BarkBoard takes a closer look at this week's opponent, the Boise State Broncos.
Jackson Moore
The Fresno State Bulldogs are 7-1 overall, 3-1 in Mountain West play, and in control of their own destiny to get to the conference championship. But now comes the most highly-anticipated home game of the season asthe Boise State Broncos come to town. To preview the game,BarkBoard overviews theBroncos before the two teams meet for another rivalry matchup.
The Bulldogs are just 3-point favorites vs Boise State, who is also 3-1 in conference but just 4-4 overall. TheBroncos come off ofan attention-grabbing win over Wyoming by a lopsided 32-7 margin. Both teams had a bye two weeks prior to get healthy for the final stretch of the season.
The Broncos have been led by a strong running game and strong running defense, but has been plagued with quarterback troubles and deficiencies in passing defense. Injury status will also play a large role for the Broncos - star running back George Holani and star linebacker DJ Schramm both returned from injuries last week - while another star running back Ashton Jeanty left the Wyomingwin with injury.
Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford said, "Obviously we have a long history with them. They are always typically very tight games and hard-fought games. Really good players, very well coached. It seems like this is the first time we've had them here because I was out for a couple of years, but personally I've only coached against them here one time. It seems like we're playing there all the time, whether it be in the regular season or in the championship game.
"It'll be nice to be at home, but I still have a ton of respect for them. We're 3-1 and they're 3-1, right in the heat of the battle. Nothing has really changed with them, they have great players and great coaches."
Continue as BarkBoard takes a comprehensive look at the Broncos.
The Basics
Location:Boise, Idaho
Enrollment:26,727
Nickname:Broncos
Colors:Blue and Orange
Conference:Mountain West
GAME INFO
Kickoff:7:00 p.m. PT
Location:Valley Children'sStadium
Capacity:40,727
Television:CBS Sports Network
Series History
Boise State holds a 17-8 overall series advantage over the Bulldogs. Fresno State was 3-0 against Boise State when the Broncos first joined the WAC in 2001. That season Boise State upset the No. 8 ranked Bulldogs and would go on to win 13 out of the next 15 over Fresno State.
It has been a different story in the Jeff Tedford era. Tedford is 3-3 against Boise State since 2017 with five of those six games being played on the blue turf. The only home game, the first of six, was a 28-17 win in 2017. The Broncos would claim the conference championship 17-14 the next week. In 2018, the Bulldogs fell 24-17 on the blue turf in the regular season but won 19-16 on the Broncos' home turf in the conferencechampionshipthree weeks later. The same thing happened again in 2022, with the Bulldogs falling 40-20 at Boise State in the regular season and then winning 28-16 on the blue turf in the title game.
There was one meeting between the two teams during Tedford's two-year hiatus - one that the Bulldogs will try to help erase with new memories on Saturday. In 2021Fresno State went 10-3 and Boise State went 7-5 that season, but the Broncos delivered a crushing 40-14 to the Bulldogs in front of a sold-out crowd at Bulldog Stadium.
Other memorable Fresno State moments in this rivalry at home include the Bulldogs' 41-40 home win in 2013, a 27-7 home victory in 2005 and Ryan Mathews' 234 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 51-34 losing effort in 2008 against the visiting No. 10 ranked Broncos.
The two teams play for the "Milk Can" rivalry trophy. Although Fresno State won the last meeting, Boise State currently holds the trophy as it is only exchanged for regular-season game results.
Last 7
2022 MWCCG:28-16 Win (Away)
2022:20-40 Loss (Away)
2021:14-40 Loss (Home)
2018 MWCCG: 19-16 Win (Away)
2018: 17-24 Loss (Away)
2017 MWCCG:14-17Loss (Away)
2017:28-17 Win (Home)
Last Year's Results
The Boise State Broncos managed to bounce back from the 7-5 showing in 2021 with another 10-win season in 2022 - their 17th double-digit win season since 2000.
The Broncos started the season on a shaky note with a 2-2 start, falling to Oregon State and losing 27-10 at UTEP. Boise State then fired its offensive coordinator and changed quarterbacks - they instantly started rolling for eight wins in the next nine weeks including an 8-0 Mountain West record.
After falling to the Bulldogs in the conference championship game, Boise State won the Frisco Bowl 35-32 over North Texas for a final record of 10-4.
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2023 Outlook
With Fresno State losing many key players and Boise State returning more, the Broncos were picked as the 2023 Mountain West favorite over the 'Dogs. The Broncos had 28 first-place votes while Fresno State was picked third with 5 first-place votes (second-most). Boise State also had three Preseason All-MW picks: running back George Holani, offensive lineman Cade Beresford and linebacker DJ Schramm.Boise State entered the season with an over/under win total line of 8.5.
Boise State's offseason also included hiring a new offensive coordinator. The Broncos hired Bush Hamden, a former Boise State QB who had spent the last three years as the quarterbacks coach at Missouri.
Boise State's season opened with a 56-19 blowout loss at then-No. 10 Washington, then an 18-16 heartbreaking loss to UCF on a last-second field goal. The Broncos got their first win in a 42-18 victory over North Dakota, then opened up Mountain West play with a 34-31 short-week win at San Diego State. Boise State then suffered its third non-conference loss to Memphis 35-32.
