Bronco Nation News is counting down the 10 biggest storylines and questions surrounding the Boise State football team heading into the 2025 season. Next up is No. 5: Will the pass coverage improve?
Boise State is coming off one of the best and most well-rounded teams in program history. The offense was spearheaded by one of the best running backs in college football history in Ashton Jeanty, but had a strong passing attack that finished 9th in EPA/Dropback. Likewise, the defense had the nation’s best pass rush with 55 sacks, and a strong run defense outside of the occasional explosive run. The Achiles heel? The pass coverage. Time and time again the Broncos pass defense was getting torched through the air, and ultimately held back the Broncos from accomplishing more. Can the pass coverage take a step forward in 2025? And what needs to happen to take that next step?
First, let’s frame Boise State’s defense in 2024. The unit finished 50th in SP+, first in the Mountain West, but far and away the worst of any team to make the playoffs last season, well below the next worst defense, SMU, which ranked 30th. Simply put, the defense wasn’t CFP-caliber, but Ashton Jeanty was so exceptional that it didn’t matter. Particularly, the problem was Boise State’s tendency to give up explosives, the defense gave up an explosive on 11.5% of plays, dead last in the nation. On pass plays, there was an explosive every 12.3% of plays. Numbers aside, anyone who watched Boise State’s secondary saw there were problems. Often there would be open receivers down the field, and even when Boise State had a player in position to make a play, they failed to do so. If the pass rush is 90% of last season’s team, and the run defense remains relatively strong, the Broncos are a leap in the secondary away from being a top-30, playoff caliber unit.