Boise State football expects to get one star player back on the field this week
The Boise State football team may get some reinforcements in the backfield Saturday at Wyoming (4 p.m., CBSSN).
On Wednesday, Broncos offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau said he expects sophomore running back George Holani to see his first game action since a road trip to Air Force on Oct. 31.
“We’ll get him on the field somehow,” Kiesau told reporters.
Holani suffered an apparent leg injury in the first half at Air Force, and junior Andrew Van Buren has carried the load ever since.
Van Buren is coming off the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career after posting 113 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries on Nov. 21 at Hawaii. His seven rushing touchdowns are tied with Fresno State’s Ronnie Rivers for the most in the Mountain West.
Holani posted 100 rushing yards and a touchdown in his only full action this season in the opener against Utah State. Last fall, he finished with 1,014 yards, helping the Broncos extend their streak of seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher to 11 straight.
Van Buren admitted Wednesday that he has lost some practice reps to Holani the past couple of weeks, but everyone is glad to have him back.
“Just for (Holani) to be out there on the field changes the defense’s mentality as far as he’s that guy that can make anything happen at any time,” Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier told reporters Wednesday. “I think that they have to respect him. … If the run game is going, that just opens up everything else.”
With temperatures expected to be in the mid-20s and snow in the forecast Saturday in Laramie, Wyoming, the running game could prove critical in a game the Broncos need to win to clinch a spot in the Mountain West championship. But it won’t be easy to run the rock.
Wyoming is giving up 128.2 rushing yards a game this season, which ranks No. 6 in the conference.
“They load the box and put an extra guy down there and typically you can’t block them all,” Kiesau said. “And they tackle really well.”
Kiesau on Broyles watch list
Kiesau was announced Wednesday as one of 56 nominees for the 2020 Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant coach.
The Broyles Award selection process includes the Football Writers Association of America, broadcasters, a College Football Hall of Fame selection committee and current college head coaches. The pool of candidates will be narrowed to 15 semifinalists, then to five finalists before a winner is announced.
Kiesau is in his fourth season with the Broncos, and his first as their solo offensive coordinator after spending last year as quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator. He replaced Zak Hill, who left in December to take the same position at Arizona State.
Kiesau also spent time as the offensive coordinator at Washington (2012-13) and Colorado (2009-10), and he coached wide receivers during two stints at California.
This season, Boise State leads the Mountain West and ranks No. 14 nationally with 40 points a game.
Williams on Burlsworth watch list
Boise State senior Avery Williams was announced as one of 67 nominees for the Burlsworth Trophy, the university announced Tuesday.
The Burlsworth Trophy is given annually to the best college football player in the country who began his career as a walk-on. A virtual ceremony will be held Jan. 4 to announce three finalists and the winner.
Williams has already earned two Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week honors this fall after returning a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown at Air Force and blocking a punt and a field-goal attempt two weeks later against Colorado State.
Williams is one of three players in the country with two kickoff returns for touchdowns this fall. His second of the season covered 99 yards on Nov. 21 at Hawaii.
He also ranks No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 8 nationally this fall with 29.6 yards per kickoff return, and his 13.3 yards per punt return leads the conference and ranks No. 4 nationally. Williams has also started every game this season at cornerback and racked up 15 tackles.
BOISE STATE AT WYOMING
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyoming
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Murray, AJ Ross). That’s channel 139 on Sparklight, 221 on DirecTV and 158 on Dish Network.
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 4-1, 4-0 Mountain West; Wyoming 2-3, 2-3
Series: Boise State leads 13-1 (last meeting: Boise State won 20-17 in overtime last season in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 11.5
Weather: High of 26 degrees, 30% chance of snow, 14 mph winds
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
