No. 4 Boise State aims to improve ground game
BOISE, Idaho (AP) While Boise State has held onto its top five ranking this season, Broncos coach Chris Petersen reiterated Monday that he is far from satisfied with how the team is playing.
Under the spotlight this week are the fourth-ranked Broncos' woes in the running game.
Advertisement
Last season, Boise State averaged 200 yards per game on the ground. Through the first three games of the season, it has averaged 135 yards per game to rank 76th in the nation.
Even more frustrating for Petersen is that his team returned almost its entire starting offensive line along with a 1,000-yard rusher in senior Doug Martin.
"Nothing is mystifying to me in this game," Petersen said. "There's always something you've got to fix and go figure out."
However, Petersen said the problem in the ground game can't be narrowed down.
"It's not any one thing," Petersen said. "That's the bad news. It's a combination of us not staying on our blocks and not leaving a few of the blocks correctly. We've got to play better and up our game in that department."
On Saturday, Boise State will host Nevada, which ranks 108th in rushing defense and is yielding 209.7 yards per game.
Nevada spoiled Boise State's perfect season a year ago when the Broncos missed two field goals near the end of the game.
Boise State's place kicking remains shaky this season as the Broncos have missed three extra points and have yet to attempt a field goal.
