Boise State’s down year is here — and multiple homes losses reflect major issues

It has arrived.

For the better part of two decades, during Boise State football’s incredible run of success, there was often a question in the back of a lot of minds. A question so hypothetical, it was to some just comic book-level fantasy.

What if … Boise State really has a down year?

Sorry Bronco fans, but it is here.

Boise State lost a third straight home game Saturday — the first time that has happened in 25 years — making it hard to watch this version of the Broncos and not think of it as a rebuilding season that eventually would come.

Sure, the officiating was often brutal Saturday night in the 24-17 loss to Air Force, and the Falcons absolutely had something to do with the outcome. But Boise State (3-4, 1-2 Mountain West) is just not a very good team right now.

The vibes were great for a week coming off a win at then-No. 10 BYU, which lost again this week to Baylor, but the reality of an improved Mountain West and a struggling Boise State is clear.

A lot of that can be traced back to a coaching staff that is either finding its way — with a rookie head coach and key offensive coaches in the FBS for the first time — or one that is in over its head.

It was not more evident than on a failed fourth down at the Air Force 2-yard line with 5 minutes to go in the third quarter. Coming out of a timeout, the Broncos lined up with only 10 men on the field while going for a touchdown that would have tied the score.

It’s the seventh game of the season, in a key moment, with a shot at making it a 21-21 game — and that happened.

That’s inexcusable anywhere, let alone at a place like this. No wonder quarterback Hank Bachmeier looked overwhelmed the second he rolled out on the failed attempt. He wound up taking a hard hit while scrambling toward the goal line.

“That’s a critical error in that situation,” first-year coach Andy Avalos said. “That’s my fault.”

As often is the case when playing Air Force, it’s not all about stopping the option, which the defense did a great job of in the second half.

Back-to-back holding penalties killed a second-quarter BSU drive that had gone into Air Force territory.

After a Bachmeier scramble seemed to get a first down at midfield early in the fourth quarter, he was deemed short. Second-and-1 is manageable, right? But no, Bachmeier was hit trying to pass and the ball bounded backward and out of bounds, making it 3rd-and-20. A punt soon followed.

The Broncos scored just three points in the second half. They’ve now had a grand total of 13 points in the second half of their three home losses. The physicality that showed up against BYU has been nonexistent in those games. That is very much not “the standard,” as Avalos often notes.

Special teams had a major error late in the game when a punt hit Kekaula Kaniho while he was locked up with an Air Force player, but the unit also recovered an onside kick with less than a minute remaining — just before a Bachmeier interception on the next play ended any comeback try.

Patience is a difficult word to process for most fans, especially at Boise State, but they must learn it.

Maybe in the future, this will be looked at as an offense adjusting to a new system, a team dealing with a spate of injuries, a staff figuring out how the previous staff’s players fit with them, and coaches trying to fit their own recruits into their schemes.

Avalos mentioned maintaining consistency, and he pointed at seemingly small things, such as how being late for meetings can bleed into preparation and the ability to put together four quarters.

If that’s an issue, Avalos will need to find the intensity that Bryan Harsin had after losses, or even the disappointed parent look Chris Petersen wore so well.

When the vibes are good, it’s easy to see how Avalos is the right man for the job, but how he’ll be measured depends on whether he can right the ship when things aren’t so great.

The Albertsons Stadium attendance Saturday was a season low, and it won’t get better — not with this record, not with only Wyoming and New Mexico left on the home slate, not with the lack of excitement this team is bringing.

Now that the hypothetical down year is here, a fan base that has been charmed with so many wins over the years will need to be won over again, with some tough Mountain West road games still ahead.

That’s going to take a little time, and sorry Bronco Nation, but it’s going to require patience.

Dave Southorn is a former Boise State football beat writer for the Idaho Statesman who provides occasional commentary on the Broncos.