OFFENSIVE OFFENSES
Boise State holds off USF in turnover laden defensive battle
Saturday September 11, 2027 | Albertsons Stadium | Boise, Idaho | 6:00PM
Boise, Idaho - For the first ten minutes of Saturday’s game, it looked like USF had walked into a heavyweight’s house and started swinging first.
Boise State received the opening kickoff, but on their very first possession, defensive end Ira Singleton undercut a Tanner Applewhite out route and snatched an interception that instantly electrified the visiting Bulls’ sideline. The momentum swing was immediate and obvious. A few minutes later, George Shembo capped off the short field with a bruising two-yard touchdown run, giving USF a 7–0 lead and putting the pressure squarely on the 25th-ranked Broncos.
And when Boise State got the ball back, USF’s defense kept pouring it on.
The Broncos marched deep into Bulls territory, but Gavin Jenkins made the play of the quarter leaping and picking off Applewhite inside the USF five-yard line. Instead of a Boise equalizer, the Bulls suddenly had the ball and a chance to double their lead.
Locklan Hewlett and the USF offense responded with an extended drive, stringing together first downs and chewing up yardage… until it stalled in field-goal range. Nico Gramatica lined up for what looked like a routine kick by his standards but pushed it wide, leaving points on the field that would loom large later.
USF’s defense refused to break, though. On Boise State’s next push, Singleton got to Applewhite for a sack and then Nick Jones snagged Applewhite’s third interception of the half, once again inside the red zone. It was as dominant and disruptive a defensive showing as the Bulls have delivered under head coach DJ Porter.
But the offense couldn’t capitalize.
Just two plays after Jones’ takeaway, a harassed Hewlett was intercepted, giving Boise State a short field they wouldn’t waste. Sire Gaines punched in a nine-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7–7 late in the second quarter.
The Bulls still had a chance to retake control before halftime. Hewlett led another promising march down the field and took a deep shot to the end zone for Tyler Williams, but Boise’s Treyvon Tolmaire broke up the pass. As the ball fluttered, Tyler Armstead dove under it for Boise State’s second interception of the half.
This time, the Broncos turned it into a dagger. Applewhite settled down and hit Chris Lawson for a six-yard touchdown with 13 seconds remaining, giving Boise State a 14–7 lead they would never surrender.
If the first half was defined by chaos, turnovers, and missed offensive opportunities for USF, the second was defined by defense. Both teams struggled to move the ball, USF mustering only 70 rushing yards on the day and Boise State managing just three rushing yards outside of the lone touchdown run.
Joshua Brantley replaced Hewlett and briefly sparked the offense, driving the Bulls deep into Boise territory. With under a minute left, USF faced a chance to tie the game. But on a rushed throw toward the goal line, Brantley was intercepted at the Boise State one-yard line, extinguishing the Bulls’ final hope.
From there, Boise State kneeled it out.
After the game, Coach DJ Porter didn’t mince words about where he felt the loss fell.
“That one’s on me,” Porter said. “Our defense gave us every opportunity to win. Three interceptions, constant pressure, they set the table for us all night. We have to reward them. We didn’t today, and that’s on the coaching.”
Porter highlighted Singleton, Jenkins, and Jones as players who “played their hearts out and deserved better support from the offense.”
The Bulls have shown they can hang with ranked opponents. The next step, though, is finishing drives and not letting a defensive masterpiece go to waste.
USF returns home to host Florida A&M next week when they will be looking to reset, regroup, and find the offensive rhythm that eluded them in Boise.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
(USF) George Shembo, 2-yard run (Nico Gramatica kick), 7:48
Second Quarter
(BOI) Sire Gaines, 9-yard run (Mathias Brown kick), 2:08
(BOI) Chris Lawson, 6-yard pass from Tanner Applewhite (Mathias Brown kick), 0:13
USF Stat Leaders
Passing
L. Hewlett – 14/28 121 Yds 2 INT
J. Brantley – 6/17 48 Yds 1 INT
Rushing
S. Snead – 8 Car 44 Yds 5.5 Avg
G. Shembo – 10 Car 40 Yds 4.0 Avg 1 TD
Receiving
T. Williams – 7 Rec 53 Yds 7.5 Avg
D. Zipperer – 4 Rec 35 Yds 8.7 Avg
J. Bridgewater – 5 Rec 32 Yds 6.4 Avg
D. Troup – 2 Rec 29 Yds 14.5 Avg
K. Michaels – 1 Rec 10 Yds 10.0 Avg
H. Gregory – 1 Rec 10 Yds 10.0 Avg
Defense
G. Jenkins – 9 Tkl 1 TFL 1 INT
N. Jones – 7 Tkl 1 TFL 1 INT
I. Guy – 6 Tkl 1 TFL
C. Hawkins – 5 Tkl
E. Rance – 5 Tkl
I. Singleton – 3 Tkl 1.0 Sck 1 INT
J. Dalias – 2 Tkl 0.5 Sck
D. Exume – 2 Tkl 1.0 Sck
J. Grant – 1 Tkl 1.0 Sck
Special Teams
Nico Gramatica – 1/1 XP, 0/1 FG
D. McSurdy – 3 Punts, 151 Yds, 50.3 Avg, 1 Inside 20
Boise State Stat Leaders
Passing
T. Applewhite – 20/29 215 Yds 1 TD 3 INT
Rushing
S. Gaines – 11 Car 32 Yds 2.9 Avg 1 TD
M. Wagner – 1 Car 0 Yds 0.0 Avg
Receiving
M. Wagner – 3 Rec 61 Yds 20.3 Avg
J. McClain – 6 Rec 56 Yds 9.3 Avg
C. Lawson – 5 Rec 49 Yds 9.8 Avg 1 TD
J. Bailey – 2 Rec 36 Yds 18.0 Avg
S. Gaines – 4 Rec 13 Yds 3.2 Avg
Defense
M. Tuioti – 9 Tkl 1 INT 6 INT Yds
T. Armstead – 8 Tkl 1 INT
C. Martineau – 8 Tkl
T. Robinson – 7 Tkl
L. Merritt – 6 Tkl 2 TFL 1.0 Sck
T. Tolmaire – 5 Tkl
T. Anderson – 5 Tkl
F. Lecuona – 4 Tkl 0.5 Sck
M. Costello – 3 Tkl 0.5 Sck
Special Teams
Mathias Brown – 2/2 XP
P. Taggert – 5 Punts, 178 Yds, 35.6 Avg, 125 Net Yds
Team Stats Comparison
| Category | USF | BOI |
|---|
| Score | 7 | 14 |
| First Downs | 16 | 12 |
| Total Offense | 239 | 218 |
| Total Plays | 66 | 46 |
| Yards Per Play | 3.6 | 4.7 |
| Rush|Yards|TD | 21|70|1 | 17|3|1 |
| Yards Per Rush | 3.3 | 0.2 |
| Comp|Att|TD | 20|45|0 | 20|29|1 |
| Yards Per Pass | 3.8 | 7.4 |
| Passing Yards | 169 | 215 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 8|17 (47%) | 4|10 (40%) |
| 4th Down Conv. | 1|3 (33%) | 0|0 (0%) |
| 2 Pt Conv. | 0|0 (0%) | 0|0 (0%) |
| Red Zone TD|FG|% | 1|0|25% | 2|0|66% |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 3 |
| PR Yards | 52 | 9 |
| KR Yards | 19 | 9 |
| Total Yards | 310 | 227 |
| Punts (Avg) | 3|50.3 | 5|35.6 |
| Penalties | 1|5 | 1|5 |
