Boise State Football Home Opener Against UTEP a Thriller!

After a disappointing 36-31 loss last weekend to the University of Central Florida, the Boise State Broncos vowed to thrill the local fans in their home opener Friday night the 10th. With kickoff scheduled for 7:40 PM, much cooler weather than in recent weeks, and a persistent rainfall in the early afternoon, the atmosphere was ripe for an exciting football game.

Stuart Gustafson, from FS1 Television

And the Boise State Broncos didn’t disappoint the “White Out” crowd of Boise State fans. After a slow start, with UTEP taking the opening kickoff and marching down the field, the BSU defense held the Miners to an opening-possession field goal. A little over a minute later (1:21), the Broncos kicked a tying field goal, and never looked back. Still in the first quarter, the Broncos first touchdown came on an 81-yard punt return, setting the stage for how fast BSU was going to be able to score.

Stuart Gustafson, from FS1 Television

A 10-3 score at the end of the first quarter didn’t seem like a comfortable margin, so BSU outscored UTEP 31-10 in the second quarter to take a 41-13 lead at half time. As a reminder, the Broncos scored only 31 points in the entire season opener against UCF. In the second quarter, BSU score four touchdowns in a total of thirteen plays and two minutes and forty seconds. Plus they scored a field with their longest drive of nine plays and three minutes and fifteen seconds.

Stuart Gustafson, from FS1 Television

The final score of 54-13 isn’t fully representative of what could have happened. Once Jack Spears came in to replace Hank Bachmeier in the last play of the third quarter, the Broncos ran twenty running plays and one [incomplete] pass play to run out the clock. Had they chosen to be more aggressive, it is quite likely they could have scored several more times while running up the score.

Stuart Gustafson, from FS1 Television

Boise State is known for being a tough team to beat at home on “the Blue turf.” The win against UTEP marked the twentieth consecutive home opener victory for the Broncos. Interestingly, that record is only the sixth longest in the nation. That shows how hard it is to beat some teams at home. Another interesting figure is that Boise State is second only to Ohio State in won-loss record since the year 2000 (.830 versus .838).

Contributing to UTEP’s loss tonight were six turnovers: three fumbles and three interceptions. One of the interceptions was in the end zone, and was run back to almost midfield. While the Broncos scored a decisive victory, there were some flaws. There were some “silly” fouls, including personal fouls, and one targeting call. That call against Riley Whimpey means that he is not eligible to play in the first half of next week’s tough home game against Oklahoma State.

But given how the Broncos defense played against UTEP, they should play well even while Whimpey sits out the first half. Perhaps a new defensive star will be showcased!

#Boise #BSU #football #UTEP #Broncos #Miners #BoiseState

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