Boise State Football: 3 takeaways from huge G5 win over Marshall

In a huge Group of Five elimination game, Boise State football survived Marshall in a defensive battle. What did we learn from Friday’s contest?

Boise State had a scare in the second half, as they neared halftime down 7-0 and unable to crack Marshall’s stout defense. But Hank Bachmeier touchdowns on either side of halftime, the first with his legs and the latter with his arms, proved enough points on the scoreboard as the Broncos down the Thundering Herd 14-7.

The Thundering Herd came to Idaho as a Conference USA favorite, and that will not change. But in what was effectively a Group of Five elimination game, the No. 24 Broncos kept their name in the running for a return to one of the New Year’s Six bowl games.

Bryan Harsin and the coaching staff were made to sweat on Friday night, as were the assembled fans at Albertsons Stadium in the state capital. This was hardly the way many expected this contest to go, as Boise State was favored by two touchdowns and Vegas set the over/under at 58 points.

But defense can be beautiful football as well, as both teams demonstrated on the blue gridiron. The scoreboard doesn’t have to risk lighting on fire for a contest to keep one on the edge of his or her seat. What else, though, did we learn about each of these teams from what proved a tense, hard-fought showdown in prime time?