Boise State Vs Marshall University Week 2

#24 Boise State (-12) Vs. Marshall University

Date: Friday, September 6, 2019

Time: 7:00pm MT

Stadium: Bronco “Albertsons” Stadium

TV: ESPN2

Know Thy Enemy

A storm is coming from Huntington, WV to Boise, ID in the form of “Marco” and the Marshall Thundering Herd. You may be most familiar with the school because of the airplane accident in 1970 that killed over 40 football players and staff.

Marshall has always been a solid mid-major program since the late 1980’s. Five of the six head coaches since that time posted a winning record. Many Thundering Herd fans would say that 1991-2004 was the “golden age” of Marshall Football. During that time, the Thundering Herd made the 1AA (now FCS) national championship game five times and claiming the title twice. Marshall has produced several NFL players including Hall of Fame wide receiver, Randy Moss.

From 2004-2009 Marshall football seemed to lose their way a bit, posting a losing overall record. However, since the turn of the decade, the Thundering Herd seem to have corrected their issues and are back to their winning ways. Current head coach, Doc Holiday was the head recruiter for Urban Myer at Florida, and has seemed to bring his recruiting ways to Marshall. Since coming to Marshall in 2010, Holliday has posted a 71-46 record with 1 conference title. Last season the Thundering Herd ended with a 9-4 record and a win in the Gasperilla bowl against the University of South Florida.

The 2019 edition of the Marshall University Thundering Herd has produced massive intrigue from the fan base. With an offensive that returns four starters on the offensive line, a young dynamic quarterback in Isaiah Green, and a two-headed rushing attack in Tyler King and Brenden Knox, Marshall has the potential to be potent. Green will need to find a new top-target in the passing game, with freshman Corey Gammage leading the charge alongside senior Obi Obialo who missed the season opener due to injury.

The Herd defense will have to fill some holes this season and will have some shuffling with the linebackers this Friday as starting linebacker Jaquan Yulee suffered a season-ending neck injury in the win over VMI.

Despite the question marks on defense, Marshall was picked to finish first in the C-USA East division and ultimately win the C-USA title.

What Happened Last Year  in 1994

Surprisingly, Boise State and Marshall met 25 years ago when both teams were playing Division 1-AA football. Back in 1994 the Broncos and the Thundering Herd squared off in the 1-AA semi-finals. Marshall was a perennial power house with expectations of making their 5th straight championship game appearance. Knowing the importance of a home field advantage, Head Coach Pokey Allen declared that he would ride a horse down Broadway if the attendance for the game reached over 20,000.

On a chilly Saturday in early December, Boise State overcame four turnovers and a 17-point deficit to beat Marshall 28-24. Marshall took a 24-14 lead into halftime. The Boise State victory was engineered by sophomore quarterback, now Eagle High baseball coach, Tony Hilde, who shook off a second quarter shoulder injury to direct  two key fourth quarter scoring drives and the defense shut out the Thundering Herd offense in the second half.

By the way, the attendance for the game was 20,064 and Allen fulfilled his promise.

Players to Watch

Marshall University

1.     Rs.SO., Isaiah Green, QB #17

Isaiah Green, a red-shirt sophomore from Atlanta, GA has Herd fans excited for the next two-plus years. Last season as a freshman, Green was announced as the starting quarterback just an hour before the season opener. Green played in 10 games making nine starts a year ago. Green was also named to the Conference USA all-freshman team.

In 2019, Green was predicted to be an all-conference player. Last week against FCS, Virginia Military Institute, Green threw for four touchdowns and one interception. Despite his high touchdown numbers, Green only completed 64% of his passes. Green has a big arm that is capable of making all the throws, but does lack some discipline, as he is known to force some throws.

2.     Rs.JR., Tavante Beckett, LB #4

The key to Marshall’s defense may be how well the linebacker position performs. After losing key contributors from a season ago, and having the season-ending injury to Jaquan Yulee the linebacker position has some shoes to fill. That’s where Tavante Beckett comes in. Beckett will now be forced into more of a  leadership role, a role in which he embraces. Beckett transferred from Virginia Tech after the 2016 season and played in his first game since that season last Saturday. Beckett had seven tackles and .5 tackle for loss in the win against VMI. 

3.     Rs. FR., Talik Keaton, WR #9

Talik Keaton isn’t quarterback Isaiah Green’s top target, he’s probably not even in the top three. Last week, the Sarasota, FL native didn’t record a catch in their win over VMI. Why is he a Player to Watch then? It’s because Keaton has the potential of being a very dangerous punt returner. Keaton had five punt returns for 109 yards and took one return 67 yards for a house call. Outside of the one return for a touchdown, Keaton averaged ten yards per return. That equates to Marshall getting a free first down before the offense even got the ball. Look for Boise State to limit Keaton’s return opportunities.  

