Good thing for No. 24 Boise State that its offense can score a lot of points.
Its defense is giving them up almost as fast as they score them.
And that might be a problem Saturday when the Broncos take on Oregon State and its explosive passing game in a Pac-12 Conference matchup at Boise, Idaho.
Last week’s 64-38 conference win at Colorado State masked a growing concern for Boise State (8-1, 5-0). Its defense allowed 28 second-half points, which in game context meant nothing since the Broncos scored 35.
But that comes on the heels of permitting 42 second-half points in a 46-45 home win over Texas State. Clearly, Boise State coach Spencer Danielson knows the status quo can’t go on if his team is to win the league, much less pose any threat in the College Football Playoff.
“It’s obviously explosive plays and it’s consistency to do your job for four quarters,” he said. “If you look at every single play, there’s some really good snaps. … if you take five or six plays away from Saturday night, you feel a whole lot better.
“But you can’t and those plays are out there. And we are now playing a top 10 offense. We’re playing the No. 1 ranked passing offense and we haven’t done good against it.”
The numbers back up Danielson’s contention. The Broncos are 136th of 138 FBS teams in yards per completion allowed (14.2), as well as 129th in passing yards allowed (265.8) and 127th in yards per play allowed (6.5).
But an offense that averages 39 points per game and converts third downs at a 53.5% clip makes up for that leaky defense. Last week, backup quarterback Max Cutforth threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, while Dylan Riley ran for 192 yards and two scores on just 19 carries. Riley leads the nation with 1,241 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Oregon State (5-4, 3-2) limps into this one following consecutive losses. It was routed 42-21 at home last week by Texas State, which owned a 42-7 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Beavers managed a couple of garbage-time scores.
If Oregon State is to have a realistic chance at pulling off the upset, it will need other things to happen besides Braden Atkinson finding star freshman Jesse Legree in the passing game. Legree’s 61 receptions, 1,209 yards and 14 touchdowns might scream Heisman if he played at a Power 4 program. He leads the nation in receiving yardage and is tied in scoring catches.
And Atkinson, who has thrown for a national-best 3,169 yards with 25 scores and only three interceptions in 368 attempts, has certainly proven a guy can star at FCS Mercer and then jump to a higher level without missing a beat.
But the Beavers’ defense must up its level of play. They were gashed for 600 total yards by Texas State, including 386 on the ground. And Riley probably isn’t dreading the thought of running into the teeth of that front.
“We’re making some adjustments for this week and we’re going to do everything in our power,” said first-year coach JaMarcus Shephard. “We’re going to reach into our treasure trove of information and try to come up with the best game plan to slow down Boise the best we can.”