The rollercoaster got even higher and lower in October. The Broncos fought back from a 27-7 deficit to beat San Jose State 35-27. The next week, Boise State led 30-10 at Colorado State with less than five minutes to go before the Rams scored 21 points in the final minutes fueled by an onside kick and a last-second Hail Mary pass. The Broncos were able to recharge after a bye week and now comes off of a dominating 32-7 win over Wyoming. Boise State now stands at 4-4 overall but 3-1 in Mountain West play with control of their own destiny.
Roster Connections
Boise State has 37 California natives on its roster, up from 34 last year but down down from 44 in 2021 and 57 in 2018. Out of those 37, only one is from the Central Valley.Senior middle linebacker DJ Schramm is not only a graduate of nearby Clovis West High School but he is also the son of former Fresno State offensive coordinator David Schramm (2012-2016). DJ Schramm was a Preseason All-Mountain West selection.
Fresno State had several coaches with Boise State ties in recent years, but offensive coordinator Kirby Moore's departure from the Bulldogs to Missouri last offseason concluded that trend. Boise State's running back unit is led by assistant coach James Montgomery, who most recently served in the same role for the Bulldogs last season.
Fresno State rarely has players with ties to Idaho. The Bulldog with the closest hometown ties may be freshman tight end Richie Anderson, from Tualatin (Oregon) about 500 miles away.
Head Coach: Andy Avalos
Boise State hired Andy Avalos in 2021 as just its third head coach in 16 years. Avalos came to the Broncos as a first-time head coach who knows the Boise State program well. He played from 2001-04 as a linebacker, racking up 365 tackles and finishing as a two-time All-WAC selection.
Avalos also got his first full-time Division-I coaching opportunity at Boise State as a defensive line assistant in 2012. He moved to linebackers in 2014 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2016. After seven season with the Broncos, he took the defensive coordinator job at Oregon in 2019.
Avalos underwhelmed in his first season at 7-5 overall and a third-place Mountain Division finish.The Broncos bounced back to post a 10-4 record last season and went a perfect 8-0 in conference play, but fell short in the conference championship. After a disappointing 4-4 start to the 2023 season, the 41-year-old Avalos is now 21-13 overall and 16-4 in conference play.
On Offense
Last year's Boise State quarterback controversy had appeared to produce a long-term solution as Taylen Green was named the Mountain West's Freshman of the Year. But now a new QB controversy has emerged as Green has struggled with just 53 percent of his passes completed for 1,110 yards with 6 touchdowns and 5 interception. A new freshman, 5-foot-10 Maddux Madsen, has emerged with 67 percent of his completions for 731 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Both are being uutilized in a 2-QB system. Eric McCalister is their top receiver with 39 catches for 788 yards and 5 touchdowns.
But the Broncos' running backs have led the way. Star running back Ashton Jeanty has 1,317 yards of offense for 15 touchdowns. But will he be available after an injury last week? Another star running back, George Holani, also returned from injury last week.
In all, the Broncos are averaging 30 points per game (No. 55 in the nation), 427.6 yards per game (No. 42), 232.2 passing yards per game (No. 61) and 195.4 rushing yards per game (No. 20)
Key Players: RB Ashton Jeanty, RB George Holani
The Broncos are led by two star running backs but both may be shy of 100 percent. Jeanty left last week's game and was spotted in street clothes for the second half. Holani as a pair of 1,000-yard seasons under his belt but has played only two games - he was hurt in the season-opener and returned last week to carry 20 times for 75 yards.
The Bulldogs know 5-foot-11 and 210-pound senior Holani well. They held him to 74 yards on 13 carries in the 2022 championship game after allowing 157 yards on 17 carries in the regular season. In 2021, Holani ran 21 times for 117 yards on the 'Dogs and also caught two passes for 69 yards.
Jeanty has done it all for Boise State while Holani has been out. He has 157 carries for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, plus 30 catches for 396 yards and 4 touchdowns as the team's second-leading receiver.
On Defense
The Broncos operate out of a 4-2-5 defensive scheme with four seniors in the starting lineup and nine total upperclassmen.
Boise State ranks No. 78 nationally in points allowed per game (27.12), No. 83 in total yards allowed per game (388.8), No. 25 in rushing yards allowed per game (111.9) and No. 123 in passing yards allowed per game (276.9).
The Broncos have been streaky. They had given up only 10 points to Colorado State for 55 minutes until 21 points came late. They allowed 27 points to San Jose State in the first half but none in the second half. They had strong showings of 7 points and 18 points allowed to Wyoming and UCF, respectively, but also struggled against Memphis (35 points) and San Diego State (31).
Key Player: LB DJ Schramm
Local Clovis West product DJ Schramm could fill the key player role if he's healthy. Last week Schramm returned to action for the first time in a monthdue to injury. He started and played 20 snaps, but did not log a statistic.
While Schramm has been out,sophom*ore linebacker Marco Notariannihas emerged as their leading tackler with 53 on the season.Defensive end Ahmed Hassanein has a team-high 6 sacks and cornerback Jaylen Clark has 6 pass deflections.
