CFB: BOISE STATE (0-1) VS UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA (1-0) (-3.5)

 

Boise State University (+3.5) vs University of Central Florida

Date: Saturday, September  9th, 2023 

Time: 5:00pm MT 

Stadium: Albertsons “Bronco” Stadium (36,387)

TV:FS1

Tv Commentators: Eric Collins and Devin Gardner

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

Know Thy Enemy

There’s no rest for the weary or Buster Bronco for that matter as Boise State heads home after being dismantled by the Huskies in week 1. The Broncos try to avoid dropping to 0-2 for the first time since 1992 as they welcome in one of the newest members of the Big12 the Knights of UCF. 

Central Florida had almost the exact opposite of weekends in their opener when they managed to score 14 points in each quarter for a 56-6 win over Kent State. The Knights used their own version of a three-headed rushing attack  to rack up almost 400 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. 

That rushing attack, as just mentioned, consists of quarterback John Rhys Plumlee and running backs Johnny Richardson and RJ Harvey. All three had over 8 carries with Johnny Richardson leading the charge with his 12 carries for 100 yards. The Knights offense was running on all cylinders last Thursday night, scoring touchdowns on 8 of their 12 drives and were only forced to punt once. Gus Malzahn has turned over the play calling to Darin Hinshaw, but Malzahn’s imprint is still there. As the stats showed, the Knights want to get the quarterback involved in the run game whether it’s on a designed run or making snap decisions on a pass play. One weakness that presents itself is the fact that Kent State did force three turnovers on the road. Plumlee seems to be careless with the football at times which could provide opportunities for some turnovers. 

One word that has been thrown out there describing the Knights defense is “active.” Their pass rush is active, their linebackers are active, downhill, type players that want to make a difference in the run game. Last week against Kent State they forced seven tackles for loss and four sacks. Seven different players accounted for either a tackle for loss or a sack. The Knights return their team leader in sacks from a year ago in Tre’mon Morris-Brash and UCF is hopeful that sophomore defensive tackles Lee Hunter and Ricky Barber are going to have strong seasons. On the back end the Knights are going to have to find their way a little bit. Last week they obviously were playing an over matched Kent State team and their defensive numbers looked good, but against more quality opponents the secondary might have a more difficult time. UCF knew coming in that their 2022 numbers weren’t great and so they, like many other schools, hit the transfer portal to bring in some help in the forms of Safety Jireh Wilson and corners Fred Davis II and Decorian Patterson. 

 As mentioned before the UCF Knights are coached by Gus Malzahn. Malzahn is in his third year at UCF after coaching for eight seasons at Auburn. Malzahn has lost nine games in his two previous seasons which is more than either Scott Frost (19-7) or Josh Heupel (28-7) lost in their entire tenures. 

This is the second time in program history that these two teams have met on the playing field. The 2023 matchup is the second half of a home-and-home that was first played in 2021

What Happened Last Year Time

The Broncos kicked off their 2021 season and Andy Avalos kicked off his tenure at Boise State by traveling 2,600 miles to the “Bounce House” to face the Golden Knights of UCF. Boise State stormed out to a 21-0 lead, highlighted by a Tyric LeBeauf pick-6, before UCF cut the margin to 24-14 by halftime. UCF scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to take their first lead all while holding Boise State to negative yardage and seven quarterback hurries. Isaiah Bowser rushed for 172 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown with a little over four minutes remaining, and UCF rallied to beat Boise State 36-31.

Players to Watch 

CENTRAL FLORIDA

FIFTH YEAR., JOHN RHYS PLUMLEE, QB #10 

When Plumlee isn’t patrolling Centerfield for the Knights baseball team he’s taking snaps for the football team. This two-sport star is in his second season with the Knights after transferring from Ole Miss. Last season Plumlee started all 13 games for UCF and threw for over 2,500 yards 14 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also ran for another 862 yards and 11 scores. This season Plumlee is already showing his dual-threat capabilities, racking up 281 yards through the air, another 90 on the ground and totalling 4 touchdowns. Plumlee was bitten by the turnover bug last week, throwing two picks and was stripped of the ball once. However none of those mishaps were enough to derail the Knights offensive train as they ran through Kent State. Plumlee has been compared to college days Russell Wilson with his ability to extend plays and being decisive in the quarterback run game. 

SR., JOHNNY RICHARDSON, RB #0

Johnny Richardson will split carries with RJ Harvey, but he led the team in carries (12) and yards (100) last week against Kent State. Last year UCF finished ninth in the nation averaging 228 yards per game. Their new offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw, who came from UAB where their running game finished 8th in the country, wants to run the ball. Boise State did a pretty good job against the run last week, limiting the Huskies to just 78 yards on the ground. However the UCF rushing attack looks to be better than Washingtons. 

FIFTH YEAR., JIREH WILSON, S, #9

Grad transfer Jireh Wilson looks to fortify the backend of the Knights defense this season. Last season the Knights defense only forced 6 interceptions and allowed over 220 yards per game through the air. If the Knights are going to have success in year one of their Big12 Journey a lot of that will hinge on the play of their defensive secondary including Jireh Wilson. 

