BOISE, Idaho — The Boise State football team hit their first major check point of fall camp Saturday -- the Broncos gathered up for a little 11-on-11 scrimmage.
The practice was closed to the both the public and the media, meaning this one was monitored from outside Albertsons Stadium.
According to Boise State head coach Andy Avalos, the offense and defense went "back and forth" today. However, one of Avalos' most encouraging takeaways was an early productive possession on offense, led by quarterback Hank Bachmeier.
The Broncos' offense opened the scrimmage with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Avalos said the offense succeeded with multiple tempos, while getting a handful of skill players involved.
Through a week and a half of fall camp, Avalos says the urgency he's seen from his team on a daily basis is "awesome."
"This next week is gonna be huge, that's why we say coming out of the first scrimmage, we're gonna see the guys that are going to be extremely consistent during the season, they're going to do it in this next week. They're gonna make a huge jump," Avalos said. "Every position there's a battle. You can't show up here thinking, 'I'm good, I'm a starter,' that ain't gonna work. What we see coming out of this scrimmage, what we identify and how we move forward and how we show up on Monday, is gonna tell us who are the dudes that can do this week in, week out, one day at a time."
After a down season running the ball last year, Avalos had a lot of praise for the ground game in Saturday's scrimmage.
It sounds like starter George Holani didn't participate. Boise State's coaches have said time and time again they intend to limit Holani's participation in live situations this fall.
Outside of Holani, Avalos commended Ashton Jeanty, Tyler Crowe, Elelyon Noa, and Kaden Dudley.
"There's no question some of those guys had some really good runs where they created when there wasn't much," Avalos said. "There was plenty of plays today where the backs were able to put their foot in the ground and hit a vertical lane, and that's obviously really good to see. There's a lot of improvement from the spring and into the summer."
Avalos added the offensive line has some nice moments on Saturday too, "playing with a great mentality up front."
On the defensive side of the ball, Avalos acknowledged a few guys.
He said Boise State senior DJ Schramm "has been extremely consistent" at linebacker.
Borah High alumnus George Tarlas, who transferred in from Weber State this offseason, is the team-leader in sacks during fall camp.
Additionally, senior Markel Reed, an oft-injured cornerback, has looked great recently. Avalos said Reed is "a tremendous player and an unbelievable person."
In the meantime, Boise State sophomore safety Rodney Robinson forced a fumble in the scrimmage Saturday. Robinson continues to fight for a starting spot in the secondary, and his energy and attitude are likely his two best attributes.
"Rodney's a character. Rodney's a very funny dude -- that's my little dude -- I love playing with Rodney. He always brings a certain amount of energy to the group, always -- he's like a little energizer bunny -- so, I love Rod," safety JL Skinner said. "It's fun playing with him. He's always laughing, joking, trying to make a play, so it's just nice to be around him."
As a redshirt-freshman last fall, Robinson made three starts and appeared in each of Boise State's 12 contests. The San Bernardino, Calif., native tallied 21 tackles in 2021, including 11 solo tackles.
Boise State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, Kane Ioane, mirrored Skinner's comments on Robinson's contagious character, but also praised the third-year sophomore's offseason.
"A tremendous competitor. Just a guy that brings that fire every single day, brings that passion. When Rodney steps on the field, he's all in and is having fun out there competing and brings the group's energy up with him every single day, because he's just out there having fun with it," Ioane said. "To his credit, he's worked tremendously over the course of the summer and is putting himself in a position where he's gonna compete to play a lot for us this fall."
Avalos' full interview from Saturday is included below:
Watch more on Boise State Football:
See all of our Boise State football coverage in our YouTube playlist: