Boise State Broncos
Mountain West
Boise State has been down this road before. A heartbreaking loss late in the season thwarted any hope the Broncos had of playing for a BCS National Championship. This time it was a thrilling defeat at the hands of TCU by a score of 35-36. And, again, it was a missed field goal that ended it. But this is still a very good Boise State team who can beat anybody on any given day.
2011 Record: 11-1, 6-1
Last Bowl Appearance: 2010 Las Vegas Bowl vs. Utah (W 26-3)
Big Wins: 9/3 vs. Georgia (35-21), 11/26 Wyoming (36-14)
Bad Losses: 11/12 TCU (35-36)
Coach: Chris Petersen (72-6 at Boise State, 72-6 overall)
Bowl Record: 3-2 at Boise State, 3-2 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Brent Pease
Defensive Coordinator: Pete Kwiatkowski
Strengths:
The Kellen Moore led offense is what makes this team special. Moore is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation and he will throw a ton of touchdowns and rarely get intercepted. More importantly, he completes nearly 75 percent of his passes. That is impressive. The unsung skill players on Boise State are the wide receivers. Moore gets all the credit, but Tyler Shoemaker, Matt Miller and Mitch Burroughs have stepped up their games and deserve more credit for the success of the passing attack. The rushing offense may not be as potent as the air attack, but Doug Martin and D.J. Harper are more than capable of doing some serious damage on the ground. Martin is the workhorse, but Harper, who struggled with a minor ankle injury late in the year, is a great change of pace back that can run through most defenders. The experienced offensive line, led by left tackle Nate Potter, makes everybody’s job much easier for Boise State. Yet, it is Moore who receives, and deserves, much of the accolades. He is a great leader on the field and when he has the opportunity to make things happen, he gets it done.
Weaknesses:
The Broncos defense has been pretty good this year. Since the offense rarely commits turnovers, anything the Broncos defense can get in that department is just a bonus. And they get plenty of turnovers. When the opposition loses out on a possession or two throughout a game, Boise State will make them pay. The turnovers are good, but this is not a defense that will get much pressure on the opposing quarterback. Shea McClellin and Tyrone Crawford are good, experienced bookends to the line, but that is pretty much where all of the Broncos pass rush comes from. It can be pretty predictable for one thing and a couple good offensive tackles can keep the pass rush non-existent. The lack of pressure does allow some teams to make headway through the air, but the secondary is strong. The rush defense is a bigger concern since this team lacks a superstar in the linebacker corps.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Doug Martin, RB, 1,148 yards
Passing: Kellen Moore, QB, 3,507 yards
Receiving: Tyler Shoemaker, WR, 959 yards
Tackles: Byron Hout, LB, 65
Sacks: Tyrone Crawford, DE, 6.5
Interceptions: Jerrell Gavins, CB, 3
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 174.91 (39th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 302.73 (13, 1)
Total Offense: 477.64 (11, 1)
Scoring Offense: 43.09 (6, 1)
Rushing Defense: 126.27 (29, 1)
Pass Defense: 200.09 (33, 4)
Total Defense: 326.36 (21, 1)
Scoring Defense: 19.91 (19, 1)
Turnover Margin: .91 (13, 2)
Sacks: 1.64 (85, 5)
Sacks Allowed: .64 (2, 1)
