With 2 weeks until opener, Boise State football holds second scrimmage of fall camp
The Boise State football team held its second scrimmage of fall camp Saturday at Dona Larsen Park with the intention of simulating an away game.
The scrimmage, which was closed to the media and the public, came two weeks before the Broncos’ season opener Sept. 2 at No. 10 Washington (1:30 p.m., ABC).
Unlike the first scrimmage, the Broncos went through their entire pregame routine, even using the Stueckle Sky Center to emulate the pregame meetup at the hotel.
“Today was really about ... seeing how much more efficient we can be with the operations,” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said. “We spent two and a half weeks really working on basically A through Z in terms of football situations, our philosophies and our schemes that are gonna go along within those situations, and it was fun to see the guys put it together.”
Although complete stats from the scrimmage were not shared with the media, Avalos said starting quarterback Taylen Green completed 72% of his passes. Redshirt freshman Maddux Madsen, who is fighting for the backup spot, had a completion percentage of 75% with one touchdown, and freshman CJ Tiller completed 50% of his passes, but Avalos mentioned Tiller did have an explosive play of 43 yards.
Similar to the first scrimmage, Avalos said the offense and defense had a good give and take.
“We were able to move the ball, but I’ll tell you, it slowed down pretty quick,” Avalos said. “It was awesome to see the defense regain some momentum. And that’s what you want to see, for it to go back and forth.”
▪ EARLY OFFENSE: Avalos said the offense scored on its first two drives of the scrimmage, but did not give specifics. “It was actually a really cool touchdown,” Avalos said with a smile of the Broncos’ opening drive.
▪ KICKING GAME: The Broncos went 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts, with starter Jonah Dalmas connecting on field goals of 42, 51 and 36 yards. Redshirt freshman kicker Wyatt Redding also made a field goal.
▪ ON THE RUN: Standout running backs George Holani and Ashton Jeanty saw more time on the field in the second scrimmage, but were still limited to six and three carries, respectively. The offense as a whole totaled 147 yards on the ground. “It was good to see them get work in the first half of the scrimmage today, and they did a really nice job,” Avalos said.
▪ TAKEAWAYS: The defense got its hands on a pair of interceptions for the second straight scrimmage. This time the spoils went to redshirt sophomore linebacker Marco Notarainni and freshman safety Boen Phelps.
▪ PENALTIES: Avalos said his squad got fatigued toward the end of the first scrimmage and had some mental lapses. The Broncos held up better on both fronts in scrimmage No. 2. “The mental endurance and being able to play a certain way and not get sloppy with it. We cut down on penalties today,” Avalos said.
▪ PROTECTING THE QB: While Green had a good completion percentage, the offensive line did give up a few sacks. “We’re working to continue to handle our protections and make sure we’re getting squared away there,” Avalos said.
▪ WHAT’S NEXT: Avalos said the staff will take the next 24 to 36 hours to break down film and self scout. It’s an important step before the team begins preparations for its season opener against Washington. “We can’t turn the page before we know exactly the certain areas of where we’re efficient, how efficient we are and what the plan is to become even more efficient,” Avalos said.