BOISE STATE 

SO., ASHTON JEANTY, RB#2

He is Him as the kids say. Jeanty was one of the few bright spots for the Broncos last Saturday. The sophomore out of Lone Star High School had a combined 14 touches for a total of 153 yards and two touchdowns against UW and completely obliterated a Washington defender with a Derek Henry-like stiff arm on his touchdown run.  It is obvious that Jeanty might just be the best player on the field when Boise State is on offense. His all-around skill set is reminiscent of one Jay Ajayi who in 2014 averaged 28.3 touches per game. Boise State needs to get the ball in the hands of #2 and with Holani’s health in question from game-to-game it wouldn’t surprise many if Jeanty started to see “Ajayi-like” touches going forward. 

JR., SEYI OLADIPO, N #23

Seyi Oladipo is a playmaker, plain and simple. As a true freshman in a reserve role, appeared in all 12 games and recorded his first two interceptions which was tied for second most among Broncos. In his sophomore season he played in all 14 games, made 40 tackles and had a pick-6 against Utah State. This season in a full time starting role at Nickel, Oladipo is poised to have a breakout year. Against Washington he made three tackles including a tackle for loss. This week look for Oladipo to play a big factor in defending the rushing attack that UCF brings. 

Rs.SR., ALEXANDER TEUBNER, S #34

Alexander had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day last Saturday. The Senior out of Seaside, OR did not put on his best performance and I’m sure he would say the same. He was repeatedly attacked one-on-one and to take a phrase from Sheryl Yoast, “He’s [was] gettin’ beat like he stole somethin’!”  Teubner has a great football story going from a recruit with no offers to walking on at Boise State, to now starting safety is nothing but extraordinary and shows he’s got the talent to play at a high level. Whether it was first game jitters or he was put in bad spots he’s got to have better execution in defending the deep ball if the Broncos don’t want to get exposed every game. 

Focus Position Group: Offensive Line

The Offensive line as a whole really had a solid day against Washington. All week leading up to the game against the Dawgs, we heard about their two stud edge rushers who were going to eat Taylen Green for lunch. I even wrote that the Broncos were going to have a tough time handling those guys, especially with a freshman starting at left tackle. However, both of those guys were nonfactors in the game. In fact this new offensive line only surrendered one sack and Taylen for the most part had plenty of time to throw. Coach Hamdan did say this week that circumstances didn’t lend well for them to run the ball, but when they did run they were averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The 2023 version of the O-line with Kage Casey, Cade Beresford, Garrett Curran, Ben Dooley, and Roger Carreon could really aid in the success of the Broncos going forward. 

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. Keep A Lid On It

The Defensive Backs didn’t have their best performance last week, we all know that. Ball after Ball went over their heads for score after score. This week they go against an offensive attack that will take their shots and try to create confusion in the pre snap and with play action. The Broncos have to, as coach Danielson always says, “play with great communication and eye control.” 

2. Play to Your Strengths  

Last year when Taylen Green took over, he sent Broncos Nation into a frenzy with his ability to run the football. His ability to make plays with his legs is his super power and last Saturday he didn’t use that power. Running the ball as a whole seemed to be the hallmark of the team last year. The “read option” type play was supposed to be the bread-and-butter of this offense this year. For some reason it didn’t seem like that was the case last week. Coach Avalos did say that there were “over 10 plays called that were read-type plays for the quarterback.” No matter the reason, this week Boise State needs to get back to playing to their strengths which is the legs of Green, Holani, and Jeanty. 

3. Make em Pay

John Rhys Plumlee has shown he can be careless with the football. Three turnovers in his first game against Kent State isn’t great if you’re a UCF fan. Boise State, even with the stinker of a performance on defense last week, has to be excited for the opportunities that will come to cause some chaos and snag a couple of turnovers. When the opportunities come on Saturday the Broncos have to capitalize and make them pay! 

Editorial Note: 

I won’t lie to you, I’m not one for moral victories or settling for anything less than actual wins. Last Saturday was a hard pill to swallow and I’m not sure what to make of this team. All three phases of the game looked good at times and all three had their cringe moments. However, things are never as good as they seem or as bad as they seem. Boise State is coming off an ugly loss. UCF is coming off a lopsided victory. Both programs probably aren’t sure what their teams actually look like. Boise State isn’t as bad as a 37-point loss might show. The Knights aren’t going to beat everyone by 50 I assume. This week, for both teams, might be the week that their true colors shine.

 I wish the Broncos were playing someone that they could sleep walk through and still get the win to boost confidence and work out the kinks, but they aren’t. They play another Power-5 opponent. They play another high powered offense. They play against a coach that has been around the game for a long time. Are they up to the task? Until I see it, I’m not sure. I have hope and belief that this is a good team. I just need to see it against someone not in the Mountain West. This is a hard one for me since both teams had such drastic opening weeks. I still think  Boise State can win out the rest of the way. Broncos reset the season trajectory by beating the “Golden” Knights on the Blue. 

Boise State 38, UCF 28