Boise State spent the first half of Saturday’s non-conference matchup with Memphis battling more than just the Tigers.
Head coach Spencer Danielson made it clear he was unhappy with the officiating before the teams headed to the locker room, and the conversation he had with referee Chris Snead became one of the halftime storylines as the Broncos trailed 20-17.
When USA Network sideline reporter Lauren Green asked about the exchange, Danielson didn’t try to turn it into a complaint about the officials.
“It’s never the refs’ fault; I just want to know what to tell our guys,” Danielson told Green. “We’ve had a lot of penalties called, got to clean it up.”
Boise State was hit with seven penalties for 67 yards in the first half, and three of those flags were pass interference calls. Danielson seemed especially bothered by the final PI call, which went against nickelback Jaden Mickey late in the half. Mickey was tagged for two pass interference penalties, while JeRico Washington Jr. also drew one.
There was another moment that left Danielson visibly irritated. On Memphis’ last drive of the half, Snead’s crew picked up a flag after a potential holding call that would have wiped out a big run by Tigers quarterback Marcus Stokes.
Even with only 23 plays, Memphis turned the half into a fireworks show. The Tigers piled up 356 yards, while Boise State needed 44 snaps to get to 340 yards.
Stokes did most of his damage through the air, completing 6 of 9 passes for 246 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His completions covered 37, 41, 68 and 87 yards, all in the opening half.
His favorite target was tight end Hunter Tipton, who caught four passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. Tipton broke loose for an 87-yard play-action score in the first quarter.
Danielson’s halftime message centered on the defensive breakdowns, even while he praised what Boise State did with the ball.
“We’ve got to tighten our defense up,” Danielson said in his halftime interview. “We’ve given up way too many explosive plays, but I’m so proud of our offense for finding a way to capitalize. We’ve got to make sure we come out and get a top on defense (to start the second half).”
Maddux Madsen completed 13 of 22 passes for 134 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the opening half for Boise State.
Dylan Riley powered the Broncos’ ground game with 10 carries for 134 yards, including a 71-yard burst that set up a 19-yard touchdown run by Rasean Jones. Sire Gaines added nine carries for 49 yards.
Boise State scored two touchdowns in a 90-second stretch late in the first half, but Memphis answered with a field goal at the buzzer to take a 20-17 lead into halftime.
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