Boise State’s long wait for a Pac-12 game finally ends Saturday night, and the Broncos get it at home against a familiar opponent.
The 22nd-ranked Broncos (3-1, 0-0) host Utah State (1-3, 0-0) at Albertsons Stadium with kickoff set for 5:30 p.m. Mountain time. The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network, and it marks the first Pac-12 matchup for both programs.
These teams already gave fans a thriller last year in the regular-season finale. Boise State pulled out a 25-24 road win after trailing 24-13 late in the third quarter, with reserve quarterback Max Cutforth helping spark the comeback.
Oddsmakers don’t expect another nail-biter. DraftKings Sportsbook lists Boise State as an 18.5-point favorite, with the over/under set at 51.5 points.
The biggest thing Boise State has to clean up is the start. The Broncos have been all over the map through four games, with two dominant opening stretches and two sluggish ones.
They jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first half at then-No. 2 Oregon before eventually falling 34-27 in the opener.
Then came first-half deficits in comeback wins over Memphis and South Dakota.
Last week at Western Michigan, Boise State looked much more like the team it wants to be. The Broncos opened with a 75-yard touchdown drive, followed that with a defensive three-and-out, and led 15-0 at halftime on the way to a 32-7 win. Head coach Spencer Danielson wants that version again against Utah State.
The matchup also gives Boise State a real chance to feast on turnovers. Utah State has coughed it up 11 times through four games, tied with Sacramento State for the most in the country. Nine of those giveaways have been interceptions, and six of them belong to starting quarterback Grady Brosterhous.
Brosterhous, a transfer from Virginia, has completed 55 of 98 passes for 635 yards, four touchdowns and those six picks. That puts Boise State’s secondary in position to create some game-changing plays.
Danielson, meanwhile, has been trying to keep his team locked in on the present. Boise State entered the AP Poll top 25 this week, is being talked about as a heavy favorite to represent the Group of Six in the College Football Playoff, and will honor the 2007 Fiesta Bowl team on Saturday. Still, the message from the head coach has been simple.
“There’s a lot of outside noise, and it does not stinking matter,” Danielson said on Monday. “How do we work?
How do we practice? How do we prep?
And especially, we go into Pac-12 play now, man. We’ve got a great Utah State team coming to town.”
If Boise State handles business, this one could turn into a comfortable win before a major road test at rival Fresno State.
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Boise State Is Bringing Back A Moment Broncos Fans Still Feel
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Spencer Danielson has reflected on what that game meant not just for the program, but for the community around it, which is part of why this tribute carries so much weight. On a day when Boise State is trying to make a statement in its new conference setting, the school will also be looking back at the moment that helped define what Bronco football could become. [Read more 🡒]