Boise State Opens Avalos Era in Orlando

Boise State (0-0)
at
UCF (0-0)
Thursday, Sept. 2 • 7:05 p.m. ET/5:05 p.m. MT
Orlando, Fla. • Bounce House
Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: None
TV: ESPN (PxP: Matt Barrie, Analyst: Roddy Jones, Reporter: Harry Lyles, Jr.)
Radio: Bronco Radio Network (PxP: Bob Behler, Analyst: Pete Cavender)
Listen | Watch
BOISE, Idaho - The Boise State football program kicks off its 2021 season and the Andy Avalos era with a visit to UCF, Thursday, Sept. 2. It is also the season opener for UCF.

THE SERIES
Boise State and UCF have never played on the gridiron.

AGAINST THE G5
Since joining the Mountain West in 2011, Boise State is 15-0 in nonconference games against schools in a Group of Five conference.

AGAINST THE AAC
This will be just the third game Boise State has played against the American Athletic Conference, with each of the previous two contests being played against Connecticut, a school no longer in the league. The Broncos defeated UConn in 2014 on the road (38-21) and in 2018 at home (62-7). Against schools that currently comprise the AAC, Boise State is 8-1 all-time, going 6-0 against Tulsa and 2-0 against SMU. The only blemish came against East Carolina in the 2007 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (41-38; Dec. 23).

SEASON OPENERS
Boise State has won six-consecutive season openers, three of which came on the road in the Central or Eastern Time Zones. The Broncos' last season-opening loss came in 2014, against Ole Miss at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, Ga. Since that game, in season openers, Boise State defeated Washington at home in 2015, Louisiana on the road in 2016, Troy at home in 2017, Troy on the road in 2018, Florida State on the road in 2019 and Utah State at home in 2020.

TIME ZONES
The Broncos' current win streak in season openers includes three games outside the Mountain Time Zone, but Boise State has also won five-consecutive regular-season games in the Hawaii, Pacific, Central or Eastern Time Zones. Boise State defeated Hawai'i on the road in 2020, San Jose State, UNLV and Florida State on the road in 2019 and Nevada on the road in 2018. The Broncos' last regular-season loss outside of the Mountain Time Zone came on the road at Oklahoma State in 2018.

BEST UNIFORMS
In a tournament-style Twitter poll conducted by the Mountain West, the Boise State football team earned the title of best uniforms in the league. The Broncos defeated Air Force and Fresno State to reach the title round, then earned the championship with a win over Wyoming.

CAPTAINS
The embodiment of Blue Collar Mentality. Super senior defensive back Kekaula Kaniho and senior wide receiver Khalil Shakir were selected as team captains for the Boise State football team's 2021 season. The Broncos will also select a pair of captains on a game-by-game basis throughout the season. Shakir also served as a captain during the 2021 season.

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Players Mentioned

Kekaula Kaniho

Khalil Shakir