Report by Isaac Robinson - September 8th, 2019
426 yards, 6 scores for Scott in his breakout game, Broncos sink Swarm in a shootout
Drops, fumble cause a collapse down the stretch as Monroe drops game-tying Hail Mary at the death -- Scott breaks Boise's single game rushing records for yards and scores, adds 129 receiving -- 3 sacks for Bryan Young give him 5 in 2 games
Martez Scott went off. He shushed the Westlake crowd (center) after TD #6.
Westlake, OH -- WHAT. A. GAME. Westlake State fell to 1-1 against Boise State last night, losing 56-49 as Broncos tailback
Martez Scott posted one of the best statlines you'll see all year: 23 carries, 297 yards, 6 (yes SIX!) touchdowns, with 129 more yards receiving. Despite all that, Westlake State at one point led by 2 scores, and only several key drops and a lost fumble stopped them from winning this one, or at least going to OT.
Westlake State started hot, as a quick drive ended with
B.J. Henderson finding
Josh Roach in the endzone for a 31 yard score, Roach's first on the season. Boise State came right back, as Scott caught a pass for 21 yards, and a few plays later,
John Fox ran in an option keeper at the goal line. Westlake State would answer back, scoring in 6 plays as a great kick return from
Kevin Campbell let them start at the Boise State 45.
Roach goes up for the TD
The Broncos came right back down the field, but their drive would end in a pick, as Fox tried to force a pass to star wideout
Dave Booth, but
Kevin McFarland was all over it and intercepted the ball in the endzone. The game slowed down for a few possessions, as Westlake State would punt twice, with a Bronco punt in between.
Then Martez Scott started to get going. He ran for 13 yards, then 50, then 13 for a score. He was fairly quiet for the rest of the quarter, as Westlake State scored a touchdown of their own courtesy of a B.J. Henderson scramble from 5 yards out. That would take us to halftime, with the Swarm up 21-14.
They extended their lead, as
Shannon Wilkinson jumped a lazy pass and took it all the way back for 6, but then Boise State came back, as Martez Scott took a screen pass 27 yards, and then a few plays later broke 2 tackles to hit the edge and run in a 32 yard score. Westlake State scored again, as a long 12 play drive ended in a Kevin Campbell rushing TD, his first for the Swarm.
Wilkinson makes the INT
Boise State's next drive: 15 yards on a facemask, throwaway, 12 yard pass to Scott, 15 yard facemask, sack, 19 yard rush from Scott, loss of 1 from Scott, 10 yard score from Scott. Martez Scott was their offense all second half. And when the Bronco defense forced a punt, Scott did it again, gaining 32 yards on a screen, 17 on a rush and finally a 5 yard touchdown run, his third of the quarter. The only other Bronco to gain yards was tight end
Ryan Clayton, who had a 28 yard catch-and-run.
Westlake State answered back, as Henderson, who finished with 272 passing yards, continued to carve up the defense, and aided by some tough running from
Mark Montgomery, led the Swarm all the way to the 5, where he found
Xavier Meeks for the score. Meeks had another excellent game, catching 8 balls for 87 yards and the aforementioned TD.
On the very first play of the ensuing Boise drive,
Bryan Young sacked John Fox, (Young's 3rd sack on the day), and this time he jarred the ball loose for sophomore DE Joe Davenport to fall on. But Westlake State handed it right back to Boise State, as a strike from B.J. Henderson was dropped by Ricky Alston around the 5, and safety turned nickel corner
David Kearney somehow scooped it up before it hit the ground. Boise State had somehow gotten a second chance, and they didn't waste it. Martez Scott accounted for 41 yards of offense and ran in his 5th score to make it 42-42, but that only held for about 10 seconds, as Kevin Campbell found a lane on the ensuing kickoff and took it 98 yards to the house. 49-42 with 2:14 to go.
Alston has to catch this ball, but Westlake State were unlucky as Kearney just barely made the grab
Boise State, however, weren't done. John Fox completed a few passes, and then Martez Scott would score an impressive 44 yard TD, cutting it back behind the line of scrimmage before shedding a tackle and letting his speed do the rest. So it was tied at 49 with just over a minute to go. The Swarm were still very much in this one. But then B.J. Henderson, who'd played so well all day, made his only error, losing control of the football as he tried to evade a tackle, and once again, David Kearney was Johnny-on-the-spot, scooping and scoring to put his team up 56-49.
That lead held, as Henderson completed a few passes to give his team a shot, but
Eric Monroe dropped the game-tying Hail Mary as time expired. Ballgame.
Eric Monroe made some great grabs (left, center) but he dropped the one we needed most (right)
"Nothing to say. I made mistakes too." said B.J. Henderson when asked about Eric Monroe's drops. Not only did Monroe drop the Hail Mary, but he dropped what would have been a gain of at least 20 yards a couple plays earlier, costing his team precious seconds and yards. Henderson's full quote is below.
Henderson played a good game, not really being at fault for the interception he threw, and finishing with 272 passing yards, 2 scores, 60 rushing yards, and another score. He now has 6 passing scores through 2 games, which is a third of the total he threw last year in 11 starts, and just one interception after leading the nation with 18 in 2018.
Westlake State will have to put the tough loss out of their minds, as they have a very tough game at #17 Nebraska in Lincoln next week.