Another win, yes, but Broncos must ‘find a way to play better on the road’
When Boise State’s football team takes the field at Albertsons Stadium, grab your popcorn and get ready for explosive plays, big touchdowns and gasp-inducing hits from the defense.
When the Broncos hit the road? Buckle up and try not to harm your television.
With any sport anywhere in the world, it’s generally tougher to go on the road. In the NFL, the road teams win about 47% of the time. Heck, head Down Under for Australian Rules Football — something Bronco punter Oscar Doyle knows plenty about — and the road team wins only about 41% of the time.
If you look closer to home, with college football, the road team’s winning percentage drops all the way to 36%. Boise State, of course, has a lot to do with that stat, considering the Broncos have won 90.1% of their home games since 2000 and are tied for the nation’s longest home winning streak at 16 with Alabama.
So it probably isn’t a surprise that life is tougher for the Broncos when they leave the friendly confines of Albertsons Stadium. But in 2025, the difference between home and away has been pretty stark, with a 2-2 road record after a hard-fought 24-3 win Friday night at Nevada (1-7, 0-4).
“We’ve got to find a way to play better on the road,” head coach Spencer Danielson said. “And (we’re) always looking at that operationally and what we’re doing with our players to find a way to be better.”
In Boise State’s four home games, all wins, they’re averaging 48.8 points and giving up just 21. On the road, the Broncos’ average 21.8 points and give up 25.5. They scored only 7 points in both of the losses, to South Florida and Notre Dame, and struggled offensively most of the night at Nevada, with only three drives in which they ran double-digit plays.
The one road game where the offense was outstanding, a 49-37 win over Air Force, the defense allowed the Falcons to pile up 246 passing yards, the most they’ve had in a game since managing 252 in the 2021 First Responder Bowl.
Danielson, like most coaches, still thinks about the road losses.
“We’ve got to find a way to win those games,” he said after the Nevada game.
The victory Friday night against the Mountain West cellar dweller added to road games that left a lot to be desired.
The final score indicated a comfortable victory, and was right on the betting line — the Broncos were a 21.5-point favorite. But they led just 10-3 at halftime, and then took advantage of a muffed punt that gave BSU the ball on the Wolf Pack’s 6-yard line late in the third quarter.
The ensuing TD did not come easily — it took four plays and a penalty — but it finally gave Boise State some breathing room.
The defense carried the night, forcing five turnovers to allow the Broncos (5-2, 4-0 Mountain West) to otherwise sputter. The offense finished with just 308 total yards, its lowest output of the season.
“We’ve just gotta come together. When things get hard, things get tight, just come together,” redshirt freshman running back Sire Gaines said. “We haven’t played our best football on the road, but at the end of the day, we’re winning.”
Boise State and Nevada have a bitter history, having played nearly every year since 1971. But Friday night’s game didn’t provide a typical setting, with attendance of 18,029 in a 30,000-seat stadium. Many of those were BSU fans.
“We had to come in there and bring our own juice, because it wasn’t a big crowd or anything like that,” said fifth-year corner Jeremiah Earby, who finished the game with two interceptions.
Of course, when the juice has been there, the Broncos have not done great on the road. They turned the ball over three times in the season-opening 34-7 loss to South Florida and four times in the 28-7 loss at Notre Dame.
Danielson said he ensures that his team is always aware of the atmosphere and situation on the road, and that will be especially important in the coming weeks. Boise State sits atop the Mountain West standings ahead of Fresno State’s trip to The Blue next week, which will be followed by a bye week.
After the bye, the Broncos must travel to San Diego State, which is 5-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The Aztecs face the Bulldogs (5-2, 2-1) on Saturday in a key matchup.
