Boise State doesn’t need a reminder of what went wrong the last time it walked into Autzen Stadium. The film is still there, and so is the sting.
Ahead of Saturday’s trip to face No. 2 Oregon, Broncos coach Spencer Danielson went back to the 2024 meeting - the one that ended with a 37-34 Oregon win and left Boise State with plenty to chew on.
The box score told a different story than the final result. Boise State finished with more first downs, more total yards, more plays and more sacks, and it was perfect in the red zone, scoring on all five trips.
None of that mattered once Oregon started flipping the game with special teams fireworks.
An 85-yard punt return for a touchdown late in the third quarter pushed the Ducks ahead 27-20. Boise State answered and grabbed a 34-27 lead, only to watch Oregon rip off a 100-yard kickoff return to tie it. The Ducks then won it with a field goal as time expired.
“We learned a lot as a program from that game,” Danielson said Thursday. “And the reality of it is, man, there are no moral victories.”
He didn’t mince words about what Boise State has to avoid this time around.
“We did some really good things in the game. We also did some things that you can’t do if you want to win football games,” Danielson said.
“I don’t care if you’re playing Oregon or you’re playing somebody else. There are keys to winning football games, and we didn’t do enough two years ago.”
The special teams concerns are still front and center for Boise State heading back to Eugene. In 2025, the Broncos ranked 122nd nationally in kickoff return defense among 136 FBS teams. Their punt return defense was better, sitting 47th.
Stacy Collins, who handled those units in 2024 and remains in that role now, pointed to the simplest possible fix.
“The biggest thing is how do we try to keep it out of their returner’s hands to the best of our ability,” Collins said Thursday. “Always happy if the ball’s out the back of the end zone.
But you got to be able to cover, too. That’s not always going to happen.”
Boise State also appears to have settled its kicking and punting jobs after a summer of uncertainty. Senior Oscar Doyle will be back as the punter for a second straight season. He averaged 43.6 yards per punt last year, ranked 39th in the nation, and put 17 of his 56 attempts inside the 20 while only five became touchbacks.
On kickoffs, fifth-year player Colton Boomer is back for a second year with the program, and sophomore Canaan Moore will handle field goals. Boomer delivered 61 touchbacks on 77 kickoffs last season, a number Collins sees as especially important against Oregon.
“Boomer’s got an elite kickoff leg, and that’s a huge deal,” Collins said. “When you’re playing teams with team speed like Oregon, obviously the speed and space are something we’ve got to try to neutralize the best we can.”
Boise State leads the series 3-1. Saturday’s game is set for Autzen Stadium, which seats 54,000 and has a turf surface.
CBS will televise the game with Brad Nessler, Charles Davis and Jenny Dell. The betting line has Oregon favored by 24.5 points.
The Broncos enter at 0-0, as do the Ducks. Weather is forecast for a high of 68 and a low of 52 with 72% humidity, partly sunny skies and a 20% chance of rain.
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