Friday, August 29, 2014
ATLANTA – It's all Broncos today in an abbreviated Scott Slant column. It was not all Broncos last night in the Georgia Dome, as Boise State fell to Ole Miss 35-13 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff. The final score somewhat resembles the 38-6 waxing the Broncos absorbed at Washington a year ago this weekend, but it didn't have the same feel. The offense did employ its old shifts and motion, and it did take shots down the field. They just didn't connect, as Grant Hedrick threw four interceptions–the most since Jared Zabransky's infamous meltdown at Georgia in 2005–and ended up with 264 yards on 36-of-46 passing, just 7.3 yards per completion. The stats would indicate a dink-and-dunk offense, but that it wasn't.
The numbers would also point to a defensive debacle, but 212 of the Rebels' 456 yards came in the fourth quarter. That was after defensive tackle Tyler Horn had departed the game with a knee injury and Donte Deayon was on the sidelines trying to shake off an injury that had him grimacing. With Deayon out, Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace picked on cornerback Jonathan Moxey while throwing three touchdown passes in the final period. Through all that, Boise State did not mail it in during that disastrous fourth quarter, settling down for a 73-yard TD drive that allowed the Broncos to escape the ignominy of a third straight season opener without an offensive touchdown.
The Boise State offense, stunningly, was just a three-man show. A team that searched all through fall camp for that third option at wide receiver didn't have one, as Shane Williams-Rhodes had 14 catches and Matt Miller six to account for all the production at wideout. In fact, Hedrick's 36 completions were split between just four guys–Jay Ajayi added 12 catches and redshirt freshman tight end Jake Roh four. Last year the Broncos had Geraldo Boldewijn, Kirby Moore and Aaron Burks in the supporting cast. They're going to need somebody there this year moving forward.
It was a solid night for Ajayi in the face of an experienced SEC defense. The junior running back added 88 yards on 20 carries to his production in the passing game. The first quarter was eventful for Ajayi–the Ole Miss game plan appeared to be to tattoo him at every opportunity. He was rocked by big hits three times in the first eight minutes of the game but kept on ticking. After the third one Ajayi gathered in a screen pass and dashed 32 yards. And he scored Boise State's only touchdown of the game with 4:26 left on a nine-yard pass from Hedrick. But just like the Broncos need a third wide receiver, they need a second running back. Ajayi can't be expected to carry that kind of a load for 12 weeks. The only other running back other than Ajayi with a rushing attempt was Devan Demas with one tote for three yards.
The Boise State defensive line held up reasonably well against the massive Ole Miss offensive line, getting two sacks and holding the Rebels to 25 yards rushing through the first three quarters. The Broncos were able to rotate two units on the D-line until the injury to Horn–then they had to mix and match. Senior Beau Martin led the line with six tackles, two for losses, and half a sack. The effort was something defensive line coach Steve Caldwell can build on.
The final score was ugly, but that game was winnable, and the Broncos know it. The offensive line wasn't the total liability many had feared. It was Bryan Harsin's first game as the coach of his alma mater. It was the first time offensive coordinator Mike Sanford and defensive coordinator Marcel Yates have called a game. It was the first time out for a new set of offensive and defensive schemes. There's a huge learning curve here, and there are pieces in place. Patience, patience, patience. As much as some would like to call it a sequel to the Washington game last year, it was not.
Boise State is well-represented at the new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. If you visited, raise your hand if you went into the booth and called the play-by-play for the hook-and-lateral in the Fiesta Bowl. The digital display for the Broncos' late defensive tackle, Randy Trautman, was cool (so was the one for Idaho quarterback John Friesz). The first thing you see when you walk in is the huge wall that includes helmets from all 768 schools that play four-year college football. Included is one from the College of Idaho.
This Day In Sports…August 29, 1974, 40 years ago today:
A defining moment in basketball, as Moses Malone jumps directly to the ABA 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-1990's, and the current rule requiring players to be 19 years old and one year out of high school 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 Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m. on KTVB's Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 The Ticket.)
