Boise State football has ‘shown something special’ in win streak. Now Broncos must finish.
The ending remains unfinished, but the tale of the Boise State football team’s season has included the makings of a great adventure.
There have been plenty of highs — including two wins over ranked teams in November — and some hurdles along the way, namely an unusual rash of injuries. But like any good script, there is a flashpoint, a low moment that was the springboard for big things.
Less than eight weeks ago, Boise State stood at 3-2, coming off a home loss Oct. 6 against San Diego State. It looked bleak, but inside the Broncos’ facility, hope was still alive — and they’ve rattled off seven straight wins since.
“It was a tough loss, but coming in that Sunday, meeting as a team, we knew what was on the line, and everyone switched that gear in their head,” junior linebacker Tyson Maeva said. “You could see it change in the room. I think that was the biggest turning point for us.”
And now, here Boise State sits, hosting the Mountain West championship against Fresno State (5:45 p.m. Saturday, ESPN). During the win streak, the Broncos had three wins by a touchdown or less, and had a two-point lead on Utah State last Saturday until a touchdown with 4 seconds to play.
All the while, the Broncos knew just one loss likely would end their goal of repeating as conference champions, as Utah State, with its talent and its weaker schedule, was not going to lose before facing Boise State.
“Coach (Bryan) Harsin has done a really good job of telling us it’s a 1-0 mentality after that San Diego State game, that it pretty much was playoff games after that. ... We’ve reached our goal and we just have to finish it,” junior safety Evan Tyler said.
For each week to be essentially an elimination game — with the exception of nonconference BYU, though the Cougars are a rival — that takes a lot of energy every single day to maintain intensity. Harsin said after the Utah State game, “We have something special with this group.”
“This team has something that’s not schematics, it’s not anything like that. They’ve got a lot of heart,” Harsin said Monday.
All that focus, the not looking ahead to certain teams and overlooking others, that’s led to the Broncos fixing a few woes that were issues early in the season. Quarterback Brett Rypien has been protected better by the offensive line, while junior running back Alexander Mattison ran the ball more than anyone else in the country in November.
Boise State has a shot at a fourth Fiesta Bowl berth Saturday if the Broncos win and UCF loses the American conference championship earlier in the day. But again, there is only one game in their minds, a process that could end up with a big reward come Saturday night.
“Probably one of the most relentless groups of guys I’ve been around, the effort is second to none,” Mattison said, adding “I know we’ve come a long way from 3-2 ... we embrace the pressure.”
Even with injuries depleting the defense and three receivers out for at least the last two games, Boise State has played with a bit of a swagger, something a long winning streak will certainly breed.
If the process works, then the results are just a little sweeter.
“That effort has been at an all-time high — you can see the confidence in our guys,” Boise State offensive coordinator Zak Hill said.
The last time Fresno State visited Boise State, all the way back to ... three weeks ago, the Bulldogs tied for the highest-ranked team to come to Albertsons Stadium. Then-No. 16 in the AP poll, Fresno State lost 24-17 to Boise State, then No. 14 Utah State came in and lost 33-24.
But considering Fresno State’s also potentially playing for the Fiesta Bowl if UCF falters, and that the Bulldogs could notch their first 12-win season, two teams peaking right about the same time are ready to meet on the Blue.
“We definitely have momentum going into this game, and so does Fresno. We feel confident in ourselves ... we believe in each other,” Boise State senior wide receiver Sean Modster said.
Mountain West Championship
Who: Boise State vs. Fresno State
When: 5:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,387; FieldTurf)
TV: ESPN (Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: BSU 10-2, 7-1 (won 33-24 vs. Utah State on Saturday); Fresno State 10-2, 7-1 (won 31-13 vs. San Jose State on Saturday)
Series: Boise State leads 15-6 (Broncos won 24-17 on Nov. 9 in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 2 1/2
Weather: Mid-30s, snow/rain mix possible
Tickets: Office on the west side of Albertsons Stadium, visit BroncoSports.com/tickets or call 208-426-4737. Boise State reported just more than 21,600 tickets were out as of Friday morning.
This story was originally published November 30, 2018 at 3:20 PM.