Boise State may have to make a significant adjustment in its backfield when it heads to Kalamazoo for a nonconference matchup with Western Michigan.
Junior running back Sire Gaines is still questionable for the trip, and even if he is cleared to go, Boise State appears likely to use him in a limited role. Gaines left last weekend’s 38-24 win over South Dakota after crashing into an advertisement board in the second half.
He spent time in the medical tent, then was seen jogging along the sideline and under the south end zone bleachers for additional treatment for what looked like an upper-body injury. He never returned.
Before exiting, Gaines had already put together a strong afternoon, finishing with 102 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
“We’ll talk about it more as it goes. He’s been able to work through some stuff and be out there in practice, but we’re still working through it,” head coach Spencer Danielson said Thursday morning.
Danielson and offensive coordinator Nate Potter were both uncertain about Gaines earlier in the week as well, with Danielson saying on Monday that Gaines was working with team doctors.
The Broncos have leaned on Gaines and junior Dylan Riley as a productive one-two punch in the run game. Gaines is Boise State’s second-leading rusher with 234 yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries, and he has also added 58 receiving yards and a touchdown. Riley leads the team with 454 rushing yards on 62 carries, and his 83-yard touchdown run late in the South Dakota win pushed him to 198 yards for the game.
If Gaines can’t go, or if he’s limited, Boise State may need Riley to handle the bulk of the work. Another option would be giving transfer backs Juelz Goff or Harry Stewart III their first real chances of the season.
“Harry and (Goff) both came here to play. Both are really good football players, both really good running backs,” Danielson said Thursday, even though the pair has combined for just five carries this season.
“... That’s our mentality: We brought you here to play.
You’re part of this is how you prep once you set foot on this campus for your time.”
Boise State and Western Michigan will meet for the first time. The Broncos are favored by 7 points, and the forecast calls for sunny skies with a high of 71, a low of 43, 60% humidity and no chance of rain.
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A trip to Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo brings Boise State into a September game that already carries unusual weight, with Western Michigan standing in the way of a matchup that could shape the College Football Playoff picture for the Group of Six. Both teams are 2-1, and with only one guaranteed playoff bid available to those conferences, this is the kind of game that can matter long after the opening month.
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Boise State Must Clean Up 3 Problems Before A Costly Road Test
Boise State heads to Waldo Stadium for a non-conference test against Western Michigan on Saturday, with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. Mountain time on ESPN2. The Broncos enter as a seven-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, but road games like this usually come down to whether the favorite handles the basics cleanly enough to avoid giving the home team extra life.
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Boise State Heads Into Its First Real Test With Key Uncertainty
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Western Michigan, meanwhile, brings some uncertainty of its own into the matchup, with leading receiver Aveion Chenault and starting safety Micah Davis both possibly unavailable. For Boise State, the bigger concern is how well it can handle its first real test while still sorting out the health of key pieces on both sides of the ball, a task that will say plenty about where this team stands early in the season. [Read more 🡒]