Will Boise State’s packed, experienced backfield help run-heavy offense set new records?

Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a series exploring the top 10 questions surrounding the Boise State football team this season. Each article will be accompanied by a video featuring Idaho Statesman reporter Ron Counts and Boise State super-fan Jacob Bleymaier. The videos also will appear on his Bronco Bleymaier YouTube channel.

The Boise State football team will be dealing with the best kind of problem this season: too many mouths to feed in the backfield.

Expectations for the Broncos’ running game are high after quarterback Taylen Green combined with running backs George Holani and Ashton Jeanty to rush for 2,564 yards and 27 touchdowns last season.

All three are back, and new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said his scheme will rely heavily on the ground game.

That begs the question: Can the Broncos break a couple of their single-season rushing records this year?

Boise State’s record for net rushing yards in a season is 2,994, set in 2014, the same year that Jay Ajayi set the program’s single-season rushing record with 1,823 yards.

The program’s record for rushing yards per game is 250.2, set in 1979 when the Broncos played in Division I-AA, now the FCS.

The records for net rushing yards and yards per game could be in danger this year, considering the Broncos really weren’t far from breaking both last season.

They finished with 2,749 rushing yards on the year, and even though they averaged 196.4 yards a game on the ground, that figure was 226.8 over the final 10 games of the season. There were three games in which Boise State had more than 300 yards rushing.

Running backs coach James Montgomery is new to the staff, having been hired in January, but he said it took him only a couple of spring practices to see how special the backfield could be.

“It’s been pretty spectacular, what they’ve been able to do,” Montgomery said in March. “They’re very disciplined, and I can depend on them to get the job done on the field.”

The wily veteran at running back

Holani has been the Broncos’ bell cow when he’s been healthy. The redshirt senior posted the second 1,000-yard season of his career last year, finishing with 1,157 yards. He racked up 1,014 as a true freshman in 2019.

The 5-foot-11, 209-pound native of Bellflower, California, has eclipsed 100 yards in a game 13 times in his career, and the Broncos are undefeated in those games.

“I tell backs all the time they have to be detailed, disciplined and dependable, and George is all those things,” Montgomery said. “He has been in college a long time and had a few different position coaches, so he kind of sets the standard for himself.”

Holani is a talented back who has the option of returning to school for one more season in 2024 — thanks to the extra year the NCAA offered players because of the COVID-19 pandemic — but this probably will be the final year of his college career.

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He flirted with testing the waters of the NFL last year, but said he returned because he felt like he had unfinished business.

“I still have something to prove to myself and Bronco Nation,” Holani said. “I know the NFL will be there when it’s time, but for now, I’m focused on making this the best year possible.”

It’s doubtful that same rationale would convince him to return in 2024, especially considering the wear he has on the tires.

Holani missed all but one game in 2020 because of a knee injury, and he was in and out of the lineup with nagging injuries in 2021. Another serious injury could jeopardize his pro career, but he said he’s not going to let that slow him down.

“I’m still approaching every rep like it’s the most important one,” said Holani, who missed spring ball while rehabbing an injury. “I give my all to this team every day, and I want to help win another Mountain West championship.”

Holani is a versatile running back. He’s fast and shifty enough to make defenders pay for missed tackles. He’s strong enough to make getting him on the ground a difficult task, and he catches the ball well out of the backfield.

The powerful youngster in the backfield

Jeanty showed some elusiveness and speed last year, but he’s more of a one-trick pony than Holani. That’s not a knock on the sophomore, because he’s incredibly talented at that trick.

The 5-8, 205-pounder, who played at Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, is a violent, powerful runner who looked nearly impossible to tackle at times as a true freshman.

He runs with a really low pad level, which makes it difficult for defenders to land a clean shot on him. He also has a nasty stiff arm and showed last year that he doesn’t mind running over people.

Jeanty posted 821 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He also carried the load in the Frisco Bowl after Holani exited in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. Jeanty finished the Broncos’ 35-32 win over North Texas with a career-high 178 rushing yards.

“That definitely boosted my confidence coming into this year,” he said in March. “It showed me what I can do playing a full game and getting a great amount of carries.”

Jeanty also stole the show during the Broncos’ spring game in April. He racked up 167 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns on just five touches. He posted 82 rushing yards on two carries — scoring on runs of 62 and 20 — and added three catches for 85 yards.

Montgomery said he expects to see more of that this season.

“He has a low center of gravity and he’s explosive,” Montgomery said. “My job is to cut back on his reps (in practice) and get him to see what he needs to see.”

Holani and Jeanty are both likely to get 12 to 15 carries a game this year, Hamdan said, but they aren’t the only athletes in the Broncos’ backfield who can run.

Green, a 6-6, 220-pound redshirt sophomore, possesses the kind of athleticism that hasn’t been seen in a Boise State quarterback. He makes evading defenders look effortless with his instincts and long stride, and he finished last season with 586 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Included in those numbers for Green were three 100-yard rushing games and also a 91-yard touchdown run.

Hamdan said he expects Green to get between 10 to 12 carries a game.

Defenses are going to have to pick their poison when it comes defending the Broncos’ rushing attack. That will be especially true if Green, Holani and Jeanty are all on the field at the same time, which Montgomery said isn’t out of the question.

“That’s something me, coach Hamdan and the offensive staff have been talking about,” he said. “If we feel like it’s something that will help us, we’ll put it in the game plan.”