Season analysis: Boise State offense put up strong numbers despite QB controversy

Note: This is the first installment in a five-part series wrapping up Boise State’s 2023 season. Next: The Broncos’ defense faces a good-news, bad-news situation heading into 2024.

It has been a rocky couple of years for Boise State’s offense.

In 2022, offensive coordinator Tim Plough was fired after a loss to UTEP dropped the Broncos to 2-2. Starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier left the team right after, eventually transferring and landing at Louisiana Tech. He announced in December that he’ll spend his final season of eligibility at Wake Forest.

Last season, former head coach Andy Avalos was fired after the Broncos had a losing record in November and had created a quarterback controversy by playing both Taylen Green and Maddux Madsen. Boise State also eventually lost a pair of starters to the transfer portal: leading receiver Eric McAlister, who ended up at TCU, and Green, who left the team after the Mountain West championship game and landed at Arkansas.

Another somewhat tumultuous season overshadowed what was an impressive first year with former Boise State quarterback Bush Hamdan running the offense. He was hired in December 2022 after three seasons at Missouri.

Boise State (8-6, 6-2 Mountain West) averaged 436.1 yards and 32.1 points per game, with the yardage total ranking No. 2 in the conference. Utah State led the Mountain West with 438.6 yards a game.

Green started 12 games and was named the Offensive MVP of the Mountain West title game after racking up 316 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in a 44-20 win over UNLV. He finished the season with 1,752 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Despite being named the starter, Green split snaps with Madsen. He played fewer snaps than the redshirt freshman in a few games and lost his starting job to the Utah native before the Broncos’ win over New Mexico in November. Madsen tore an MCL and PCL in his right knee against the Lobos and missed the rest of the year, finishing the season 1,191 passing yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 61 percent of his passes.

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Boise State had another potent rushing attack, averaging 214.8 yards a game, which ranked No. 7 in the country and No. 2 in the conference, behind only Air Force (281.5).

The Broncos were paced by Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year Ashton Jeanty, who racked up 1,347 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns (14 rushing, 5 receiving) despite missing time. Senior George Holani capped his career with 748 yards and seven touchdowns, and went out on a high note after posting 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-22 loss to UCLA in the LA Bowl.

Boise State didn’t have any trouble putting points on the board. The Broncos scored at least 30 in nine straight games, beginning with a 42-18 win over North Dakota, and the 32-point average ranked No. 3 in the Mountain West behind UNLV (34.4) and Utah State (33.2).

As good as the offense looked last season, it could get even better.

The Broncos return a host of potential playmakers, including Jeanty, fellow running back Jambres Dubar, tight end Matt Lauter, and wide receivers Prince Strachan and Austin Bolt — both of whom became deep threats after McAlister left the team. Latrell Caples, who led the team with 51 catches for 549 yards in 2022, is also expected back after he missed the season with a knee injury.

The Broncos are expected to return four starters on the offensive line, although guard Ben Dooley hasn’t publicly confirmed that he’s coming back for a sixth season. New head coach Spencer Danielson also retained all of Avalos’ offensive assistant coaches: Hamdan, Matt Miller (wide receivers), James Montgomery (running backs), Tim Keane (offensive line) and Nate Potter (tight end.)

That continuity, coupled with some additions from the transfer portal, such as quarterback Malachi Nelson and wide receiver Cam Camper, should make Boise State’s offense a dangerous unit in 2024.

What we learned

The Broncos can stretch the field

Boise State struggled to replace go-to wide receiver Khalil Shakir in 2022. Caples emerged as a consistent target, but his ability to keep defenses on their toes with acrobatic catches down the field left a lot to be desired. That changed last season when McAlister hauled in 47 passes for 873 yards and five touchdowns before leaving the team in early November, but the Broncos proved they can stretch the field without him.

Strachan and Bolt combined for 185 yards on just five catches in a 42-14 win over New Mexico. They both hauled in touchdown passes that covered at least 40 yards, and Strachan had a career-long 74-yarder.

They both have the size and athleticism to cause problems for defenses. Strachan (6-5, 203) finished his first season with the team with 12 catches for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Bolt (6-3, 212), a redshirt senior, finished with six catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He missed most of the season while recovering from a broken leg he suffered in the 2022 opener at Oregon State.

The Broncos may have plucked a playmaker out of the transfer portal. Camper, a former Indiana wide receiver, committed to Boise State on Sunday. The 6-2, 201-pound native of Lancaster, Texas, averaged 13.6 yards a catch while hauling in 63 passes for 854 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons with the Hoosiers.

The offensive line is loaded

Boise State’s offensive line helped the Broncos post more than 200 rushing yards in six games last season, including a season-high 352 in a win at Utah State. The Broncos’ big men also allowed just 1.4 sacks a game, which ranked No. 17 in the country. Many of those same players will be back on the field.

