Boise State spots Beavers early lead, then storms back like 2004

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Corvallis Gazette-Times

BOISE, Idaho — It’s never easy for out-of-towners in Bronco Stadium.

Is it the painful-to-the-eye Smurf turf, or is the Boise State football team just that good?

Oregon State coach Mike Riley said the Broncos are as talented as they’ve been on their route to becoming one of the most successful programs in the country. They’ve won at least a share of the last four Western Athletic Conference championships.

Either way, Oregon State has struggled in both of its trips to the Treasure Valley, the latest a 42-14 nonconference loss Thursday night.

The last time the two teams met here, there were so many variables that worked against the Beavers that it wasn’t a surprise the Broncos dominated the game, a 53-34 victory in 2004.

OSU was coming off an emotionally and physically draining one-point overtime loss at Louisiana State. There was a short week to prepare, extensive travel and rerouted planes.

None of those factors were in place this time. And the Beavers couldn’t explain what happened.

Riley was asked about what he would fix about his team, and he couldn’t give a concrete answer. However, he wants a gut-check for a team that has a tendency when it loses, to lose big.

“Hum,” Riley said. “I would just think it’s not technical. It’s the ability to get on top and stay on top. We need to have the ability to stay on top and keep going.”

There wasn’t much good to come out of the game, and that’s Riley talking. There were so many defensive breakdowns, and a team that couldn’t retake control of the game.

And the normally potent offense didn’t put up the big numbers.

“I couldn’t say anything about that right now, I’m just looking forward to getting back to work,” Riley said. “After a game like that I’d like to practice and keep going. I feel good about this group coming back and working.”

The shock and anger coming from the team stems from the similar loss to Boise State in 2004. The big lead early and falling apart due to big plays was eerily reminiscent.

The only difference this time was the pass defense didn’t fail, instead it was the normally strong rush defense. The Broncos gained 407 total yards, 302 on the ground.

“I have to look at it,” Riley said of where the defense went wrong. “It was a team defensive deal. Everyone plays a role. When you give up that kind of yards it’s probably more than one person’s fault, especially when it’s big yards. There are plenty of people who can corral the ball.”

The Beavers should be able to overpower this midmajor opponent being from the Pacific-10 Conference. Boise State’s only wins against the Pac-10 are over Oregon State.

Now it’s twice the Beavers have been embarrassed on national television against the Broncos. And this time they were just outplayed on both sides of the line.

Sophomore running back Ian Johnson showed what kind of upside he has as he tore the defense apart. His first score was a 59-yard run right up the middle. That was only a preview.

He found a hole, juked a tackler and ran away from the secondary. Johnson said he was motivated because of the intensity of the rivalry, and listening to the Beavers talk trash before the game.

“When we came out for warm-ups they were talking so much,” Johnson said. “It was like, ‘Come on guys. We haven’t even started the game, yet.’ They were telling us how crappy our city is, how crappy the blue field is.”

Johnson’s continued long runs demoralized the Beavers. Momentum slipped away, and the Broncos never let up.

The question now is how the Beavers respond to this beating. There are still 11 games left in the season.

Senior safety Sabby Piscitelli took the loss personally. He took his time gathering himself after meeting with the media, starring off into the night.

Riley noticed him, and reminded him it’s a long season and they’ll get better. They both went home with that as the only goal.

“I think we have a pretty good team that way,” Riley said. “It’s a great lesson about this kind of ballgame. We have to be more tough-minded than ever. That’s a key coming back. This was quite a derailing.”

Cliff Kirkpatrick covers the OSU football team for the Corvallis Gazette-Times. He can be reached at cliff.kirkpatrick@lee.net.