3 takeaways: Boise State football team delivers shellacking to Colorado State

BOISE, Idaho — Well, at least Colorado State didn't allow three special teams touchdowns.

That's what happened the last time the Rams played at Boise State.

Gallows humor aside, it was another ugly one for CSU at Boise State on Saturday, as the Broncos easily rolled over the Rams in a 49-10 win at Albertsons Stadium in front of 33,895 fans.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Boise State delivers reality check

The past three games where CSU went 2-1, ran the ball with excellence and defended at a top level brought some belief that CSU was turning a corner.

In some ways it was true. Those results count as much as any other and there were clear signs of improvement.

Mathematically, this was a battle for first place. Reality showed that it’s a big gap from Boise State at the top to where CSU is at. CSUs defense that was No. 2 in league play in points allowed was exposed as not fully prime-time ready, with Boise State moving the ball at will.

Redshirt freshman QB Taylen Green has turned Boise State’s season around and he put on a show. He emerged as a running threat earlier this season but dominated through the air.

Green picked CSU apart passing, going 24-of-30 for 305 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a spectacular 10-yard TD run early in the second half. Green spent the fourth quarter chilling on the bench, his work done early.

Lytle:Bowled over by Boise State, CSU football has a long way to go

Longtime Boise State running back George Holani was an injury doubt entering the game but he played and dominated. He had three 1-yard TD runs and finished with 108 yards rushing.

Boise State racked up 516 total yards of offense.

Offense still struggling

True freshman walk-on Keegan Hamilton started at center for the Rams due to George Miki-Han being injured. It’s a neat story, but also a sign of CSU’s offensive line challenges.

Hamilton is the fourth different center to start for the Rams and it was the sixth different offensive line combination used in eight games. Redshirt freshman walk-on Sammy Norris took snaps at center in the second half.

The group struggled against the ferocious Boise State front. CSU had allowed four sacks by the middle of the second quarter and the Rams never could run the ball.

Avery Morrow had three consecutive 100-yard games entering Saturday, but never found space. He was injured in the first half and, while he did return to the field, he played sparingly after.

Millen showed flash of what hopes is the future with a perfect 76-yard deep ball TD to true freshman Justus Ross-Simmons late in the first half. Millen finished 13-of-20 for 161 yards, a TD and no picks. He was pulled in the fourth quarter to allow true freshman Jackson Stratton to receive his first college reps.

CSU’s offense is brutally young, with five true or redshirt freshmen starters. It’s a rough way to learn at times, but the Rams will hope it pays off in the future.

CSU finished with just 170 yards of offense and a mere three rushing (the 30 yards of sacks are subtracted from total rush yards).

CSU is steps below Boise State

Boise State is what CSU wants to be. In many ways fans hate to hear that because there’s such disdain for the people of The Blue but that angst is because of the success.

Saturday’s game was just the latest example of how there’s still a big gap and how big the task is for Jay Norvell.

CSU is now 0-12 all-time against the Broncos and some big-picture stats show how dominant Boise State has been.

The average margin of victory for the Broncos in those 12 matchups is a whopping 22 points per game. The fewest points CSU has ever allowed to Boise State is 28 and the Rams give up 44 per game on average.

Yes, there have been a few close games and the infamous 2017 meltdown will haunt CSU fans for a long time, but on the whole the Rams have been several classes below the Broncos.

That’s what Norvell is here to fix, but it didn’t happen this time.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Boise State football team wins blowout over Colorado State football