total yards and 30 points. This week was slightly worse. The Spartans gained 495 total yards and scored 31 points. Furthermore, Potter completed 23 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns.

Boise State’s defense seems to be moving in the wrong direction. Fortunately, their offense is making up for it. Even so, if the Broncos are to have any chance at leapfrogging Wyoming in the Mountain West standings, aside from needing the Cowboys to lose, their defense must perform better than they have recently.

Highlights

Boise State will play Hawaii in their next game, while San Jose State will take on the Air Force Academy.

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