Fan Fervor Surrounds Boise State Spring Game as Defense Triumphs

Saturday, April 20

Boise, Idaho

1:30 p.m.

Boise State

Spring Game

Photo by: Tyler McFarland

Fan Fervor Surrounds Boise State Spring Game as Defense Triumphs

4/20/2024 6:10:00 PM | Football

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Young playmakers highlight defensive effort

BOISE, Idaho – There are no cicadas around Boise State's Albertsons Stadium but that doesn't mean you can't hear the buzz surrounding the facility loud and clear. On a day where the school announced season ticket sales were nearly double what they were ago and the crowd was more than double last year's spring game, the 7,137 members of Bronco Nation in attendance witnessed offensive fireworks and defensive play stoppers, and it all started with one of the most special touchdowns in program history.

That came when six-year-old Weston Derrick, Boise State's Team IMPACT signee, began the Spring Game festivities with a two-yard touchdown run. Derrick was officially added to the program in February. Read more on his battle with a rare illness here.

Captain Brave gives us a moment we'll never forget 💙🧡

Six-⭐️ recruit Weston Derrick scores his first TD on The Blue after signing out of @TeamIMPACT in February!#BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/7Q4qDPm6JI
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) April 20, 2024

Boise State's final spring session featured an offense versus defense format with the defensive unit claiming the 47-29 victory. Ashton Jeanty, a HEI2MAN candidate entering the 2024 season, unsurprisingly led the ground attack by averaging 10.8 yards per carry but it was newcomer Sire Gaines that caught the eye of most, averaging 9.0 yards on his five carries.

Fans were reminded of the effective combination of speed and hands that Latrell Caples brings to the field, catching four passes for 40 yards in his first public appearance on The Blue since the 2022 season. Prince Strachan showed why he continues to be a threat to defenses everywhere, catching two passes for 48 yards while Chase Penry returned to the field following a banged up season with 35 yards receiving and a touchdown on two catches.

Also in the receiving game, Chris Marshall caught three passes for 35 yards and Sire Gaines tabulated 18 yards on three catches.

When the offense wasn't clicking, the Leg from Down Under showed why he remains the best punter in the nation. James Ferguson-Reynolds averaged 47.7 yards on his seven punts, placing four inside the 20 with a long punt of 60 yards.

On the other side of the trenches, young players time and again sent fans to their phones to find their spring game rosters. The top eight tacklers in the spring game combined for only two starts and 27 games played last season with three of those eight arriving on campus in January. However, in Saturday's spring game, they accounted for nearly 50% of the tackles, 64% of the tackles for loss and 70% of the sacks registered.

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Ashton Jeanty averaged 10.8 yards on his five carries and scored one touchdown.
The non-quarterbacks of Jeanty, Sire Gaines, Chase Penry and Jambres Dubar combined for 112 net yards on 17 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per rush. As a group they only lost six total yards rushing.
The quarterback quartet of Max Cutforth, Colt Fulton, Malachi Nelson and CJ Tiller threw for 223 yards and one touchdown with only one interception. They were 21-for-43 overall (48.8%).
James Ferguson-Reynolds averaged 47.7 yards per punt in his seven punts, all of which drew cheers from the crowd.
Jake Ripp and Michael Madrie each led the defense with four total tackles. Ripp had three solo and one assisted stop while Madrie had one solo and three assisted tackles.
Trevor McKenna forced a fumble, had a solo tackle for a loss and tallied three total tackles in the scrimmage, all solo stops.

Up Next
Boise State will open the 2024 season at Georgia Southern on Saturday, Aug. 31.

For complete coverage of Boise State Football, download the Bronco Sports App or follow the team on social media on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X.

--BroncoSports.com--