How Exactly Did Boise State Upset Florida State?
We go quarter by quarter to see how Boise State won
Contact/Follow @erik_smiley54 & @MWCwire
Time of possesion was key for the Broncos
Boise State has a history of scheduling big games to open their season and Florida State would fall into that category. Although coming off of a down year, the Seminoles look to improve on their 5-7 total from last year. The Broncos come in with a new quarterback, true freshman Hank Bachmeier, and a new defense.
Hurricane Dorian provided some excitement/pain before the game even started but forcing the game to move from Jacksonville to Tallahassee and moving the game up to a 10 a.m. MT start time, which also means it is going to be played in the hottest part of the day. Even with the changes, the Broncos and their fans look forward to seeing how the offseason changes look in real game action.
First Quarter:
Boise State received the opening kick and that game started as well as anyone could have hoped. The ground game came on strong with a 17-yard run by Robert Mahone on the first play of the drive and added a 7yard run by John Hightower and another 10 years run by Andrew Van Buren. Hank Bachmeier went completed one of his two pass attempts and converted a first down with his 6-yard completion to CT Thomas.
Unfortunately, the drive ended with a fumble by Van Buren which Florida State was able to convert into a touchdown after a 38-yard run on a 4th and one play.
The Broncos did not stray away from the running backs though, continuing to run and pass to them through the following drive, with both Mahone and Van Buren getting touches and moving the ball effectively. Coupled with short, high percentage passes, the Broncos moved the ball down the Florida State 19 before the drive stalled out and were forced to settle for a field goal attempt. With special teams being a weak spot for the Broncos last year, Senior transfer Eric Sachse converted the 36-yard attempt.
Florida State wasted no time getting themselves back on the board as on the first play of their following drive James Blackman completed a short pass that Tamorrion Terry turned into a 75-yard touchdown, pushing their lead to 14-3.
Boise State looked to be heading towards disaster when the Seminoles appeared to have a sack and fumble that they returned for a touchdown, only to have the call overturned. Boise State responded by putting together a solid 11 play drive to cover 56 yards before converting a second 36-yard field goal attempt by Sachse. The highlight of the drive was a 36-yard completion by Bachmeier, who was hit and had his helmet knocked off, to CT Thomas for 36 yards to convert a 3rd and 10 play.
The final full drive of the first quarter ended with Florida State in the end zone again. The Bronco defense, for the first time in the game, looked outmatched with the Seminoles put together a 10 play drive to go up 21-3 to end the quarter
Boise State 3, Florida State 21
Second Quarter
The Bronco offense didn’t do much in their next opportunity gaining only 17 yards on their next drive but did get a good 52-yard punt from Joel Velazquez. Florida State used their big-play ability to get themselves down to the Boise State 1 yard line before a couple of missed snaps and an ineffective run lead to a 4th and goal from the Bronco 28 yard line. They were still able to get off the field with some points as their kicker Ricky Aguayo hit from 46 yards.
The Broncos and Seminoles exchanged turnovers by their quarterbacks. Bachmeier overshot Khalil Shakir and was intercepted Florida State safety Isaiah Bolden that was returned to the Florida State 32 yard line. Seminole QB James Blackman, in turn, fumbled after being sacked by Kekaula Kaniho, which was recovered by David Moa that was returned to the Florida State 30 yard line.
The Broncos took advantage of the turnover by reaching the end zone for their first touchdown on the year with a 1-yard run by Robert Mahone. Boise State’s running backs continued to be the feature of the offense as George Holani and Mahone were responsible for all 40 yards on the drive.
With the Broncos closing in on their lead to 11 points, Florida State again came out and wasted little time getting themselves into the end zone. Blackman completed a 58-yard pass to Keyshawn Helton for a touchdown.
Boise State put together another long drive, which they had largely been able to do all game, that once again ended with a field goal attempt. Sachse again converted his attempt, this time for 41-yards.
