RENO, Nev. — Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said his initial impression of running back George Holani was that he would make a good third-down back in the NFL one day.
It’s safe to say his feelings have changed since taking over for Tim Plough, who was fired a little over a month ago.
“He’s going to be pretty special,” Koetter said. “He’s got a rare combination of speed and power. He can do just about whatever he wants out there, and his future is pretty bright.”
Holani did a little bit of everything Saturday night in a 41-3 win at Nevada.
Even though it snowed enough that the yard lines had to be uncovered at halftime, Holani posted his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season. He finished with 115 yards and found the end zone twice.
“He was super impressive,” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said. “Part of it is the footing out there wasn’t great, but he has such great balance and power and drive that he’s able to keep going as guys are falling off of him.”
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Holani’s 49-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was a highlight that will stand the test of time. He burst through a hole in the middle of the line, juked around a defender and darted down the right side of the field, and then dragged a gaggle a tacklers the final 5 yards into the end zone.
“Every time you see him touch the ball, it’s like lightning in a bottle,” Boise State defensive tackle Scott Matlock said. “That dude is so hard to bring down. His ability to make people miss and having the power to break tackles, too, is pretty incredible, and it’s very fun to watch.”
Boise State is now 11-0 when it has rushed for at least 140 yards in games since Avalos took over last year. The Broncos posted a season-high 528 yards of offense on Saturday, and the score could have been even more lopsided if it weren’t for two botched field goal attempts.
Most of the starters did not play in the fourth quarter.
“It always starts up front in the run game, and that opens up other things and wears out defenses,” Avalos said.
Holani also got a chance to show off his arm. He lined up at wildcat quarterback on a play during the Broncos’ first possession of the game and faked like he was going to take off and run. Instead, he lobbed a pass to quarterback Taylen Green, who was lined up at wide receiver. The pass was a little underthrown and Green couldn’t make it back to the ball because of defensive pass interference, but it was the first pass of Holani’s career, even dating back to high school.
“I’m pretty sure I couldn’t even see over the line, I’m not going to lie,” Holani said after the game. “I just said I know Taylen is down there somewhere and I just threw it up.”
Holani got some help from the rest of the backfield on Saturday. Freshman Ashton Jeanty finished with 73 rushing yards and scored on a 6-yard run that gave the Broncos a 38-3 lead in the third quarter.
Former walk-on Tyler Crowe finished with 78 yards on the ground, even though most of his carries came in mop-up duty.
Holani and his running mates also got some help from Green, who led scoring drives on two of the Broncos’ first three possessions and finished the game 11-of-22 passing for 218 yards and a touchdown.
Green capped the Broncos’ first drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Billy Bowens and scored on a 9-yard run to put Boise State up 14-0 in the first quarter.
Green talked about what life has been like for him since taking over for former starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier a little over a month ago.
“It’s been crazy, but it’s been really fun,” said Green, speaking to local media for the first time since he got the starting job. “I came here to win a Mountain West championship, but it’s not because of me. It’s because of our team.”
The offense also got plenty of help from a defense that rebounded from giving up 531 yards last week to BYU.
The Broncos limited Nevada to 250 total yards. They had four sacks after not recording one against the Cougars, and got a blocked field goal from cornerback Koanohi Kaniho in the first half.
“This was another step on our climb of the mountain,” Matlock said. “(Nevada) was in our way, and we just had to do our jobs, play our brand of football and just keep fighting.”
The Broncos’ attention now turns to next Saturday’s game at Wyoming (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network). Boise State can clinch the Mountain Division title and a spot in the league championship game with a win.