‘This place rocked’: What Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said about the Broncos’ win over Oregon State

BOISE – Here are some of the things Boise State coach Spencer Danielson had to say after the No. 11 Broncos defeated Oregon State 34-18 at Albertsons Stadium on Friday:

(Comments edited for brevity and clarity)

Opening speech:

Danielson: “I get recognition that I don’t deserve. I am here. I’m just so blessed. We are grateful that our team came to the game. I’m so grateful that Bronco Nation performed so well. I mean, this place rocked the first pairs series, which was all about offense. I mean, they could barely move the ball. First of all, our defense started really well, which I’m proud of, but it was loud, and Bronco Nation, we’re going to need every single bit of that and more for the championship game in a week, no matter who we play Bronco Nation, best fan base in the country. We played a really good game today. There will be a lot to clean up in the film, but we started quickly. Our guys were resilient in some situations, a drop ball, a miss, a pick, a miss. Things like this happen in a game and we need to work on making sure they happen less. But our boys executed. They were resilient. They stayed together defensively. We were underdogs in the first half. Scored an 80-yard touchdown. That’s playing defense. We didn’t get the run right. The perfect call should have been a TFL, didn’t happen.

“Our offense started really strong. Two touchdowns to start the game. There were some penalties that took some points off the board and we had to settle for field goals. We have the best field goal kicker in the country, so we’re going to go out and score points. I think Maddux Madson did a great job today. He led our offense, stayed in the fight, made shots, even a few drops or a few things that didn’t go our way, stayed in the fight. Ashton Jeanty, we can be here all day talking about him, an absolute warrior, a warrior for his teammates. When the defense is out there, I’m hitting him half the time because he’s there igniting the defense. This is a team-first kid. We are simply proud of our team and are happy that we are growing too. And it’s championship week.”

The last three to four weeks have not been the best of victories. At this stage, are you just doing what you need to do to win?

Danielson: “They are resilient and we talk all the time, this team is made for that.” This is how we train, these are the programs we run. It doesn’t matter what the result is at the end of the day as long as we find a way to win. If we win by 50, win by seven, win by one, we’ll find a way to win. Now we watch the film to make sure we are growing every week. Just because you win doesn’t mean you wash it away, but I’m proud of guys finding a way to win. We will continue to ensure that everyone does their best. We knew without question that today we would be Oregon State’s absolute best and contend for bowl eligibility. I think they played their best game against Washington State. It’s my job, and our coaches and players know that we have to earn the right to then let go and do our best. Next week will be no different, whoever we play in the UNLV-Colorado State championship game. We will do our best on Friday. We must earn the right to do our best.

“We have never won back-to-back Mountain West championships, and we have a chip on our shoulder. Find a way to do it. We know that everyone we compete against will carry the same chip.”

Current home winning streak:

Danielson: “The best teams win at home, and that’s my conversation with our team at the start of the season.” It’s a very special atmosphere playing at home in front of Bronco Nation, all those things, but there’s no magic sauce. When we walk on this field, the best teams win at home. You protect your home playing field. Check out home-field advantage stats over the years. Who are the best teams up there? And that’s what I told them. It must be more important to you. Come and play on the Blue, we have to do our best. It’s in front of our family. We believe in Bronco Nation and we’re going to need all of it next week. Personally, I lost far too many games to the Blues. I remember every single one of them and I don’t want that to happen. And I know our players don’t do that.”

Fast start against OSU after slow starts in recent weeks:

Danielson: “It’s important for all teams to start fast and I’m proud that our team did it today.” 14-0, we start fast and find a way to just stay consistent. Like I said, I’m really proud of our team no matter what total we won. We played really good football today. I’m proud of how we responded. I’m proud of how we played in many of those situations. There’s a fumble in there, there’s a couple missed third downs, there’s a couple field goals that we settled for and that’s why the lead wasn’t there. But we played good football tonight. There is still a lot to clean up. There are a lot of things to fix, but we took a step today as a program.”

It’s difficult to win 10 games in a row

Danielson: “It’s hard man, it’s hard to win and we’re going to celebrate every single win. We will learn from every single victory. But it’s hard to win and you live in college football, especially in November, crazy things happen and especially in the situation we’re in, now going into a championship game we’re going to be the best of everyone get out, both sides know what it is. You put the ball down and you have 60 minutes or overtime to find a way to win a championship.”

How important is it to respond with a touchdown after Anthony Hankerson’s 83-yard touchdown run?

Danielson: “This is football. I mean, we’re up 14-0. Everything points to us taking a 21-0 lead. Didn’t happen. Fumble the ball. 83 yards, touchdown run. Let’s go. Suddenly it’s a one-point game. There are a few things that need to be fixed to make sure that doesn’t happen. But that’s football. Not otherwise. There were games where we were two points down at the start and found a way to come back. It’s football. Then we play against really good teams. We’re going to play with really good coaches.”

Did you shed tears today?

Danielson: “Yes, oh yes. It was an emotional day for me. I love these kids.”

On Ashton Jeanty, who carried the ball 37 times.

Danielson: “He is an absolute warrior. And I can also tell you, after the game, when I was running through the locker room, he picked me up with one arm and he still had some in the tank. Ashton Jeanty is built differently, but that’s how he trains. Come in and watch him in the training room. This man lives in the training room to get his body fit week after week. This is very unusual. There aren’t many people on this planet who can do that. Ashton Jeanty does it on and off the field. “

Leaving points on the field by kicking field goals:

Danielson: “We are 14-0 and will score points. That’s why turnovers are such a big key to winning football games. We settled for two field goals, which, proud of our boys, brought in points. But if that’s 14 instead of six, it’s a different ball game.”

–Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, [email protected] or @nickdaschel.

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