Boise State Football: 2017 Broncos season preview, predictions

Defense

The 2016 edition of the Boise State defense was not quite as dominant as past vintages. The front seven gave up over 175 yards per game last year. They also had trouble generating much pressure at the line of scrimmage. By the end of the year, the Broncos ranked 53rd in sacks and 48th in tackles for loss.

They weren’t terrible numbers, ranking right around the median point for FBS schools. But that mediocrity was a key contributor to Boise State’s two conference losses by a total of nine points. Where the Broncos really fell down was in the red zone, where opponents scored on nearly 90 percent of their visits. Even then, the Broncos still gave up just 23.3 points per game. That mark ranked in the top quartile of teams in the FBS.

Entering their second season working with defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, the team should be more comfortable than they looked at times last year. That familiarity could result in improvements that at least mitigate the impact of losing seven defensive starters from the 2016 roster.

Defense generating more turnovers?

With so many new players taking on increased roles in 2017, it might be a tall task to expect too many turnovers. But it was an alternate reality for the Boise State defense last season, and if they are going to win the Mountain West they need to have better luck stealing the ball from opposing offenses.

In 2015, the Broncos ranked 15th nationally with a positive turnover margin of 0.69 turnovers per game. 2016 was an inverse of their luck the previous season. Boise State ranked 116th in the FBS at a negative 0.69 turnovers per game. Boise’s own offense lost just eight interceptions and 10 fumbles all season, but the Broncos still lost the turnover battle more often than not. That must change, and the defense must contribute to that change.