The Broncos have to replace guard Garrett Curran and right tackle Cade Beresford, both of whom exhausted their eligibility. Boise State is expected to return Dooley, who has played tackle and guard in his career, and Mason Randolph, who has played guard and center. Left tackle Kage Casey is back after he started every game as a redshirt freshman, and guard Roger Carreon is returning after starting six games the past two seasons.

Carreon and Dooley should open the season at guard, with Randolph at center and Casey at one of the tackle spots. That just leaves the Broncos to find a starting tackle. Keep an eye on junior college transfer Daylon Metoyer, a 6-4, 315-pound junior who was a JUCO All-American last year at Mt. San Antonio College in California.

What to watch in 2024

Who takes over at QB?

What was setting up to be an offseason battle between Madsen and redshirt freshman CJ Tiller suddenly has a new favorite. Nelson, a former USC quarterback, announced Saturday that he’s transferring to Boise State. He’ll be on campus in a matter of days, according to his father, Eric, and could be the favorite to win the job right from the start.

Nelson doesn’t have a leg up because of experience. He played just four snaps and completed one pass for USC last year. Madsen played in nine games and made a start last season for the Broncos, but he doesn’t have Nelson’s pedigree.

Nelson, a former standout at Los Alamitos High in California, was a five-star recruit in 2022. He racked up 7,984 passing yards and 110 touchdowns during his high school career and had his pick of scholarship offers from the most prominent programs in the country. Boise State and New Mexico were the only programs that offered Madsen when he came out of American Fork in Utah.

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Don’t count Madsen out of the race, though. Nobody really gave him a chance to wrestle snaps away from Green — a far superior athlete who stands about 8 inches taller — but Madsen performed well enough that the coaches couldn’t keep him off the field. He plays with great timing and confidence, and isn’t afraid to take off and run, but Nelson just looks more dangerous with his arm and his legs.

It doesn’t help Madsen that he isn’t expected to be fully cleared to return from the knee injury until fall camp in August. Expect Nelson and Tiller to get most of the reps in spring ball.

Can Jeanty compete for the Heisman?

It’s never too early to start Heisman campaigns. Jeanty is the latest in the long string of great Boise State running backs, including Jay Ajayi, Alexander Mattison, Doug Martin, Brock Forsey and Jeremy McNichols. Jeanty certainly looks like the Broncos’ next NFL-bound runner.

He has the speed and vision to make tacklers miss, and the strength to run over them thanks to squatting more than 600 pounds. He has the athleticism to hurdle defenders and the hands to be a dangerous receiver. His 1,347 rushing yards led the Mountain West and the Broncos last season. He also ranked No. 2 at Boise State in receptions (43) and receiving yards (569), and he tied McAlister with a team-high five touchdown catches.

Kellen Moore is the only player in Boise State history to be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He finished No. 8 in the voting as a senior in 2011.

Season Awards

MVP — Ashton Jeanty, RB: Jeanty’s numbers were impressive, with his rushing yardage total ranking No. 8 in single-season history at Boise State. His 19 total touchdowns ranked No. 2 in the conference and No. 5 in the country. Jeanty averaged 112.2 rushing yards a game, eclipsed 100 yards in a game six times and posted two 200-yard games, including a career-high 212 yards in a win at Utah State.

Breakout Player of Year — Matt Lauter, TE: Lauter’s big-play ability and the growth he’s shown as a blocker make him the favorite to replace sixth-year senior Riley Smith as the Broncos’ top tight end. Lauter played in 13 games last season and finished with nine catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns. He posted a career-high 76 receiving yards against Memphis thanks in part to a career-long 59-yard catch.

Newcomer of the Year — Jambres Dubar, RB: Dubar got thrown into the fire last season as a freshman because Holani missed six games with an injury, and he made the most of his opportunities. The 6-foot, 211-pound native of Anna, Texas, posted 335 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the Broncos. He racked up a season-high 91 yards on 15 carries in a win over New Mexico.

By the numbers

Total offense: 436.1 yards a game (No. 2 Mountain West, No. 26 in the country).

2022: 386.9 yards per game (No. 3 Mountain West, No. 69 in the country)

Rushing: 214.8 yards a game (No. 2 Mountain West, No. 7 in the country)

2022: 196.4 yards per game (No. 2 Mountain West, No. 30 in the country)

Passing: 221.3 yards a game (No. 6 Mountain West, No. 67 in the country)

2022: 190.6 yards per game (No. 7 Mountain West, No. 111 in the country)

Scoring: 32.1 points a game (No. 3 Mountain West, No. 32 in the country)

2022: 29.5 points a game (No. 2 Mountain West, No. 57 in the country)