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‘Taking back the WAC’ nearly a reality
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Taking back the Western Athletic Conference has been the number one goal for the Boise State Broncos since day one of spring camp. Now that goal is one game away from being a reality, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
For the Broncos to “take back the WAC” they must find a way to stop Nevada and their running attack led by sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Last year, Kaepernick torched the Broncos on the ground and through the air, eventually piling up 639 total yards of offense in the four-overtime thriller in Bronco Stadium. The Broncos ended up winning the game 69-67 but were exposed in a game they would like to forget.
“He can make plays by outrunning you. You think you got a good angle on him and you don’t,” Boise State Head Coach Chris Petersen said. “You think you stopped him and look up and he’s just run sideline to sideline for an eight yard gain, and that’s pretty scary.”
Controlling Kaepernick is only half the battle for the Broncos’ defense, which will also have to worry about Nevada sophomore running back Vai Taua. Taua is ranked sixth in the nation averaging 128.40 yards per game. He has compiled 1,284 yards this season.
The Kaepernick-Taua duo have become so dominant they have propelled Nevada to the best rushing offense in the nation averaging 325 yards per game on the ground.
“This will be a very interesting challenge for us because we have not seen anybody that can run the ball like this,” Petersen said. “When you’re the top rushing team in the nation, you’re that for a reason. We have not seen anything like this.”
Boise State also faces a Nevada defense that is ranked second in the nation in rushing defense, but last in the nation in pass defense.
“Sometimes statistics are a little skewed for some reason, I see these guys doing a good job and I think they are really peaking at a good time,” Petersen said. “It will be a great challenge for us no doubt about it.”
Even with the threat Nevada poses on their defensive line, don’t look for the Broncos to shy away from their run game that made a huge stride last week against the Idaho Vandals.
Against the Vandals, the Broncos piled up 315 yards on the ground with sophomore running back Jeremy Avery leading the way with 156 yards.
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore should be able to run his offense with the Nevada secondary.
Moore has been efficient as of late, and is starting to utilize all the weapons in the Broncos’ offensive arsenal.
“He’s playing really well and has been very consistent for us,” Petersen said. “Sometimes we have to rely on our pass game more than we would like to. A quarterback’s best friend is the run game, so if we can run the ball that’s going to help him tremendously.”
The Broncos face a Nevada team with everything to gain. The Broncos, on the other hand, have everything to lose which should make this an extremely fun
game to watch.
TRENT LOOTENS
Arbiter Journalist
