Boise State Football: 3 takeaways from home loss to Virginia

3. The Boise State secondary was exposed by Kurt Benkert

Coming into the Virginia game, Boise State had already struggled against the Washington State passing attack. But Mike Leach’s teams are always known for their aerial prowess. Luke Falk and Tyler Hilinski combined for 433 yards on 49-of-67 passing, with three touchdowns in the air. But the Broncos also grabbed two interceptions, one of each quarterback.

Though they lost in overtime, there seemed little reason to worry about the secondary based on that result. Brandon Silvers, Troy’s returning starter at quarterback, was held to 139 passing yards in the season opener after throwing for over 3,000 last season. New Mexico is never going to tell much about where a passing defense is at, given they are option defense.

Well, now is probably the right time for the Broncos to begin worrying about their inability to defend the pass. Kurt Benkert carved up Boise State with 19 completions on 29 attempts, throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He did not look perfect against the Broncos, but he was efficient and dangerous when necessary.

The Mountain West has plenty of dangerous passers that could exploit this deficiency in the Boise State secondary. Defensive coordinator Andy Avalos has is work cut out for him if the Broncos are going to get back on track against the pass.