BRONCOS WITH THE BALL

Southwick’s home debut: Junior quarterback Joe Southwick makes his first home start after a rough debut in East Lansing. He’ll play in front of a skeptical, perhaps disgruntled fan base after the Broncos failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time in 15 years. This is his chance to win some fans and build some confidence going into the Thursday night showdown with BYU.

REDHAWKS WITH THE BALL

A different attack: Boise State faced a plodding Michigan State offense in the opener and must shift gears to handle Miami’s no-huddle, pass-happy scheme. The RedHawks will throw a lot of quick, short passes — putting a premium on tackling and turnovers. “When you play a team that runs, it’s going to be a lot more physical, more demanding on your body,” linebacker J.C. Percy said. “This one is more mental stuff. You have to understand what they’re going to be running and the concepts they’re trying to do.”

Youth steps up: Boise State received impressive play from a bunch of young players against Michigan State, including sophomore defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, freshman end Sam Ukwuachu, sophomore safety Lee Hightower, sophomore cornerback Bryan Douglas and freshman safety Darian Thompson.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Not quite right: Boise State’s special teams didn’t hurt the Broncos in the first game, but they didn’t provide a memorable moment either. Kickoff specialist/punter Trevor Harman was inconsistent and return men D.J. Harper and Chris Potter just missed a couple of big plays. “We definitely need to play more physical,” special teams coach Scott Huff said. “We want to be a little bit more of a spark for both the offense and the defense. That’s something we’re pushing hard for.”

Field goal questions: Boise State’s Michael Frisina was perfect in the opener but didn’t try a kick longer than 23 yards. Miami’s Kaleb Patterson, a true freshman, hasn’t tried one longer than 30 yards.

NOTES

Unranked Broncos: Boise State is unranked in both polls for the first time since the 2008 game at Oregon. The Broncos were ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 for 62 straight weeks and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll for 63 straight. They’re currently 26th in both.

Home cooking: The Broncos are 34-10 in home openers, including 10 straight wins. The last loss was to Washington State in 2001. That also was the last time the Broncos lost a home game in September.