By David Rogers. BOISE, Idaho (remote) — At least Appalachian State didn’t commit turnovers in the red zone during its game against Mountain West Conference frontrunner, Boise State, on Sept. 27 (like it did on Sept. 13, at Southern Miss.). And yet, there were still plenty of self-inflicted wounds to help explain a lopsided, 47-14 win by the host Broncos.
Four turnovers (three pass interceptions and a lost fumble) and 11 drive-killing penalties (94 yards) killed any kind of forward offensive momentum the Mountaineers might have mustered.
In a word, the Mountaineers were outmatched in all three phases of the football game. Boise State jumped out to a 21-0 lead by midway through the second quarter, a tally that included a 26-yard “pick six” interception and return for a TD by senior cornerback A’Marion McCoy for the Broncos’ second score in the first quarter. App State quarterback A J Swann’s short pass to the right flat was intended for WR William Fowles, but McCoy read the play perfectly and dashed in front of Fowles for a clean INT and untouched dash to the end zone.
Whether on offense or defense, applying pressure is a relevant difference maker in just about any sport, especially in football. The Broncos limited App State’s offense to just 174 total yards, well below the 586 total yards the Mountaineers rolled up in the opening win vs. Charlotte, the 503 total yards in the win No. 2 vs. Lindenwood, and even the 470 yards gained in the loss to Southern Miss. Besides the four takeaways (one fumble and three pass interceptions), Boise State also recorded five quarterback sacks, five QB “hurries,” and five tackles for loss.
On offense, the Broncos both applied pressure and defused most of the attempts by App State in applying pressure. Behind a stalwart offensive line, Boise State’s junior QB Maddux Madsen had plenty of time for most of the evening, completing 25 of 37 pass attempts for 321 yards and four TDs. He was sacked by App State’s defense just once.
Although App State running back Rashod Dubinion rushed for 133 yards on 17 carries — his third performance in which he passed the century mark in the first four games of the season (he was held to 95 yards at Southern Miss) — the Mountaineers netted only 109 yards on the ground after subtracting QB sacks and tackles for loss, -21 yards for starting QB A J Swann and – 6 yards for 4th quarter replacement Billy Wiles.
App State will attempt returning to its winning ways on Saturday, Oct. 4, when the Mountaineers host a former “Power 5” opponent in Oregon State, competing in the reconfigured Pac-12. The Beavers are one of the two remaining members (the other being Washington State) from the previous Pac-12, which saw a mass exodus of members last year to what are now considered “Power 4” conferences (SEC, ACC, Big 10 and Big 12).
Oregon State is 0-4 to start the season, including two close losses to Houston (Sept. 26, 27-24, in overtime) and Fresno State (Sept. 6, 36-27), while getting thumped by No. 2-ranked Oregon (Sept. 20, 41-7) and No. 11 Texas Tech (45-14).
Pac-12 Reorganization
The departing Pac-12 members included Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Southern Cal, all to the Big-10; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, all to the Big-12; as well as Cal-Berkeley and Stanford to the ACC.
New full members of the Pac-12 will include Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State. Affiliate members for wrestling will include Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Cal State Bakersfield, and Arkansas-Little Rock.
SELECTED GAME STATS
BONUS PHOTOS (click on any image for larger version and Slide Show Mode)
All photographic images by Jared Everett, process by David Rogers for High Country Sports