After the defense had their first 3 and out of the game, the Bronco offense had another opportunity to get on the board before the end of the half. With less than two minutes left the drive fell mostly on Bachmeier to move the ball. Going 4-7 for 49 yards, Bachmeier did well to move the ball down to the Florida State 10 yard line.
It appeared that the Broncos got in the end zone when Bachmeier completed a pass to Akilian Butler, but Butler had stepped out of the back of the end zone and returned to the field before catching the pass. The Broncos, once again, had to settle for a field goal. Eric Sachse remained perfect on the day, connecting from 26 yards out to end the half.
Boise State19, Florida State 31
Third Quarter
The third quarter opened up in the polar opposite of the first half with the first 5 possessions the teams exchanging punts and the next two they mixed it up and exchanged fumbles. The end result was Boise State starting a drive at their own 31-yard line. The Broncos got back to moving the ball on the Seminoles and got themselves into the red zone once again. Bachmeier completed 4 out of his 5 passes, including the first touchdown pass of his Bronco career, connecting with Khalil Shakir for an 11-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to get the score to 26-31.
The Bronco defense kept up with their stout play, shutting down the Florida State offense and pressuring James Blackman into 2 incompletions and a sack. There were very few pass attempts where Blackman looked comfortable in the third quarter.
Boise State 26, Florida State 31
Fourth Quarter
Boise State continued with their momentum by putting together an 11 play, 60-yard drive and taking their first lead of the game on a 1-yard Robert Mahone run with 12:44 left in the game. The extended drives by the Broncos look to be taking a toll on the Seminole defense as drives that were ending with field goals in the first half are now ending with touchdowns.
The Bronco defense continued to ride the momentum and forced a 3 and out from Florida State. The Seminole punter Logan Tyler continued to have a good game keeping Avery Williams in check with another lofted 44-yard punt, giving the Broncos the ball on the BSU 33-yard line.
Bachmeier and the Bronco offense went back to work and continued methodically driving the ball down the field looking to put Florida State down by two scores. It looked like Boise State had done just that when Bachmeier completed a 5-yard bootleg pass to Van Buren, but the play was negated by an offensive pass interference call for tight end Matt Pistone blocking downfield.
After the penalty, the Broncos still got points on the board with a 30-yard field goal from Eric Sachse, which tied the Boise State single-game record for made field goals in a game.
With time winding down and the Seminoles needing to put together a drive to get on the board, the Bronco defense continued their second-half domination. Florida State was forced to punt after giving up another sack to the Broncos, Curtis Weaver’s first on the year, on a 3rd and long play after only gaining 1 yard on the drive.
The Broncos offense didn’t do much yardage wise to close out the game other than taking almost 4 minutes off the clock before having to punt the ball away after almost fumbling the ball again, losing 7 yards. Joel Velazquez boomed a 52-yard punt that D.J. Mathews bravely fielded inside the 5-yard line, returning it to the 25-yard line.
Florida State put pressure on the Bronco defense by starting to move the ball before derailing themselves with a holding penalty that forced a 4th and 13 play to continue their drive. James Blackman made it interesting by making a break for it after not finding an open receiver, only to be stopped 4 yards short of the first down marker. The Broncos took over and kneeled from the victory formation to seal the game for Coach Harsin’s fifth season-opening win in a row
FINAL: Boise State 36, Florida State 31
Key Moment:
Half time. Clearly some adjustments were made or the Broncos got to a time where they are used to being awake and playing football, but the switch was flipped and the second half was a completely different team than the first.
Player of the Game:
Robert Mahone with 24 carries, 142 yards, and two touchdowns. He came up with some big first downs and was key to keeping the clock running and the Florida State defense on the field for 40 minutes.
Final Thoughts:
This was a wild game, but the Broncos were able to pull it off in the second half. Florida State is the most talented team, top to bottom, that Boise State will face all season and the Broncos were able to come from behind and win a game in their conditions and on their field. There is still room for improvement in their pass defense but as long as the Broncos don’t get ahead of themselves, this has the opportunity to be one of the special seasons.
Statistics from ESPN and College Football Reference.
