‘They can’t play’: Boise State’s Danielson demands more effort after opening loss

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Coach Spencer Danielson walked out for his start-of-week press conference on Monday afternoon in an unfamiliar position: following an unacceptable loss.

Before last Thursday’s 34-7 blowout loss at South Florida, Danielson had lost just three games as Boise State’s head coach: the 2024 LA Bowl in just his fourth game in charge, a last-second field goal loss at then-No. 7 Oregon last fall, and the loss to Penn State in last year’s College Football Playoff.

With two season-ending bowl losses and a valiant road effort that still looked good on Boise State’s resume, there’s not much of a sample size for determining Danielson’s ability to switch from good cop to bad cop. Especially following a game in which the Broncos lost by 27 points, having entered the game as a touchdown favorite.

However, we got an idea of what a bad cop Danielson looks like on Monday. The second-year head coach slammed the effort levels of his team in the loss, saying what he saw was “not the standard” for Boise State.

And he wasn’t afraid to let that be known to his players.

“Going forward, if someone doesn’t play the way we need them to, from an effort and mentality standpoint, they can’t play,” Danielson said in Monday’s press conference.

Redshirt senior corner Davon Banks felt the brunt of fan frustration over the weekend. A clip of Banks jogging during the play that led to South Florida’s third touchdown went viral, but Danielson was sure to note that the lack of effort extended beyond the incident with Banks.

“There are a lot of plays on film that were not the standard in regard to our effort,” Danielson said. “I know the play that everybody sees. There’s a lot more on that tape than just that one play.”

Banks was also at the center of another game-changing play that went against the Broncos.

With Boise State leading 7-3 and having just forced a 4th-and-long deep in South Florida territory, Banks threw down USF quarterback Byrum Brown, resulting in an unnecessary roughness penalty and a new set of downs that eventually led to a Bulls touchdown.

Danielson said Banks should have sat out for a play after the incident, but he couldn’t see who had drawn the flag amid the scrum. Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander had similar reasoning but offered little sympathy moving forward for players who earn penalties after the flag.

“Post-whistle penalties cannot happen and will not be accepted,” Chinander said. “And from here on out, it will just be emotionless. If you have a post-whistle penalty, you will come out of the football game. Not to say that you’re going to be done for the game, but you’re going to come out.”

While fingers can be pointed across the board — from an unexpectedly mediocre night from the offensive line to wide receivers being unable to get open — it was the secondary that drew the bulk of criticism. Tackling had been a big point of emphasis over the summer for the Broncos. The tackling looked better at the line of scrimmage, but once USF’s quarterback got into the open field, the secondary almost seemed to forget how to tackle, often aiming high rather than wrapping low around the legs.

Brown finished the night with 43 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also had a 39-yard touchdown in which he broke or dodged six tackles called back for holding. The tackling was alarming enough that the Broncos were practicing on Monday with live tackles, something that’s not seen too often once the season starts.

And if players still aren’t up to par, there are those waiting in the wings. Redshirt junior Jaden Mickey, a transfer from Notre Dame, played in just one snap against South Florida and could be in the running to start at nickel against Eastern Washington on Friday in the home opener.

Chinander acknowledged Mickey didn’t get enough snaps, and with Danielson admitting Banks “didn’t do what we needed him to do” in some plays against South Florida, it’s one position to keep an eye on.

“We found out the breaking point of a lot of our players, and that is on me as a coach to make sure that breaking point gets pushed or they can’t play here,” Danielson said. And (if) we’re going to play with a kid less talented,” he continued, “but he is going to do what he’s supposed to do with a high level of effort, that is what we are going to do here.”

Boise State vs. Eastern Washington

When: 5 p.m. Friday

Where: Albertsons Stadium (33,000, turf)

TV: ESPN

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 0-1; Eastern Washington 0-1

Series: Boise State leads the series 13-6

Weather: 94 degrees, partly cloudy, 12% chance of rain