The Boise State defense has had its ups and downs this year, but it might have shaken a bogeyman against San Diego State.
Heading into Friday night’s home conference matchup against San Diego State, the Broncos had recorded just two interceptions on the season.
After just one quarter of No. 15 Boise State’s (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) 56-24 victory over San Diego State (3-5, 2-1), the Broncos had two more interceptions. One of those went for six points when senior cornerback A’Marion McCoy picked off quarterback Danny O’Neil and took it 33 yards to the end zone.
“Defensively, one of our best games all year,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “We knew (San Diego State head coach) Sean Lewis was always going to have a really good plan. He’s a big-time offensive head coach. They’re going to be tempo, they’re going to be on the attack. They’re going to use splits to their advantage.”
The Broncos’ defense held San Diego State to just 256 yards of offense, with 129 coming in the final quarter when the game was far out of sight.
After forcing San Diego State into two punts to open the game — countered by two touchdowns from the Boise State offense — the Aztecs started their third drive from the 25-yard line. O’Neil threw what seemed to be a simple pass to the sideline for receiver Louis Brown IV, but McCoy jumped the route, picked it off in stride and sprinted for the score to make it 21-0.
Just eight seconds elapsed between the second and third touchdowns, the shortest time between two TDs in Boise State history since record-keeping for the stat began in 1996.
The interception was McCoy’s first of the season and the first touchdown of his career.
“He’s been waiting for a while. He’s been working for it,” said redshirt sophomore edge Jayden Virgin-Morgan. “He’s super smart; he’s a great leader when it comes to the corners.”
In the dying seconds of the first quarter, sixth-year safety Alexander Teubner also picked off O’Neil on a deep throw downfield. It was Teubner’s first interception of the season and second of his career.
It wasn’t just the secondary that impressed on Friday night. Boise State added to its nation-leading sack numbers, recording three to bring the season total to 38. Last season, the Broncos recorded just 35.
Virgin-Morgan has played a big role in reaching that number, including the 1.5 sacks he recorded Friday.
The redshirt sophomore edge rusher dropped O’Neil for a six-yard loss as the first half’s final play. He then recorded a sack alongside senior defensive end Ahmed Hassanein in the third quarter.
Virgin-Morgan and Hassanein lead the team in sacks this season. Virgin-Morgan now has eight and Hassanein 7.5.
The duo talk weekly about their sack numbers, and half-jokingly compete against one another. But the close competition is a surprise, too, after Hassanein led the team in sacks last season with 12.5, while Virgin-Morgan had never recorded a career sack before this season.
“Being able to have that great of a player on that side, as well as being able to make plays on my side, that kind of either takes the pressure off of me, or it takes the pressure off of him,” Virgin-Morgan said. “And it’s just great to be able to work together.”
