Boise State’s bowl eligibility streak is among nation’s best; Dalmas honored again
Boise State is the favorite to host the Mountain West championship game after improving to 4-0 in conference play with Saturday’s win at Air Force.
This week, the Broncos have a chance to all but guarantee their postseason will continue beyond the championship game.
Boise State (5-2) hosts Colorado State on Saturday (5 p.m., FS1). A win will make the Broncos bowl-eligible for the 25th consecutive season — the third-longest active streak in the country, trailing only powerhouses Ohio State (33 years) and Georgia (25).
“For every program in America, that’s the goal,” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said of becoming bowl-eligible. “That is a big piece of our goal, but to get to that point we have to be 1-0 each and every week, and be diligent with the process to get that done.”
Winning six games doesn’t completely guarantee Boise State will play in a bowl game, as the past few seasons have shown. But the Broncos draw a large enough audience nationwide that it’s highly unlikely they would be left out if eligible. The conference also has deals in place to send teams to as many as seven bowl games.
The Mountain West champion will play in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, which made its debut last year. This year’s game is scheduled for Dec. 17 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Mountain West also has agreements in place to send bowl-eligible teams to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl and Hawaii Bowl. The league has agreements to fill possible openings in the Frisco Bowl and Cheez-It Bowl.
The Broncos played in 18 straight bowl games, but that streak was snapped in 2020.
The players voted to skip a bowl game in 2020 after navigating constant testing and interruptions because of COVID-19. The team accepted a bid to the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl last year, but was forced to pull out less than a week before the game because of a spike of positive cases of the virus within the program. The game was ultimately canceled.
Boise State last played in a bowl game in 2019. The Broncos fell to Washington in what proved to be former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen’s final game as the Huskies’ coach.
In 2018, the Broncos were in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas facing Boston College. Thunderstorms and lightning in the area halted play just before 10 minutes were in the books, and after a long delay, the game was canceled.
“We haven’t finished the way we wanted the last few years, and it definitely leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” left tackle John Ojukwu said. “We’re very motivated to end the year on a better note.”
The last bowl victory for Boise State came in 2017, a 38-28 defeat of Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Broncos will play for bowl eligibility this weekend against a Colorado State team that is struggling to find its offensive identity under new coach Jay Norvell.
The Rams (2-5, 2-1 MW) rank last in the 12-team Mountain West in scoring (12.9 points a game) and rushing offense (95.6 yards a game), and they’re No. 11 in total offense (267.1 yards a game).
Norvell was expected to install the same high-powered passing attack that he ran during the past five seasons as head coach at Nevada. Quarterback Clay Millen, who backed up Carson Strong last season at Nevada, and several wide receivers even joined their coach at Colorado State, but the offense has not found its footing.
Millen has started five games for the Rams, and the redshirt freshman has thrown for 844 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.
Despite the team’s overall struggles on the ground, running back Avery Morrow has found some success. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior ranks No. 9 in the Mountain West with 500 rushing yards, and he leads the team with three touchdowns.
Air Force fullback Brad Roberts, who was limited to 90 rushing yards by Boise State, leads the conference with 943 yards and 13 touchdowns.
No word on running backs
Avalos declined to comment on the health of running backs George Holani and Ashton Jeanty on Monday.
Holani made the trip to Air Force on Saturday and was even on the field for warmups, but he didn’t play because of an undisclosed injury.
Jeanty started the game and racked up 95 all-purpose yards and a touchdown by halftime, but he didn’t return for the second half and was on the field in street clothes after the game.
Utah State transfer Elelyon Noa was left to carry the load. He finished Saturday’s win with 45 yards on 17 carries, including one as a wildcat quarterback.
Noa, the younger brother of Boise State linebacker Ezekiel Noa, joined the Broncos in August, just as fall camp began. He was second on the team at Utah State last season with 597 rushing yards and added four touchdowns.
Former wide receiver Kaden Dudley also got a carry late in Saturday’s game, and former walk-on running back Tyler Crowe caught a 26-yard pass.
Noa, Dudley and Crowe will have to carry the load again this week if Holani and Jeanty can’t play.
Broncos K Dalmas honored again
Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas was named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time this season on Monday.
Dalmas was 4-for-4 on field goals Saturday against Air Force. He hit one from 51 yards, tying his career long.
The former walk-on from Rocky Mountain High School also was honored by the conference the week after going 3-for-3 against UT Martin on Sept. 17 and 4-for-4 against Fresno State on Oct. 8.
The junior is 14-for-16 on the season.
Dalmas set Boise State’s single-season record with 26 made field goals last season. He ranks No. 3 in program history with 47 career field goals.
NOTE: After a statistical correction, Boise State quarterback Taylen Green was credited with a career-high 227 passing yards in the Broncos’ 19-14 win at Air Force. Crowe was credited for a six-yard catch in the official stats, but it should have been 26 yards.
COLORADO STATE AT BOISE STATE
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium
TV: FS1 (Adam Alexander, Devin Gardner)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 5-2, 4-0 MW; Colorado State 2-5, 2-1 MW
Series: Boise State is 11-0 in its all-time series against Colorado State, which dates back to 2011.
Vegas line: Boise State by 27.5
Weather: High of 58 degrees, 4% chance of rain, 8 mph wind
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 12:44 PM.
