OSU rallies from early punches to down Boise State 38-31
CORVALLIS, OR- If there were any doubts about the new-look PAC-12’s firepower, they didn’t survive the melee. No. 10 Boise St. and No. 4 Oregon State went the distance last night, and the bloody canvas left behind should scare anyone considering hopping in the ring against either team.
The Beavers landed early shots, going up 10-0 on their first two drives. But the second quarter opened with a Bronco counter, and worse, a knockout blow to the defense. Senior Will Armistead went down on the quarter’s opening drive after his ankle was caught on the wrong side of a pile of bodies during a third down stop. After what felt like an eternity to OSU fans, he eventually walked off on his own, but it was clear to everyone watching the defensive captain wouldn’t be back. The Broncos took advantage of the shock to get a fourth down conversion and eventually score, and when JJ Bailey tossed a pick six on the ensuing drive, all the air left the arena. After marching down the field in steady rhythm the quarterback targeted his favorite set of hands in TE Micah Thoman just short of the goal line. Instead of the familiar sight of Thoman snatching the ball and cutting across the plane, gasping fans watched slot corner Tay’Shawn Wilson jump the route and bolt 86 yards for a go-ahead score.
With Armistead down and a perfect drive undone, the Beavers were staggered. But Bailey, who never removed his helmet after the pick and stood alone during the break, unleashed a barrage the following drive, going 6-for-6 and capping the 75 yard march with a TD pass to Thoman on the same play call as the interception.
“Making a point,” he said when asked about the play call. “I would have audibled to it if coach hadn’t called it. That wasn’t their corner beating our guy (Thoman), it was me misfiring. Wanted to make sure that was clear so we ran it again.”
The first half ended 17-14, and Bailey didn’t misfire again. He finished 29-for-40 for 368 yards, but the Broncos had counterpunches left to throw. They won the third quarter 10-7, with OSU’s Josh Charbonnet getting his second touchdown of the game on the ground as the offense went rush-heavy.
The start of the fourth quarter saw an animated Armistead on the sidelines. After a fiery speech to the defense laced with uncharacteristic profanities, the senior turned his focus to the crowd. As Boise took possession after a stalled OSU drive, the potential DPOY stood on the bench and bellowed, “Bullll-dog! Bullll-dog! Bulll-dog!” to the fans, who quickly joined in to spur on star defensive lineman Justin Childs. The chorus continued until third down, when Child’s vicious sack of Kaleb Nelson turned it into a thunderous roar. Childs strode away from the carnage, and the big screen closeup of the chunk of sod wedged in Nelson’s face mask brought the stadium to maximum frenzy.
With the crowd wanting blood, Bailey led the offense out of the corner in blitzkrieg mode, taking 45 yards on two plays and stunning the Broncos. The drive nearly ended when officials ruled that Malachi Durant fumbled at the end of a 22-yard catch and run, but a coach’s challenge revealed he was down before the ball came loose. From there Thoman took things the rest of the way, catching three straight passes and at one point signaling for a hurry-up offense.
“Whatever they were doing was leaving huge holes in the zone!” the tight end said afterward with a laugh. “I’m not supposed to be calling no huddle, but we didn’t need one. I just kept yelling ‘go go go go’ until people followed me to the line.”
The final play of the drive was a two-man rope-a-dope, with Bailey rolling out to match Thoman’s drag route, then feinting a cut upfield. Just as the spy linebacker crashed, Thoman stopped his route short and his coverage flew past, leaving him wide open for his second touchdown. He finished with 10 catches and 126 yards as well.
From there Boise was seeing stars, ending the next drive on another Childs sack and giving up a third rushing TD to Charbonnet, who finished with 166 yards after the clock-chewing final drive.
Boise did manage to score once more late, a valiant last gasp with too little oxygen left in the tank for it to matter. The final bell brought fans onto the field, perhaps the last time they’ll be able to rush it with this class of seniors. Next week’s game is in Washington, and any further contests will likely be at neutral sites (only if Oregon State loses the playoff bye would they return home).
Armistead’s status remains questionable, though he told reporters postgame he’s confident he’ll play.
“It’s an ankle. Had it before, I’ll have it again, he said. “Ice, heat repeat. I’ll be out there. I’m two sacks behind now.”
Childs, with his two sacks and 6 tackles (4 solo) now leads Armistead 11 sacks to 9, and trails him by only three solo tackles on the season as the two continue to battle for defensive awards.
They’ll get their final regular season shots in next week in Pullman, where the No. 7 Cougars wait for their shot at the PAC 12 title. Wazzu’s lone loss this season came to Boise, which means a win against OSU puts them in the driver’s seat. But watching the film of this game, it’s hard to imagine they’ll be all that eager to go punch for punch.
