Boise State bye week report card: Special teams

Broncos find reliable kicker amid string of miscues

Boise State Broncos punter Oscar Doyle. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Boise State is licking its wounds following a 30-7 home loss to Mountain West rival Fresno State. 

With the Broncos (6-3, 4-1) idle this week, Boise State Broncos On SI is handing out some midseason grades to the team’s offense, defense and special teams. 

We have already covered the offense and defense and will wrap things up with Boise State’s much-maligned special teams unit. 

Special teams

Colton Boomer has emerged as a real weapon for the Broncos.

The junior transfer from UCF has recorded touchbacks on 46 of 51 kickoffs (90.2 percent) this season while also performing well as a place kicker (33 of 34 on PATs, 5 of 7 on field goals). 

Boomer missed a PAT and field goal against Eastern Washington but has been nearly perfect over the last seven games. His one blemish was a blocked field goal against Fresno State that head coach Spencer Danielson blamed on the protection. 

“He’s responded really, really well,” Danielson said of Boomer in October. “How he’s practiced, how he’s performed, that takes a competitor to go through a negative situation in-game, in front of the nation, and be able to come back and play pretty well.

“He’s playing at a high level, especially in that position. That’s why we call them specialist snipers. They don’t have a ton of body of work, they’re asked to do something and all eyes are on you to do it at a high level. I’m proud of how Colton Boomer’s played and his future is really bright here.”

First-year punter Oscar Doyle, a transfer from Weber State, has also done his job. Doyle is averaging 44.4 yards on 33 punts and is 2 of 2 passing for 21 yards and a touchdown. 

Outside of Boomer and Doyle, Boise State’s special teams play has ranged from mediocre to disastrous. 

The Broncos rank near the bottom of FBS in kickoff and punt returns. Both coverage units have experienced major breakdowns, including a fake punt touchdown in a loss to South Florida and a kickoff return TD in a home victory over New Mexico. 

From a general lack of focus to killer penalties, Boise State has made at least one critical special teams mistake in nearly every game this season. 

“We’ve got to be more consistent,” Broncos special teams coach Stacy Collins said earlier this season. “We’ve got to eliminate explosive plays, I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Final verdict

Boomer’s emergence is a real bright spot for a special teams unit that has struggled mightily over the last two seasons. 

Offense grade: C