For Rasean Jones, Tyler Ethridge and Harry Stewart III, Saturday morning in Boise will feel a lot different than the ones they used to spend on the couch.
A year ago, Jones was recovering from Friday-night games at Rocky Mountain High School while watching ESPN’s College GameDay. Ethridge was doing the same from his apartment in Pueblo, Colorado, where he worked part-time as a security guard for a nearby discount store before later suiting up for Colorado State Pueblo. Stewart, meanwhile, had grown up watching the show with his mom, but as a Kansas Jayhawk, it never quite felt like a stage built for him.
Now all three are set to play in front of it.
“It just doesn’t even feel real,” Ethridge, Boise State’s senior left tackle, told reporters on Wednesday. “... Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, all those guys are coming here… just too crazy to even think about.”
College GameDay is coming to Boise State’s campus this weekend ahead of the Broncos’ conference matchup with Oregon State, and it’s the first time the show has aired from Boise State since 2010. The broadcast will be staged on DeChevrieux Field at the southwest corner of Albertsons Stadium, with the stadium backdrop, the Stueckle Sky Center, Hall of Fame and the Boise Foothills all part of the scene.
The pregame show runs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., with kickoff set for 4 p.m.
“It’s going to be a big opportunity, especially for the community,” Stewart, a junior running back, said on Tuesday. “We know it’s a big game and a lot of eyes.”
And there will be plenty of them. ESPN says College GameDay averages about 2.6 million viewers each week, while the game itself will air later on USA Sports.
The matchup also puts the spotlight on two freshman wideouts who have been piling up numbers in a hurry: Oregon State’s Jesse Legree and Boise State’s Rasean Jones.
Legree leads the nation with 1,209 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns, a production line that has pushed him into Heisman Trophy chatter. Jones’ stat sheet is smaller - 670 receiving yards and five touchdowns - but his recent stretch has been impossible to ignore. He has gone over 100 receiving yards in each of his last two games.
Jones said the attention doesn’t change his approach.
“I’m excited for sure,” Jones said. “But it’s really just another game.
I’m not too worried about the big picture of it and how big it is. I’m just focused on winning the game, and whatever I can do to help us win.”
No. 24 Boise State enters at 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the Pac-12, while Oregon State is 5-4 and 3-2.
The Beavers lead the series 6-5. Boise State is a 13.5-point favorite.
Saturday’s game is scheduled for Albertsons Stadium, which seats 34,423 and has a turf surface. USA Sports will televise the game with Nate Gatter, Ryan Leaf and Lauren Green on the call, while KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 84 will carry the radio broadcast with Bob Behler and Michael Callahan. The forecast calls for a high of 54, a low of 43, 60% humidity, cloudy skies and a 20% chance of rain.
In Other News...
Oregon State Faces A Wide Open Chance In Boise State Shootout
Boise States offense has been doing its part, but the bigger concern heading into the matchup with Oregon State is on the other side of the ball. Coach Spencer Danielson has already acknowledged the defensive issues, especially when his team is dealing with passing attacks, and that puts a little extra pressure on a Broncos group that has otherwise kept itself in the hunt with its scoring punch.
Oregon State arrives with its own urgency after consecutive losses, and the Beavers will lean on quarterback Braden Atkinson and receiver Jesse Legree to try to stress Boise State through the air. At the same time, Oregon State knows it has to do a better job slowing the Broncos rushing game, which gives this one the feel of a matchup where both teams can find openings if the other side misses a few assignments. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Biggest Oregon State Question Is Suddenly Under Center
The quarterback picture for Boise States matchup with Oregon State has shifted in a hurry, and it now feels like the biggest storyline on either sideline. Oregon State sophomore Braden Atkinson is not expected to go because of a hand injury and is listed as doubtful, which would push senior Maalik Murphy into the starting role if the Beavers have to make a change under center.
Boise State has its own uncertainty to manage, with fifth-year quarterback Maddux Madsen questionable after a left knee injury. He missed last weeks win over Colorado State, though his coach sounded optimistic about the recovery, leaving the Broncos to track one of the most important health updates of the week as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Faces One Huge Week 11 Question Under Center
Boise State heads into Week 11 with the most important question centered on the quarterback spot, and it comes with the kind of injury uncertainty that can reshape a game plan in a hurry. Maddux Madsen is listed as questionable because of a knee injury, while Max Cutforth is the next man up if the Broncos need to turn to him under center. Head coach Spencer Danielson has made clear there is no open competition there, saying Madsen keeps the job if he is healthy enough to go.
The Broncos are also monitoring a few other key names, with running back Sire Gaines and safety Travis Anderson both questionable and left guard Carson Rasmussen ruled out. Even so, the spotlight remains on Madsens status, because his availability affects everything from how Boise State attacks early downs to how much it can lean on the rest of its offense if the game turns into a grind. [Read more 🡒]