Boise States Its Case: Broncos Blow 17-Point Lead, Come Back To Beat Hokies, 33-30

Boise State blog One Bronco Nation Under God was thrilled with the Broncos 33-30 win over Virginia Tech Monday night. They credit not only Kellen Moore and Austin Pettis, who were two halves of the game-winning touchdown, but the entire Boise team for fighting back to win the game.

Landover, MD (Sports Network) – Kellen Moore’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Austin Pettis with 1:09 remaining in the game provided third-ranked Boise State with a thrilling 33-30 win over No. 10 Virginia Tech in an action-packed season-opener for both schools.

Moore threw for three scores, while D.J. Harper ran for another TD for the Broncos.

1. Please, keep your sign acrostics short and sweet, Boise fans. You may still be relative newbies in the national scene, but there’s no excuse for this.

2. Virginia Tech dragged themselves back into this game one slugging lurch at a time, something that may be forgotten in the weeks and months to come. They slammed Boise off the line, disrupted their passing game, and faced down 17-0 like cold-blooded men staring down an executioner’s barrel. Victory was in short supply, but valor was not, especially for Tyrod Taylor. (See levitation photo below for evidence of said valor and amazing body control.)

That’s not down by contact or consistent with any definition of the word “fair:” Tyrod Taylor keeps a field goal drive alive, gets Boise into a spot where they need a TD and not three, and with five minutes in the fourth to go VT gets the ball deep in their own territory.

Virginia Tech was going to punt, but the dark curse of running into the kicker bit Boise this time. A potential 4th and ten became 4th and five, and Taylor to Boykin put VT up 27—26 after a failed two point conversion attempt.

Taylor did limp off the field after the play, but that was due to the rampant cramping affecting many players on both sides at this point. Now Boise is passing at will, and we’re on our second Red Bull, and yeah sleep would have been nice but this is week one, and Boise and Virginia Tech will not let that happen any time soon.

Virginia Tech ended a nice scoring opportunity when someone hit the switch on Tyrod Taylor’s back that controls “Good Tyrod” and “Bad Tyrod” and knocked it into “Bad Tyrod.” Thus commenced some aimless lateral running, a forfeiture of good field position, and a continuation of our role reversal theme as VT’s kicker, not Boise’s, missed a field goal off the left hash.

Yet somehow, VT stays alive through more spontaneous and baffling incompetence, this time from Boise. A forced fumble followed for the Broncos, who bumrushed Taylor on a semi-busted play in the ensuing series. This time, the aimless lateral scrambling worked, and he hit a receiver in stride for six. 20-14 deep in the second to cash in another improv’d Tyrod Taylor Brand Mega Millions ticket of football randomness.

Tyrod Taylor’s long pass set up a Virginia Tech score to make it 17-7, proving that Tyrod Taylor remains the perfect lottery ticket for Virginia Tech’s otherwise stodgy offensive investment strategy. He may not hit every time, and you’re certainly not relying on him for your retirement, but when he comes through he’s a nice bonus to your stingy, conservative three-yards-at-a-blast run game.

Virginia Tech then capitalized on this momentum by kicking the ball out of bounds, giving Boise the ball at the 40 yard line, and surrendering a long field goal. They either have an ironic sense of football humor that qualifies as downright hipsterish, or they want to lose this football game and do so with some smoke coming off the damn thing.

Here’s why you don’t fall asleep on 3rd and forever. DJ Coles never gets the opportunity to show off his impressive rage function—roughing the kicker, and then the personal foul—if the VT defense doesn’t allow Boise to get 23 yards on a draw to make the punt a 4th and 1. A splendid flop from the punter and some poor impulse control, and suddenly we’re looking at a first down, and then Boise moving steadily down the field, and then 17-0 for Boise in a stadium stuffed to its bland gills with Virginia Tech fans.

The moonshot pass by Kellen Moore and one-handed circus catch by TE Tommy Gallarda was spooky enough, but the real horror story for VT has been Boise getting pressure on Tyrod Taylor with only four down linemen rushing the quarterback. When not stuffing the run, Tyrod Taylor has had no time whatsoever to function, and 17-0 looks like twice that right now.

Boise State’s gameplan thus far has been simple: be Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech’s has been simple, as well: be Boise State in 2005 against Georgia, when the Broncos spat up the ball early and often in getting behind on the road at Georgia.

First the Hokies tried a variation of the fumblerooski involving the center kicking the ball. This is illegal, of course, and also gives the ball to the other team, but you’ll never know that for sure until you try it on the field of play. Boise kicked a field goal, and took a 3-0 lead.

For an idea of how Virginia Tech works as a football team, this is probably the best way to illustrate how they work.

We’re now just a few hours away from the start of college football’s opening weekend marquee matchup, and the guys at our Boise State blog, One Bronco Nation Under God, are getting nervous. In between the panic and Pepto, Kevan Lee offers some final pregame thoughts, including injuries and some keys to the game.

For the full preview, including more thoughts and a community discussion, be sure to visit OBNUG.