It doesn’t get much bigger than Boise State-UNLV on Friday. Broncos brace for ‘new game’
Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has played in some big games on Idaho soil through the years.
The Pocatello-born coach led Boise State to its first-ever bowl game and victory in front of a home crowd on the blue turf in then-Bronco Stadium as head coach in the 1999 Humanitarian Bowl. Over a decade before that, he was head coach of Highland High School and remembers facing Pocatello High School in front of some packed crowds.
“I thought Highland-Pokey was the biggest game,” Koetter laughed, “12,000 in the Mini Dome, that’s hard to beat.”
Jokes aside, Koetter will be coaching in a huge game this week — in front of a few thousand more people.
No. 10 Boise State (11-1, 7-0 Mountain West) will host No. 19 UNLV (10-2, 6-1) in the Mountain West championship game at Albertsons Stadium on Friday at 6 p.m. This will be the sixth MW title game in Boise, but none have been bigger.
There isn’t a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl or LA Bowl at stake. The winner will clinch a spot in the first 12-team College Football Playoff. In Boise State’s case, a win likely will mean a first-round bye as well.
The Broncos have posted some amazing victories on The Blue, including wins in the old Division I-AA playoffs and in three Humanitarian Bowls. They defeated No. 16 Oregon to open the 2009 season to kick-start an undefeated campaign.
But this feels different, because college football is in such a different place. The unbeaten 2009 team and the famous 13-0 team in 2006 that defeated Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl never had a chance to play for a prize like the national title.
“It’s probably one of the biggest games that ever could have gone down here,” redshirt sophomore edge Jayden Virgin-Morgan told the Idaho Statesman. “First year ever being able to for the 12-team playoff, and us not winning this game could possibly make it so we don’t go to playoffs.”
There is almost no doubt that a loss in this game leaves Boise State in a bowl game somewhere and not in the playoffs. Their chances of an at-large berth with an 11-2 record over a team like Alabama, Miami or Ole Miss are almost nil.
So first and foremost is taking care of business against the Rebels, a worthy conference opponent.
Boise State defeated UNLV 29-24 in Las Vegas earlier this season, after trailing in the fourth quarter of a hard-hitting game. A one-yard touchdown run from Ashton Jeanty gave the Broncos a lead they were able to protect. The two teams also faced off in the conference championship game last year, which Boise State won 44-20.
“I think it’s a new game. Yes, there are things you know about each other, but at the end of the day, it’s a new game,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “It’s a new game, regardless that we played them a month ago, five weeks ago.”
Can Boise State beat UNLV a second time this year?
The Broncos probably can learn a thing or two from the late October slugfest with the Rebels, even though aspects of this game could look different.
Boise State will undoubtedly aim to get more production out of Jeanty, the nation’s leading rusher. The Heisman Trophy candidate had his second-lowest yardage total of the season in the game, with 128 yards on 33 carries, only 3.9 yards per rush. His only lower output was 127 yards against Portland State — a game in which he played only the first half.
Jeanty also suffered a left arm injury at UNLV, which hindered his typical dominance, and absorbed a wealth of hard tackles and gang-tackling. Following the injury, he wore a brace for several games, but is now just taping the left elbow.
The Broncos will have a full-strength offensive line for this game, thanks to the return of redshirt junior center Mason Randolph and redshirt sophomore right guard Roger Carreon in recent weeks. Neither played in Las Vegas.
“This game means a lot to me,” said Carreon, who suffered from a broken leg, injured ankle and damaged MCL in his knee. “We work our tail ends off in the offseason for moments like these, and so it’s just extremely exciting and pretty special that we get to be in this position.”
The Broncos will have to deal with dual-threat UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, who was named second team All-Mountain West on Tuesday. Williams threw for 179 yards and rushed for 105 in the first game.
“It’s kind of difficult just being able to close the different throwing lanes as well as the running lanes that he could possibly have,” Virgin-Morgan said.
However, the Broncos sacked Williams six times in the October victory, with Virgin-Morgan responsible for 1.5, and intercepted him once.
“It’s going to be like every week,” Virgin-Morgan said. “Coach (Erik Chinander) is pretty aggressive with all of our pressures, so we’re going to stay aggressive.”
Boise State vs. UNLV
When: 6 p.m. Mountain time Friday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,363, turf)
TV: Fox
Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 162 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 11-1, 7-0; UNLV 10-2, 6-1
Series: Boise State leads the series 10-3, defeated the Rebels 29-24 in Las Vegas in regular season
Vegas line: Boise State by 4 points
Weather: High of 41, low of 29, humidity 91%, mostly cloudy, 6% chance of rain or snow
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 4:00 AM.
