Boise State vs. Oregon State: Broncos Run Over By Beavers In 34-17 Loss
The season did not get off to a very good start for the Broncos on Saturday in a performance plagued by mistakes.
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Not the result many expected.
When halftime rolled around in Corvallis on Saturday night, most Boise State fans hoped that the game was one of two halves, with a brutal first half followed by a miraculous comeback. That turned out not to be not the case as the Broncos fell to the Oregon State Beavers, 34-17.
The first half was plagued by three turnovers, for which quarterback Hank Bachmeier was responsible, poor offensive line play, and shaky play from the secondary. The second half featured signs of life from the offense that produced some points, but there was no consistency from either side of the ball.
Bachmeier struggled, there is no denying that. Going 4-of-8 for 30 yards with two interceptions and a fumble crushed the offense in the first quarter. This led to Taylen Green being brought in, and while there was a little more movement, there still were no immediate points as a result of the change. With the offensive line underperforming, the running game could not produce anything meaningful no matter how much effort George Holani put in.
The defense struggled in the secondary for most of the first half as well. They were able to force and recover a fumble and get an interception, but they gave up 223 passing yards and two touchdowns in the first thirty minutes, which helped Oregon State to build to a 24-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, the defense stepped up as much as they could, holding Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan to 28 yards passing in the half. The Oregon State running game took hold, though, and they were able to rack up 178 yards for the game. Green and the offense had the illusion of production as he threw a lot of 50-50 balls that resulted in catches or pass interference calls to move down the field, and he got assistance from a Caleb Biggers interception at the OSU 25-yard line. Green was also able to use his legs to get to the end zone twice, including a 74-yard scramble to pull the Broncos to 27-17, but Oregon State was quick to respond and found the end zone themslves to extend their lead to 34-17, which was the final score.
This was a hard game to watch. Taking a look back at the keys to the game, the Broncos missed on containing Chance Nolan and the offensive line was not what was promised. The defense played well, all things considered. When the offense turns the ball over five times, there is only so much you can do.
Oregon State is a much better team than they used to be, but they are not as good as this game made them look. There are red flags that need to be addressed with the Bronco offense before they get to the tougher run of their schedule. They have some easier opponents coming up, but after tonight, no game is a “gimme” any longer. Next week, the Broncos travel to New Mexico, which will be coming off a 41-0 victory over FCS Maine, before returning to Boise to face UT-Martin.
