Boise State Football vs Troy: 3 Takeaways from the Broncos’ win

3. Special teams carried the Broncos to victory

In the end, it was a punt return that flipped the script on this game. On the opening drive of the game, Boise State held Troy to a three-and-out. Tyler Sumpter’s punt flew 52 yards all the way to the Broncos 19-yard line. There, Avery Williams backpedaled to field the punt.

Once he had the ball in the middle of the field, he started drifting left. He shook off one Troy defender, bowled over another would-be tackler, and raced 81 yards down the left sideline to give Boise State a lead they never relinquished.

Over the course of the game, the Broncos gained 227 yards on punt and kick returns while holding Troy to just 25 yards gained. That shift in field position is a major reason why Boise State was able to prevail against a tough opponent. While the offense had its moments, it was barely treading water for much of the game.

Next: 2017 Boise Football game-by-game predictions

In the end, special teams flipped the script from what could have been a deleterious loss for Bryan Harsin’s squad. Instead of falling at home on the Smurf Turf, the Broncos can now look ahead to future contests with the peace of mind that they can win the field position battle against just about anybody.