Broncos’ offense wreaks havoc

Published 12:34 am Saturday, September 8, 2007

SEATTLE – Discipline.

That’s the word of the week for the Washington defense. When the Huskies take on Boise State this afternoon, their chances of ending the nation’s longest winning streak could very well come down to how the defense handles a complex Broncos offense.

Even if you leave out the trick plays Boise State became known for after its Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma, the Broncos offense is still enough to give a defensive coordinator nightmares.

“They probably do more than any team we’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Washington defensive coordinator Kent Baer said. “It’s just a lot of stuff to prepare for.”

When preparing for an opponent, Baer and his staff dissects film of three of that team’s games. When breaking down Boise State’s offense, he counted 35 different formations on first down alone. A typical team will show “maybe 10,” Baer said.

“It’s out of sight,” he said. “When I saw the chart, I knew it was a lot, I would have guessed 20. But after seeing it, wow. I’m sure that they’ve got a lot of stuff waiting and prepared for us. You’ve just got to be smart and communicate.”

Which is easier said than done, especially for a Washington defense that features several young players who will be excited to make their home debut.

“There’s a little concern,” Baer said of his young players. “I was pleased with how those young kids played last week. For the most part, I thought those guys played decent. It’s going to be different though. None of those guys have played in front of 72,000 people before, or against this. You just don’t see that in high school.”

Most people outside of the Western Athletic Conference don’t see it in college, either.

“There aren’t enough hours in a day let alone a week to cover everything they do,” linebacker Trenton Tuiasosopo said. “But Coach Baer and Coach (Chris) Tormey are emphasizing all the little things we need to do with our fundamentals. If we go back to basics we should be OK.”

The man behind the offensive madness is Chris Petersen, who spent five seasons as the Broncos offensive coordinator before taking over as head coach last season.

“I think he’s one of the best offensive coaches in football,” said Tormey, Washington’s linebackers coach.

With a strong offensive line one that features preseason All-American left tackle Ryan Clady and a Heisman Trophy candidate running back in Ian Johnson, the Broncos play plenty of smash-mouth football.

“He’s definitely a good back,” Huskies linebacker Dan Howell said. “We’ve played a lot of good backs before and he’s up there with the caliber of great backs we’ve seen in the Pac-10 and other places.”

In addition to the standard running game, however, there will be confusing formations, players constantly in motion, and the looming threat of a trick play to keep the Huskies on their heels.

“You don’t, you can’t,” was Tyrone Willingham’s answer when asked how the Huskies can prepare for everything Boise State will throw at them. “That’s where you have to have a firm understanding and grasp of your own rules and fundamentals and rely on those, because you can’t practice all of the looks that they give you. They force you to make so many adjustments that it puts you back on your heels. It makes you very tentative, very passive about how you play football. They understand their scheme very well.”

And then there are those trick plays. Petersen says trick plays are one percent, if that, of his offense, but the threat of them has the Huskies worried. In January’s Fiesta Bowl, the Broncos shocked the college football world with three plays. First, they tied the score on a 50-yard hook and lateral play with seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Then, in overtime, the Broncos had a receiver throw a touchdown pass, and then won the game when Johnson scored on the “Statue of Liberty play.”

Granted the stakes were much higher in that game, meaning Boise State is much less likely to show so many trick plays today, but just the knowledge that a team may try something like that is enough to make things difficult for Washington.

“We just need to have a lot of discipline,” defensive end Greyson Gunheim said. “That’s why our film study is so important, and just taking care of your responsibilities. If you have outside contain, you have to stay outside contain, because a reverse will come or things like that. It’s just really important to stay disciplined.”