Boise State won its season opener, but it got too close for comfort. How that happened

There was a lot to be pleased about for Boise State on Saturday.

For starters, the Broncos defeated Georgia Southern on the road 56-45 to start the season 1-0 for the first time since 2020’s COVID-altered season. Junior running back Ashton Jeanty produced one of the most impressive nights ever seen in a Bronco jersey, with 267 yards rushing and six touchdowns on just 20 attempts.

And Boise State’s 56 points were the most the Broncos scored since a 59-point performance at home against Hawaii in 2019.

But then there was the not-so-good.

It’s easy to look at the 45 points Boise State surrendered and chalk it up to a poor defensive night — an issue within itself after the coaching staff pledged to fix last year’s defense, which gave up a wealth of big plays. But it was what set up Georgia Southern for so many of those points that drew attention.

As coach Spencer Danielson put it after the game: “There’s some self-inflicted wounds that we’ve got to deal with.”

Boise State first handed Georgia Southern a gift early in the second quarter. On third-and-long in BSU territory, quarterback Maddux Madsen threw a ball down the middle into double coverage, resulting in an easy interception that led to a field goal for the Eagles.

Madsen quickly responded, launching a pair of back-to-back completions on the next drive for 53 and 36 yards, setting up the Broncos up for a 21-9 lead. That sequence was Madsen’s most chaotic of the night — the redshirt sophomore was pretty methodical otherwise, throwing for 280 yards and a touchdown while completing 22-of-31 attempts.

“Even after the interception, he comes back and has two big-time throws. That’s Maddux Madsen,” Danielson said. “No moment’s too big for him. He stays in it, and he’s lethal.”

Boise State extended its lead to 28-9 in the second quarter and looked to be in control. But by midway through the third quarter, the Broncos were trailing 30-28.

Rather than closing out the first half well, a deep ball from Georgia State quarterback JC French drew a pass interference from junior cornerback Jeremiah Earby, helping a drive that saw the Eagles score a TD just before halftime.

Down 28-16, Georgia Southern got the ball to start the second half. The Eagles were going to have to punt after a French incompletion, but a roughing-the-passer penalty kept the drive alive, leading to a touchdown. On Boise State’s next possession, a turnover on downs in its own territory set Georgia Southern up with a short field. A 33-yard TD drive gave the home team the lead.

“We felt (it) shifting,” redshirt junior linebacker Andrew Simpson admitted after the game.

The turnover on downs might have stuck in fans’ minds a long time had Boise State not pulled away and won. The Broncos faced fourth-and-1 in their own end. Rather than use Jeanty — or punt — the ball went to freshman running back Sire Gaines, who got hit in the backfield.

“I’m going to look at the analytics,” Danielson said. “I’m going to feel where things are going in the game, and what we did in this game was planned out.”

What were those analytics saying precisely? Danielson didn’t go into much more detail when asked. But he was not regretting his decision.

“There are a lot of things for me that go into where the game is going, where the flow of the game is. For me, I believe in process,” Danielson said. “And so for now, my process is game management, to make sure how a game goes. What are the analytics? I look at that that matters to me. ... And so I’d make the same decision again.”

Boise State now will turn its attention to a game next Saturday at No. 3 Oregon, where it will try to clean up its mistakes to pull off an upset. The Broncos had eight penalties for 90 yards on Saturday, and the defense allowed Georgia Southern to convert on 12 of 19 third downs.

They also allowed a lot of big plays, including seven pass completions that covered at least 15 yards. French threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns.

“Defensively, just way too inconsistent,” Danielson said. “We’ve got to get off the field on third down. There are some things that we know we’ve got to clean up. There were some busted covers. One-on-ones, we’ve got to find a way to win. And so there’s a lot of things that we need to continue to clean up.”