Boise State

1.     Rs.JR., Curtis Weaver, STUD #99

Curtis “The Truth” Weaver is one scary dude. Standing at 6’3” 264lbs, Weaver is a big guy with a personality that is larger than life. Weaver came crashing onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2017 when he made a game saving play against Troy in the season opener and has been making big plays ever since. Weaver has 21.5 sacks in his career which is good for fifth all-time in school history. Last season Weaver had a “down” year, only recording 9.5 sacks and 43 tackles. A “high-motor” type player, Weaver is always hunting for opposing quarterbacks. Weaver is arguably, Boise State’s best player on defense, if not the whole team and has plenty of NFL talent to go with it. Marshall won’t be able to deny “The Truth” this week.

2.     JR., Kekaula Kaniho, DB #28

Kekaula Kaniho isn’t one of the biggest players on the field, coming in at just 5’10” 185 lbs, but he is one of the Broncos biggest play-makers. Kaniho has a knack for making big plays and even finding the end zone. As a freshman, Kaniho had two defensive touchdowns and as a Sophomore Kaniho added a scoop and score on a 74-yard punt return to his career stats. Kaniho led the team last year in interceptions with three to go along with his 40 tackles last season. Last Saturday, Kaniho made six solo tackles, four of which were tackles for loss and also had a strip sack.

3.     JR., CT Thomas, WR #6

CT Thomas has made a name for himself by moving the chains. Last season as a sophomore, Thomas made several key catches on third and fourth downs that resulted in a first down for the offense. In 2019 Thomas as emerged as a leader of the wide receivers and could be ready for a career year. Last Saturday Thomas made five catches on eight targets for a career high 106 yards. Three of Thomas’ five catches were on third down and resulted in a first down. Look for Thomas to have a big game this week against Marshall.

Focus Position Group: Running Back

Boise State has been known for producing  bell-cow, work horse, type running backs. Running backs Jeremy Avery, Doug Martin, DJ Harper, Jeremy McNichols, Jay Ajayi, and Alexander Mattison all have one thing in common, each have rushed for at least 1,000 yards in a single season. If fact, Boise State has had a 1,000 yard rusher in each of the last 10 seasons. The Broncos might be taking the "running back by committee" approach this season with Robert Mahone, Andrew Van Buren, and freshman George Holani all getting touches last week. Mahone received the lion-share of the carries, rushing for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Holani also had a productive day going for 70 yards on 14 rushes. Coming into the 2019 season, fans were wondering if that streak will come to an end, but if Mahone and Holani keep up the production, Boise State might end up with two 1,000 yard rushers this year.

Boise State will be facing a Marshall squad that hasn't allowed an individual 100-yard rusher in 15-straight games. Boise State's running backs will try to bring that streak to an end Friday night. With the help of the offensive line, the Broncos should be able to accomplish that task. The question is, who's going to do it?

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1.     Make That Money

The Redzone is where football teams make their money. The end zone is even nicknamed “pay dirt.” Last week the Broncos were a perfect 7 for 7 in the Redzone. However, four of those trips ended in a field. Penalties kept the Broncos from converting two of the four field goals into touchdowns. Touchdowns will always be better than field goals and if the Broncos want to win this week they will need to convert more than 50% of their Redzone opportunities into touchdowns.

2.     Strong out the gate

Boise State’s defense gave up 21 points in the first quarter, 31 points in the first half and zero points in the second half. First year defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding made great adjustments and the defense was outstanding in the second half. Marshall is 39-1 in their last 40 games when they score first and last week put up over 600 yards in total offense. It will be paramount for the defense to come out and start faster than they did last week. 

3. Air It Out

Last week Bachmeier threw for over 400 yards in his collegiate debut against an ACC team. The weakness of Marshall’s defense is their pass coverage. in 2018 against Power 5 programs they gave up an average of 340 yards passing. Last week Boise State has 9 different players make a catch. This week the Broncos will need to continue airing out the football and spreading the ball around.

Editorial Note:

This week’s opponent doesn’t have the pedigree of Florida State, the tradition of Florida State, or the pizzaz of Florida State. However, Marshall might be better than Florida State. In order for the Broncos to have that magical season they need to beat Marshall. It will be important for the Broncos to put last week behind them and focus on executing the game plan for Marshall. Many coaches talk about going 1-0 each week. If Boise State has a hangover from last Saturday Marshall has the capability to upset the Broncos.

Broncos show up and show out.

Broncos 42, Thundering Herd 24