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Friday Special…August 29, 2025.
Oscar Doyle averaged 47.8 yards on four punts. So there’s that. But not much else is positive coming out of South Florida’s 34-7 blowout of Boise State in Tampa. The Broncos scored on their third drive and never got on the board again, as the more disciplined and better-tackling Bulls thoroughly outplayed Boise State. USF was outgained by six yards in the game, but it pounced on three Broncos fumbles and benefitted from some head-scratching penalties. The game-turning play, though, came on special teams midway through the third quarter when Boise State was caught flat-footed on a fake punt. The Bulls snuck quarterback Locklan Hewitt on the field, and the result was a 45-yard touchdown pass.
HOUSEKEEPING
The loss was Boise State’s worst since the 56-19 rout at the hands of Washington to open the season two years ago. It was coach Spencer Danielson’s first loss to a Group of 5 team. And I did not know this until it appeared on ESPN’s Bottom Line: it’s the first time the Broncos have failed to score in the final three quarters of a game since 2005. They’ll drop out of the polls and may not so much as receive a vote. The publicity you get just by being in the Top 25 will be gone, too.
NOW THEY’VE JUST GOTTA WIN
So what does it mean to Boise State? Did the loss to South Florida take the Broncos out of the College Football Playoff race after just one game? Well, another loss to a team not named Notre Dame would, but the door is still open. Remember that it’s the top-ranked Group of 5 conference champion that gets in the CFP. As dicey as things appear, Boise State can still be that. We’ve seen this movie before—in 2014, for example. The Broncos were given up for dead when they were 3-2 at the end of September after a seven-turnover, two-touchdown loss at Air Force. Then they ran off nine wins in a row and won the Fiesta Bowl. What happened Thursday was not expected from a team that returned so many starters. That’s the mystery. It can’t be explained away by “there’s no Ashton Jeanty anymore.” There is work to do.
WHAT WE THOUGHT VS. WHAT WE GOT
Sometimes fall camp is a mirage. Wide receiver Chris Marshall was the talk of August. Then on his first catch of the game against South Florida, he equaled his total yardage from last season with 13 yards. Marshall’s second grab was a six-yard touchdown from Maddux Madsen. He never made another reception. Another hot topic in camp was the improvement of the Broncos secondary. That did not translate in Tampa. Jeremiah Earby had a tough time tackling and defending, and Davon Banks had the damaging unnecessary roughness penalty after Boise State had made a big third down sack while still leading in the second quarter. The Bulls were in the end zone six plays later. There were also a couple of plays where Banks did not go, let’s say, “full throttle.” Coaches love reviewing film. They’ll review that.
BATTLE OF THE PALOUSE NOTES
When a rivalry between two teams separated by eight miles dates back 131 years—even if it has changed dramatically—it warrants a deep dive. Idaho and Washington State play in the 93rd Battle of the Palouse Saturday in Pullman, a series that the Cougars have dominated 72-17 with three ties. Wazzu has also taken 10 straight over the Vandals, who last won 25 years ago. But the dynamic is different this time. Washington State has just 21 lettermen returning on a roster that features a whopping 75 newcomers. Idaho has 56 lettermen back and lists just 19 players from the transfer portal. The Vandals are 13.5-point underdogs, but for them, familiarity could breed success.
LOCAL FLAVOR ON LOCAL ICE
It’ll be good to see Boise native C.J. Walker in an Idaho Steelheads sweater again when training camp opens in about five weeks. The Steelheads have re-signed Walker to a second season after he produced eight goals and five assists in 42 games last season. Walker had made the team the hard way—via a camp tryout last year. He grew up playing for the Junior Steelheads before moving to Saskatchewan at the age of 14 to pursue his hockey dream. The Steelies also have their 2024-25 team Defenseman of the Year back, as they announced Thursday that Trevor Zins is in the fold. Zins played in all 72 games for Idaho last season. Talk about a grinder.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by HARMON TRAVEL…official sponsor of Boise State athletics.
August 29, 1974: A defining moment in basketball, as Moses Malone jumps directly to the American Basketball Association instead of honoring the letter of intent he signed with Maryland. Malone was the first player to go straight to the pros out of high school. Early entries into the NBA Draft became a problem in the mid-1990s, and the current rule requiring players to be 19 years old and one year out of high school to be eligible for the draft was established in 2005. Malone would go on to win three MVP awards in the NBA and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
