Boise State coach Avalos makes big change to staff less than 24 hours after loss to UTEP

Boise State offensive coordinator Tim Plough has been fired, Broncos head coach Andy Avalos announced on Saturday.

Plough was relieved of his duties less than 24 hours after the Broncos’ 27-10 loss at UTEP on Friday. Boise State was limited to 177 yards of offense.

“This was a difficult decision, but I believe it is in the best interest of our program,” Avalos said in a statement. “Our team goals are still in front of us and we are focused on working to accomplish them. Tim is a good football coach, and I have no doubt he will continue to positively impact the young men he works with in the future.”

Former Boise State head coach Dirk Koetter will assume the role of offensive coordinator for the remainder of the season. He coached the Broncos from 1998 to 2000 before moving on take over at Arizona State and eventually coach in the NFL, where he was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and served two stints as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.

Koetter joined the Broncos this year as an offensive analyst. His son, Davis, is a sixth-year senior at Boise State.

Plough was hired at Boise State in January 2021 after engineering a high-scoring, pass-happy offense at UC Davis, an FCS program that led the Big Sky Conference with 484.7 yards of offense and 384.3 passing yards a game in 2017, and set more than 20 program records.

He signed a two-year contract at Boise State in 2021, which was set to expire on Feb. 28, 2023. Plough received a $10,000 raise this year, which made his base salary $280,000. He was the second-highest paid assistant on the staff, and Plough will receive the remainder of his salary, according to his contract. Koetter is making $24,000 as an analyst.

Plough came to Boise State talking about the lofty goal of scoring 50 points a game, but that rarely panned out. The Broncos scored more than 50 once during his tenure — a 54-13 win over UTEP last season. The team scored in the 20s six times last season and scored less than 20 once.

Boise State ranked No. 7 in the Mountain West with 381 yards of total offense a game in 2021, Plough’s first with the Broncos.

Boise State ranks No. 10 in the conference this season, at 283.3 yards a game. The Broncos are No. 9 with 120.3 rushing yards a game and No. 7 with 163 passing yards per contest.

The Broncos are back in action on Friday at home against San Diego State (6 p.m., FS1).