Boise State headed to Frisco Bowl in Texas, home to many Broncos. Tight end transferring
The Boise State football team is heading to the Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas, and will face Conference USA runner-up North Texas.
The game will kick off at 7:15 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday, Dec. 17, at Toyota Stadium and will air on ESPN. The Broncos are bowl-eligible for the 25th consecutive season, but they haven’t played in a bowl since they lost to Washington in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl.
Boise State hasn’t won a bowl game since it beat Oregon 38-28 in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl.
The Broncos’ bowl drought began in 2018. They accepted a bid to the First Responder Bowl and made the trip to Dallas, but the game was called in the first quarter because of a severe thunderstorm and declared a no contest.
The team voted to skip a bowl following a COVID-shortened season in 2020. Boise State accepted a bid to the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl last year but was forced to pull out of the game after the virus reared its ugly head again. The game was ultimately canceled.
Boise State (9-4, 8-1 Mountain West) and North Texas (7-6, 6-3 CUSA) are both coming off losses in their respective conference championship games.
The Broncos couldn’t overcome turnovers and blunders on special teams Saturday in a 28-16 loss to Fresno State in the Mountain West title game. The Mean Green gave up 227 rushing yards in a 48-27 loss to UTSA on Friday in the Conference USA championship.
Boise State and North Texas have played six times since 1994 and split the series 3-3. They last met in 2000, when the Broncos cruised to a 59-0 win at Albertsons Stadium.
The Frisco Bowl will be a homecoming of sorts for several Broncos. Boise State has 12 players on the roster from Texas, including quarterback Taylen Green, wide receivers Latrell Capes, Stefan Cobbs and Eric McAlister, and running back Ashton Jeanty.
“It would be amazing to go back home,” Jeanty said Saturday after the Mountain West championship game.
Hopper opts to transfer
Boise State tight end Tyneil Hopper announced Sunday on Twitter that he will transfer. The fifth-year senior has appeared in 45 games since 2018. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Hopper hauled in a career-high 13 passes for 108 receiving yards this season. He caught 12 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns last season.
The native of Roswell, Georgia, joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2018.
Hopper’s brother, Tyrone, and cousin, Ty’Ron, both transferred to Missouri this year. Ty’Ron leads the Tigers with 13.5 tackles for loss and ranks No. 2 on the team with 68 tackles.
BOISE STATE VS. NORTH TEXAS
When: Dec. 17, 7:15 p.m. MT
Where: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
TV: ESPN
Records: Boise State 9-4, 8-1 MW; North Texas 7-6, 6-3 C-USA
Series: Boise State is 3-3 all-time against North Texas, but the programs haven’t played since 2000.
This story was originally published December 4, 2022 at 12:58 PM.
