The Boise State Broncos have not enjoyed their 2015 season, given its spectacular implosions against Utah State and now New Mexico.
Yet, Bryan Harsin’s team has certainly given football the most remarkable box scores of the season, box scores which legitimately rate as some of the most unique numerical collections in the sport’s history. Here is (was) the Boise State-Utah State box score.
Now, get a load of the New Mexico-Boise State box score.
KA-BOOM! That was the sound of your mind blowing up.
UNM-BSU will occupy one-fourth of this week’s survey. (We were interrupted last week by the start of college basketball season and the need to get a lot of season preview content out the door. My apologies for the interruption of service.)
Here’s what we found in week 11:
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The 20 games surveyed:
Oregon-Stanford
Kansas-TCU
Temple-South Florida
Clemson-Syracuse
N.C. State-Florida State
Minnesota-Iowa
Washington State-UCLA
Memphis-Houston
Michigan-Indiana
Oklahoma State-Iowa State
Florida-South Carolina
Alabama-Mississippi State
Ohio State-Illinois
Oklahoma-Baylor
Arkansas-LSU
Utah-Arizona
Purdue-Northwestern
Kentucky-Vanderbilt
Maryland-Michigan State
New Mexico-Boise State
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Here are 20 statistics we gleaned from week nine:
20) Teams with more first downs went 10-7 in these 20 games. There were three statistical ties.
19) NEW MEXICO-BOISE STATE ENTRY: Boise State gained 40 first downs to just 11 for New Mexico. The Broncos lost to the Lobos… at home and at night.
18) Stanford gained 14 more first downs than Oregon… and lost at home (and at night). Two weeks earlier, Stanford allowed 11 more first downs than Washington State… but beat the Cougars on the road.
17) Temple and South Florida gained the same amount of first downs in a game USF won by 21.
16) Mississippi State gained seven more first downs than Alabama… and got washed out of the building by the Tide.
15) Teams with more yards went 13-7 in these 20 games.
14) NEW MEXICO-BOISE STATE ENTRY: Boise State gained 228 more yards than New Mexico… and lost at home. The final numbers: 641-413.
13) UCLA gained 128 more yards than Washington State… and lost at home. This is the same UCLA team which was outgained by 154 yards against Colorado two weeks ago… and won.
12) Teams with more passing yards went 11-9 in these games.
11) Teams with more rushing yards went 13-7 in these games.
10) Indiana gained over 300 rushing yards… and lost at home to Michigan.
9) Teams with more penalties went 8-11 in these games, with one statistical tie.
8) NEW MEXICO-BOISE STATE ENTRY: New Mexico committed 12 more penalties than Boise State… and won on the road.
7) Teams with more turnovers went 4-9 in these games, with seven statistical ties. The four teams that won: Clemson, Michigan, Florida State, and Northwestern. Michigan won with more turnovers two weeks ago as well.
6) Teams with more time of possession went 13-7 in these games.
5) Stanford held the ball over 42 minutes, for an advantage of just over 24 minutes against Oregon. The Cardinal still lost. Utah was plus-14:48 in time of possession and lost to Arizona.
4) Florida State was minus-4 in turnover differential and committed five turnovers against North Carolina State. The Seminoles still held the ball longer than the Wolfpack (and won by 17). Northwestern also managed a positive time-of-possession differential despite a negative turnover differential worse than minus-1. The Wildcats finished minus-2 against Purdue (and won).
3) NEW MEXICO-BOISE STATE ENTRY: Boise State finished minus-2 in turnover differential and still held the ball 6:18 longer than New Mexico.
2) Kentucky could not beat Vanderbilt despite the following:
Vanderbilt gained only 13 first downs; completed just 13 passes (at a 50-percent clip); and averaged only 3.2 yards per rush compared to Kentucky’s 6.1.
1) NEW MEXICO-BOISE STATE FINALE: New Mexico finished 0 for 10 on third downs, managing nine fewer conversions than Boise State on a night when the Broncos completed 32 more passes.
Remember, New Mexico was the winning team, Boise State the losing team.
I.
I Believe.
I Believe That.
I Believe That New Mexico.
I Believe That New Mexico Is Breaking Good.
I Believe That New Mexico Is Breaking Good Because Heisenberg Finally Left The Scene.
(Better Call Bob Davie.)
