The Boise State Broncos (7-1, 4-0) defense in 2024 have perfected the second part, leaving opponents scrambling to accomplish the first part.
Through eight games, 12th-ranked Boise State has perfected the art of the sack. A deep rotation on the defensive line, with stars on the interior and the edges, has propelled things along. But pressure and success have come from all angles, turning an at times maligned defense into one that strikes fear into opponents.
All the while, it is fair to sing the sweet praises when it comes to knocking opponents off their feet.
Boise State Broncos: Sack lunch
Expectations on the d-line were high at the start of the season, given the talent returning from last season. Leading the charge was preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year Ahmed Hassanein, who had 12.5 sacks and 53 tackles in 2023.
Hassanein, despite extra focus on him, is still wreaking havoc and is currently second on the team with 7.5 sacks.
Fellow edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan has been a disruptive force so far for Boise State. Virgin-Morgan has excelled at pressuring quarterbacks and forcing bad throws, all while leading the team with eight sacks. The redshirt sophomore accumulated 5.5 of those in the last three games and his total has him tied for fifth in the nation.
Herbert Gums, Braxton Fely (4.5 sacks), Michael Callahan, and Sheldon Newton are also making their mark up front.
All told, Boise State has 38 sacks this season, placing them second in the nation. Ole Miss leads with 41 but they have also played one more game than the Broncos.
Still, the defensive line tells only a portion of this sack story. The secondary is playing their part and overall, it is a defense playing better each week.
Eyes on Boise State's 'D'
Scorched early in the season for big play after big play, Boise State's secondary and pass defense in general was out of sorts. It was a bit surprising, given the talent the team had coming back to the defensive back and linebacker positions.
Things have settled since those early weeks. This is thanks to ramping up the pressure and, even though lapses occurred, better consistency from the secondary.
Helping them, I think, has been an effort to get them involved in blitz packages, where players like Seyi Oladipo (4.5 sacks) and Rodney Robinson (3 sacks) are excelling.
Low interception numbers are also concern, though Boise State has found life in this area in the last two games. The Broncos had three interceptions. One, Andrew Simpson, against UNLV, and two in the victory over the San Diego State Aztecs, including a pick-six for A'marion McCoy.
Three members of the secondary lead the team in tackles, led by the player who picked up the other interception against the Aztecs, Alexander Teubner. Teubner has 47 tackles, with 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
Ty Benefield has done a bit of everything for the Broncos. Benefield is second on the team in tackles with 44, has two fumble recoveries, one interception, and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Zion Washington has 39 tackles, currently third on the team.
From the linebacker position, Simpson has 33 tackles, two sacks, and leads Boise State with nine tackles for loss.
Overall, Boise State allows 25.6 points per game. Stout against the run (115.4 yards per game), the team does have some work to do in the passing game (249 yards per game). To be fair, some of this is from early weeks against pass-heavy teams, and teams passing more to play catch up.
Heading into the final four games of the regular season, these numbers should get even better. Especially if sacks continue to arrive in bunches. And with any luck, Boise State will get to keep screaming "here comes the blitz" deep into December.
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