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Photos Devin Ferrell, Megan Nanna, Patrick Sweeney/THE ARBITER
September 30, 2013 arbiteronline.com
Broncos buck Golden Eagles Michael Steen @MichaelSteen2
The Broncos entered Saturday night’s game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles with a 2-2 record for the first time since 2005. Coming off a heartbreaking loss to their rivals Fresno State, the Broncos bounced back on The Blue with a
60-7 win against the Golden Eagles. “We’re proud of the guys. They worked hard,” Boise State head coach Chris Petersen said. “It’s not easy to come off a hard loss like that, and they went right back to work and they played really hard.” A crowd of 35,356 showed up to see the Broncos hang
60 points and 545 yards of total offense. Redshirt senior quarterback Joe Southwick led the way for the Broncos with another efficient game at home. He connected on 19 of 23 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. “We’re just internally putting on the tape and going through our process,” South-
wick said. “It’s what we do around here. Southwick found eight different receivers on the night. Sophomore wide receiver Shane Williams-Rhodes caught nine passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Williams-Rhodes picked up 21 yards on two carries on the ground for another touchdown, bringing his season
total to four. The Broncos took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown rush from Williams-Rhodes. The Broncos didn’t trail at any point in the game. On the defensive side of the ball, redshirt junior cornerback Bryan Douglas and redshirt sophomore safety Darian Thompson both pulled
their third interception of the season. The Broncos put up 30 points in each half on Saturday night and have now scored over 40 points in four consecutive games, the longest streak since the 2010 season. “It took us a minute to get going on offense,” Petersen said. “But once we did I think the guys got into a good rhythm.” The Broncos will now have a bye week before heading on the road to Logan, Utah on Oct. 12 to take on Utah State.
Michael Steen @MichaelSteen2
The Boise State passing game has been the calling card for the Broncos offense on for years on end. In recent years, the Broncos air attack has produced the winningest quarterback in NCAA history, Kellen Moore, and one of the more consistent receivers in the NFL, Austin Pettis. The Broncos passing attack has come into form over the past several games, after a 2012 season that did not see a whole lot of downfield looks. With redshirt senior wide receivers Aaron Burks and Kirby Moore and injured against Southern Miss on Saturday night, redshirt senior wide the arbiter The Arbiter
receiver Geraldo Boldewijn emerged as one of redshirt senior quarterback Joe Southwick’s favorite targets. “[I’m] A little frustrated with the slow start,” Southwick said. “But once we figured some things out we got rolling and put some good points up.” Boldewijn was a major deep threat for the Broncos on Saturday night. He hauled in three catches for 104 yards on the night, with a long reception of 52 yards. “It was big,” Boldewijn said. “Gives the coaches a little more confidence in the receivers and it was just a good thing.” Southwick racked up another efficient night passing
as he connected with Boldewijn on a 42-yard reception for a touchdown less than five minutes into the second quarter. “I gave him a chance, he used his body and he came down with it,” Southwick said. “I’m really happy for him.” The Broncos passing game has made major strides week to week. The offense looks like a night and day comparison from the squad that was beat down by 32-points at the University of Washington. “It’s definitely a lot of fun,” Boldewijn said. “There’s still a lot of stuff we have to improve on but it’s just fun to be able to correct some of our mistakes.”
Photo Megan Nanna/THE ARBITER
Boldewijn flies against the Golden Eagles
Geraldo Boldewijn had three catches for 104 yards in Saturday’s win. Boldewijn hauled in a big pass in the Broncos loss to Fresno State two weekends ago. And is starting to become one of the premier focal points in the Bronco offense. Head coach Chris Petersen has stressed the importance
of his receivers getting the 50/50 balls this season, and Boldewijn took it to heart with his touchdown catch against Southern Miss. “Changed the game,” Petersen said. “When we get a big tall receiver like that, he
should be able to come down with it.” With Boldewijn’s breakout game against the Golden Eagles over the weekend, the Broncos offense might have found a new weapon moving forward. arbiteronline .com arbiteronline.com