Boise State Football: 3 takeaways from home loss to Virginia

2. The Boise State offense looked lost against the Cavaliers

On Friday night, the defense wasn’t the only thing that faltered for Boise State. The Broncos offense sputtered throughout the game. Though they displayed big-play ability a few times, in general the offense was unable to generate consistent momentum. That proved costly as Virginia continued to expand their lead.

Brett Rypien returned for the Broncos after sitting out the New Mexico game. While the veteran did not look bad against Virginia, he was largely ineffective even when he did complete passes. Rypien finished 24-of-42 for 285 yards, with one interception and no scores. He struggled to string together drives.

When backup quarterback Montell Cozart came into the game, things didn’t get much better. Cozart managed to throw a late touchdown pass to Cedrick Wilson, who finished with 13 catches for 209 yards and the score. Wilson was the lone bright spot as the rest of the offense managed just 174 yards.

The running game betrayed Boise State even more than the passing attack. Robert Mahone led the team with 21 yards on three carries. Primary running backs Alexander Mattison and Ryan Wolpin were held to just 16 yards on 10 carries. The offensive line was manhandled by the Cavaliers front seven all night long.