Saturday, October 6
Boise, Idaho
1:30 p.m. MT
Boise State
vs
San Diego State
Photo by: Allison Corona
No. -/24 Broncos Host Aztecs In Saturday Showdown
10/1/2018 2:00:00 PM | Football
No. -/24 Boise State (3-1, 1-0 MW) vs. San Diego State (3-1, 0-0 MW)
Saturday, Oct. 6 - 1:30 p.m.
Albertsons Stadium - Boise, Idaho
TV: ESPNUÂ (PxP: Mike Couzens, Analyst: Kirk Morrison)
BOISE, Idaho -Â The Boise State football team, which moved up to No. 24 in the Amway Coaches Poll this week, will play its first home conference game of the season, hosting San Diego State, Saturday. The Broncos (3-1, 1-0 MW) and Aztecs (3-1, 0-0) are slated to kick at 1:30 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised by ESPNU.
DAY GAME: For the first time in six years, the Boise State football team will play a home game during the month of October in the afternoon. The Broncos' match-up against San Diego State is the first afternoon kick since squaring off against UNLV, Oct. 20, 2012. That start time was also 1:30 p.m.
OPPONENT BYE WEEKS: Boise State is playing a game against an opponent coming off a bye for the second time in as many weeks, the first time this has happened for the Broncos since 2004. That season the Broncos caught Tulsa and Fresno State coming off byes in back-to-back weeks, and each game resulted in a Boise State victory. Boise State, which defeated Wyoming last week, is 31-3 against teams coming off a scheduled bye week since joining what is now the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996. The only three losses during that time came against Wisconsin in 1997, Arkansas in 2000 and Air Force in 2014.
THREE RECEIVERS IN TOP 100: The Broncos' trio of Sean Modster (19th; 96.3 yards per game), A.J. Richardson (54th; 78.3) and John Hightower (97th; 64.3) each rank in the top 100 nationally in receiving yardage. The Broncos are one of only five schools in the country with three receivers in the top 100, a list that also includes Hawaii, Texas Tech, Washington State and West Virginia.
WIN THE TURNOVER MARGIN, WIN THE GAME: Boise State has won 17-consecutive games when it is plus one or better in turnover margin, the third-longest active streak in the country. The top mark be-longs to San Diego State (24), and Oklahoma has the second-longest streak (20).
100 MINUTES OF DOMINANCE: While Boise State and San Diego State have met just twice since 2014, all but around 25 of the 120 minutes of game action in those meetings have been dominated by the Broncos. In 2014, San Diego State jumped out to a 20-0 lead with 7:33 remaining in the second quarter at Albertsons Stadium, but in the 97:33 of game time since, Boise State has outscored the Aztecs, 69-23, including 38-9 the rest of the way in that 2014 meeting (a 38-29 Bronco win), and outgained them by a 688-479 margin. The Broncos have also limited the Aztecs' rushing attack to just 160 yards on 56 carries (2.9 yards per attempt) over that span.
WHO STEPS UP WITH THE BIG PLAY?: While Boise State will want to get its offense rolling more this year against the Aztecs than it did last season, what won't change is looking for a player who will make a game-changing play. In last year's meeting, two Broncos helped break the game open in the first quarter, as Avery Williams returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown for the opening score, and nickel Kekaula Kaniho scooped up a Christian Chapman fumble and took it 34 yards to the house to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game.
AMONG THE NATION'S TOP DEFENSES: Through the opening month of the season, Boise State ranks 26th in the country and second in the Mountain West in total defense, yielding just 322.3 yards per game. Sept. 29's win at Wyoming also marked the second time in four games this year that the Broncos have held an opponent to under 300 yards of total offense, as the Cowboys managed just 295. The first such occasion came Sept. 8, as Connecticut totaled just 193 yards of offense.
HELPING THE DEFENSE: The Bronco offense has helped the defense in a key way through the first four games this season: by protecting the ball. While the offense has only been responsible for one turnover (a Brett Rypien fumble late at Oklahoma State), with the other being a muffed punt at Troy, the lack of giveaways has prevented Bronco opponents from starting drives with good field position. Through the opening four games, only one opposing drive has begun in Bronco territory, and that was an Oklahoma State drive that opened on the Bronco 7 after a blocked punt. In each of the four games, here is the average starting field position for the Boise State opponent: Troy (own 29), Connecticut (own 23), Oklahoma State (own 32), Wyoming (own 24).
