Boise State may have to get by Saturday night without one of its biggest playmakers in the backfield.
The Broncos listed star running back Sire Gaines as questionable in Wednesday’s initial player availability report ahead of their matchup with Texas State. Boise State hosts the Bobcats at 8 p.m. Mountain time.
Gaines was seen in a walking boot on his left leg after last week’s 31-10 Pac-12 road win over the Cougars. The Broncos did not give a firm update beyond the questionable designation.
He is not the only Boise State player in question for Saturday. Wide receiver Ben Ford and tight end Austin Terry also landed on the questionable list, while starting left guard Carson Rasmussen will miss his fourth straight game.
Gaines, a 6-foot, 220-pound third-year sophomore, has been a major part of Boise State’s offense this season. He has 75 carries for 418 yards and five total touchdowns. Against the Cougars, he put together one of his better all-around outings, finishing with 10 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown, plus three catches for 19 yards.
His availability has already been a storyline this season. Gaines missed two games earlier in the year with an undisclosed wrist injury suffered in the fourth quarter of a 38-24 win over South Dakota. He sat out against Western Michigan and Utah State, then returned against Fresno State on Oct. 10 and ran for 120 yards and a touchdown.
That injury came after a difficult 2024 season in which Gaines redshirted following a season-ending ankle injury during Boise State’s third game. Before that, he appeared in all 14 games last year and finished with 811 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns.
Boise State has still had no shortage of production on the ground, largely because of Dylan Riley. He enters this week leading FBS with 963 rushing yards on 140 carries, a 6.9-yard average, and he has added 12 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Riley was relatively quiet against Washington State until the fourth quarter, then flipped the game with touchdown runs of 33 and 72 yards as Boise State closed with a 21-0 run.
Afterward, Danielson pointed to both Riley and Gaines while also making it clear the run game still has room to grow.
“I thought Dylan Riley and Si played really, really hard,” Danielson said. “Dylan was really good in protection, obviously had some big runs late.
But throughout the game, we weren’t able to establish the run game the way we need to. … We need to get that fixed, and it comes down to fundamentals.
“Those two runs late by Dylan Riley bailed us out in a lot of aspects. We were not as consistent up front in our blocking schemes, receivers, tight ends-even some reads by our backs-not consistent enough throughout the game.
So even though the end result we’re happy with, when you watch the film, not good enough. And we need to grow there.”
In Other News...
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The backdrop will make Saturday feel like more than a routine home game in Boise. Along with the football stakes, the school is set to honor one of its most celebrated former players when it unveils a statue of Kellen Moore at halftime, adding another layer to an already charged atmosphere. For a program trying to balance momentum, attention and expectations, it is the kind of weekend that can say plenty about where Boise State stands right now. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Playoff Path Suddenly Looks A Lot More Real
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Boise State Has Extra Buzz Around A Game That Already Feels Huge
Texas State coach G.J. Kinne is already treating Saturdays trip to No. 20 Boise State like a measuring-stick game, and it is easy to see why. He praised the Broncos culture and the challenge they present, noting the physical style both teams bring to the field, which should make for a rugged matchup even before kickoff.
The extra attention around the game has only raised the profile of a meeting that was going to draw interest anyway. Kinne also brushed aside the coaching chatter swirling around both sidelines, saying his focus is on Boise State and nothing else, as the Broncos prepare for a day that will carry added significance around the program. [Read more 🡒]