Post-Ashton Jeanty era gets off to brutal start for No. 25 Boise State

There needed to be at the very least some expectation that the Boise State Broncos have been going to take a small step backwards in 2025. They most likely simply didn’t anticipate it to occur so quickly within the season, and so emphatically.

The No. 25 ranked Broncos have been completely humiliated on Thursday night time, shedding 34-7 to an unranked South Florida group that was simply 7-6 a 12 months in the past. 

It was a impolite awakening for what is likely to be forward for Boise State following the departure of Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty. 

Jeanty’s historic season helped carry the Broncos to an 12-1 common season, with the one common season loss being a three-point defeat to Oregon early within the season. They ended up within the School Soccer Playoff the place they misplaced their first recreation to Penn State. 

However with Jeanty on to the NFL (a first-round decide by the Las Vegas Raiders) there was at all times going to be an enormous gap for them to exchange. Not solely by way of manufacturing and ability, but additionally of their identification. 

They’d none of that power-running identification on Thursday.

Not solely did they permit 34 consecutive factors to South Florida, however the Broncos additionally managed to hurry for under 122 yards on 38 carries, popping out to only 3.2 yards per try. They averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 2024, tied for the second-highest mark in faculty soccer. 

On one hand, shedding an early season recreation is not the top of the world, particularly within the period of expanded playoffs. Boise State may nonetheless run the desk the remainder of the best way with a really manageable schedule and play its method again into playoff competition. 

It is also not unusual for groups to battle early within the season. There is no such thing as a preseason in faculty soccer and all people is simply coming in chilly proper into actual video games. Generally groups take some time to get shifting. 

However this isn’t a very good South Florida group, and for Boise State to come back out so flat and be so uncompetitive within the opener is a nasty signal for what is likely to be forward.