Saturday, Oct. 6 - 1:30 p.m.
Albertsons Stadium - Boise, Idaho
TV: ESPNUÂ (PxP: Mike Couzens, Analyst: Kirk Morrison)
BOISE, Idaho -Â The Boise State football team, which moved up to No. 24 in the Amway Coaches Poll this week, will play its first home conference game of the season, hosting San Diego State, Saturday. The Broncos (3-1, 1-0 MW) and Aztecs (3-1, 0-0) are slated to kick at 1:30 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised by ESPNU.
DAY GAME: For the first time in six years, the Boise State football team will play a home game during the month of October in the afternoon. The Broncos' match-up against San Diego State is the first afternoon kick since squaring off against UNLV, Oct. 20, 2012. That start time was also 1:30 p.m.
OPPONENT BYE WEEKS: Boise State is playing a game against an opponent coming off a bye for the second time in as many weeks, the first time this has happened for the Broncos since 2004. That season the Broncos caught Tulsa and Fresno State coming off byes in back-to-back weeks, and each game resulted in a Boise State victory. Boise State, which defeated Wyoming last week, is 31-3 against teams coming off a scheduled bye week since joining what is now the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996. The only three losses during that time came against Wisconsin in 1997, Arkansas in 2000 and Air Force in 2014.
THREE RECEIVERS IN TOP 100: The Broncos' trio of Sean Modster (19th; 96.3 yards per game), A.J. Richardson (54th; 78.3) and John Hightower (97th; 64.3) each rank in the top 100 nationally in receiving yardage. The Broncos are one of only five schools in the country with three receivers in the top 100, a list that also includes Hawaii, Texas Tech, Washington State and West Virginia.
WIN THE TURNOVER MARGIN, WIN THE GAME: Boise State has won 17-consecutive games when it is plus one or better in turnover margin, the third-longest active streak in the country. The top mark be-longs to San Diego State (24), and Oklahoma has the second-longest streak (20).
100 MINUTES OF DOMINANCE: While Boise State and San Diego State have met just twice since 2014, all but around 25 of the 120 minutes of game action in those meetings have been dominated by the Broncos. In 2014, San Diego State jumped out to a 20-0 lead with 7:33 remaining in the second quarter at Albertsons Stadium, but in the 97:33 of game time since, Boise State has outscored the Aztecs, 69-23, including 38-9 the rest of the way in that 2014 meeting (a 38-29 Bronco win), and outgained them by a 688-479 margin. The Broncos have also limited the Aztecs' rushing attack to just 160 yards on 56 carries (2.9 yards per attempt) over that span.
WHO STEPS UP WITH THE BIG PLAY?: While Boise State will want to get its offense rolling more this year against the Aztecs than it did last season, what won't change is looking for a player who will make a game-changing play. In last year's meeting, two Broncos helped break the game open in the first quarter, as Avery Williams returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown for the opening score, and nickel Kekaula Kaniho scooped up a Christian Chapman fumble and took it 34 yards to the house to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game.
AMONG THE NATION'S TOP DEFENSES: Through the opening month of the season, Boise State ranks 26th in the country and second in the Mountain West in total defense, yielding just 322.3 yards per game. Sept. 29's win at Wyoming also marked the second time in four games this year that the Broncos have held an opponent to under 300 yards of total offense, as the Cowboys managed just 295. The first such occasion came Sept. 8, as Connecticut totaled just 193 yards of offense.
HELPING THE DEFENSE: The Bronco offense has helped the defense in a key way through the first four games this season: by protecting the ball. While the offense has only been responsible for one turnover (a Brett Rypien fumble late at Oklahoma State), with the other being a muffed punt at Troy, the lack of giveaways has prevented Bronco opponents from starting drives with good field position. Through the opening four games, only one opposing drive has begun in Bronco territory, and that was an Oklahoma State drive that opened on the Bronco 7 after a blocked punt. In each of the four games, here is the average starting field position for the Boise State opponent: Troy (own 29), Connecticut (own 23), Oklahoma State (own 32), Wyoming (own 24).
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