Broden Mackert knows exact down and distance for Providence. ‘Just one yard.’ He gets so much more for big TD.

Broden Mackert knows exact down and distance for Providence. ‘Just one yard.’ He gets so much more for big TD.

It was fourth down. Deep in its own territory. Late in the game. Facing a crucial short-yardage situation, Providence dialed up the number of junior running back Broden Mackert. And Mackert? He might not have shown it afterward, but he was pretty excited. “I mean, it was just the one yard,” he said. “But I ran behind my guys, saw the hole, and I just took off. We came out slow in the second half and the game is never over until the final buzzer.…