Big hits and high heat: How Boise State is upping the ‘intensity’ in fall camp

Boise State running back Sire Gaines takes a handoff during fall camp drills in Boise last weekend. | Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman. BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — As Boise State football began its Tuesday afternoon practice, it was pleasant outside. Temperatures had not reached 80. Not only that, there was a breeze blowing. At least, that’s what head coach Spencer Danielson wants you to think. “I want to make sure, very clear, it was 78 degrees today,” Danielson joked. “I don’t know who told me it was 100 degrees. It was 78, a slight breeze out of Bogus Basin.” In fact, Boise’s high temperature was 101 — right in the middle of the Broncos’ afternoon practice. The session was initially scheduled for the morning, but Danielson pushed practice back to “put guys in a situation.” Danielson also pushed a practice to the afternoon last week, and has put his guys through several “inferno practices,” which include cranking up the temperature and humidity in the Broncos’ indoor facility. It’s all in preparation for Boise State’s season opener at South Florida on Aug. 28 in Tampa, as well as the warm weather of September. Two weeks out, The Weather Channel forecasts the high temperature for the game at USF to be 98 — with kickoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, squarely in the hottest part of the day. “I want to see how guys respond when things aren’t going their way, either they’re not playing well, or the elements are pissing them off,” Danielson said. “I want to see how our guys respond, and that’s the conflict we’re trying to put them in.” Danielson’s team seems to have responded well. Redshirt senior safety Zion Washington said a lot of players were enjoying the heat. “We play in the cold a lot,” Washington said. “I was talking to the guys, a lot of us are from Texas and Cali, so it felt like a high school practice.” Danielson said he took what he learned from the successful 2024 season — his first full season as a head coach — and decided he wanted to create more “conflict.” Boise State’s practices are split into periods, with planned individual and team drills contained within each period. However, Danielson has started springing a surprise 7-on-7 or full 11-on-11 setup without the players’ prior notice. It’s designed to put them in an uncomfortable, unexpected position — to make them adjust and think on their feet quickly. “I believe in schedule, I believe in being efficient,” Danielson said. “But sometimes that’s not the game we play. Turnover, sudden change, muffed punt, right? Things happen that we’ve got to be ready to adjust to. And I want to turn up the intensity.” “Intensity” has been the keyword from fall camp. It’s not just the sweaty afternoons reminiscent of high school that Washington and the rest of the team are dealing with. Tackling, specifically in the open field, has been a point of focus this fall. The Broncos wore pads for the first time last weekend and have kept them on throughout the remainder of camp. Big tackles and heavy hits haven’t been uncommon, including running so-called Oklahoma drills — close quarters, few players, often one-on-one matchups — this past weekend. “Being able to do these tackling drills, focusing on stuff like that, it just gives you that confidence of different angles and stuff that you’re going to see in the game,” Washington said. Of course, there’s a balance to the find with the level of physicality, too. Danielson said it’s critical to make sure the coaching staff doesn’t overdo it so that players are feeling fresh when the season begins. “We believe physically dominant teams win championships,” Danielson said last week. “That’s what we believe in here, and that’s trained. Yes, there is a balance when guys get banged up and how to do the right reps of practice, and that’s something we’re always looking at.”The post Big hits and high heat: How Boise State is upping the ‘intensity’ in fall camp appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com