BYU Football: Scouting the Schedule – Boise State
By Shaun Gordon
The Offense
Quarterback
It seems like Brett Rypien has been playing on the Smurf Turf forever. He’s entering his fourth season as the Broncos’ starter, and he’ll look to have his strongest season as a senior in 2018.
He struggled early on last year, throwing three interceptions in his first four games. Rypien flipped a switch from there, leading the Broncos to nine wins in their last ten games. He finished the season with 2,877 yards and 16 touchdowns, with a 62.6% completion percentage and only six picks. He threw for over 300 yards in four of the last six games.
If he gets hurt things could get dicey though. The Broncos have no other quarterbacks with game experience, and it’s very possible that freshman Chase Cord could end up in the backup spot.
Running Back
Boise State has had a 1,000 yard rusher in each of the last nine seasons. Alexander Mattison ran for 1,086 yards last year as a sophomore and scored 12 times on the ground. Oddly, he was a much better runner on the road than at home.
He’s back and looking for a big junior season. He’ll be spelled by Robert Mahone (So.), who got 35 touches last year and ran for 115 yards. Senior Skyler Seibold could see some touches as well after three years on special teams.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
If there’s one weakness for the Boise State offense in 2018, it could be the pass-catchers. The Broncos lost Wilson, their go-to wideout, and someone will have to fill that role going forward. Both A.J. Richardson (Sr.) and Sean Modster (Sr.) were solid but unspectacular last season, so one or both will need to step up and become a true offensive weapon.
Octavius Evans and CT Thomas both saw playing time as freshman last year, and they’ll see even more time this year. Watch out for true freshman Khalil Shakir, who has the talent to step in and contribute right away.
At tight end, Roh’s graduation leaves little proven production. Both John Bates (So.) and Chase Blakely (Sr.) saw time last season but didn’t factor into the passing game very much.
Offensive Line
The Broncos bring back five linemen who started at least one game last season, led by Ezra Cleveland (So.) at left tackle. Cleveland was the only player to start every game last season.
Look for Andres Preciado (Sr.) to claim the other tackle spot, and juniors John Motchon and Eric Quevado to man the guard spots. Another junior, Garret Larson, should man the middle.
If this line can stay healthy, they’ll anchor a potent offense that shouldn’t have much problem sustaining drives.