The Milk Can hasn’t been in Boise State’s hands in years, and nobody around the Broncos is pretending that sits well.
The latest reminder came last season, when Fresno State rolled into Albertsons Stadium and left with a 30-7 win on Nov. 1, 2025. For senior defensive end Max Stege, that day still sticks.
“That was probably one of the worst days of my life,” Stege said on Tuesday.
Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson didn’t soften it either.
“Brutal experience,” Danielson said. “… Those moments hurt.”
The Broncos are heading back into the matchup this weekend with plenty of history and even less patience. Boise State visits Fresno State’s Valley Children’s Stadium for an 8:30 p.m.
MT kickoff, and the memory of the last trip there is still fresh. In 2023, Fresno State beat Boise State 37-30, and the Broncos were met by a hostile crowd on the walk back toward the locker room.
“That walk from the locker room to the field, they’ll be heckling,” Danielson said. “They’ll be all over coaches and players, and it’s a big-time, home-field advantage for Fresno State.”
This rivalry has been simmering for decades, stretching from the Western Athletic Conference through the Mountain West and now the new Pac-12. It has never felt especially friendly, and the recent results have only sharpened that edge.
Fresno State has won the last three meetings, including the 2022 Mountain West Championship Game, when the Bulldogs handed Boise State a 28-16 loss at home. The Broncos haven’t beaten Fresno State since October 2022.
Danielson didn’t hide how long it’s been since Boise State has owned the trophy.
“I don’t even know what (the Milk Can) looks like. We haven’t had it in years,” Danielson said. “Shoot, I’m gonna have to Google Image (search) it to find out what it looks like.”
Boise State offensive coordinator Nate Potter knows exactly why this game carries so much weight. Potter played for the Broncos from 2007 to 2011, and he said the Fresno State game always stood out.
“When I played here previously, it was always like it came down to that game,” Potter said.
“It was always something that you thought about,” he continued. “It’s always been very, very competitive.”
The emotions aren’t one-sided, either. Fresno State defensive end Jahzon Jacks didn’t bother with a polished answer when he was asked Tuesday about Boise State.
“I hate them. Straight up, I hate them.”
Stege, who was raised in Germany and was a freshman during the 2023 trip, said the Fresno State environment felt more like a European professional soccer atmosphere than a college football setting.
Boise State’s current roster includes only six players who have won the Milk Can, among them quarterback Maddux Madsen, defensive end Jayden Virgin-Morgan and wide receiver Ben Ford. But Danielson said the program has been reminded all week that the Broncos have come up short too often in this series.
“We have not done a good job against Fresno State for years now,” Danielson said.
Stege said the game carries extra meaning because of what has come before.
“There’s so much history around it, and I feel like we kind of owe it to the players that came before us and won the trophy to get it back,” Stege said. “So as for paying my part in this program, yeah, it does matter.”
Boise State enters the game 4-1 and 1-0, while Fresno State is also 4-1 and 1-0. The Broncos lead the all-time series 17-10.
The game will be carried on KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 84 with Bob Behler and Michael Callahan. The forecast calls for a high of 84, a low of 60, 42% humidity, sunny skies and a 0% chance of rain.
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