Broncos Face Bruins in LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk Saturday

LOS ANGELES – As part of the bowl week events, Boise State players rode the roller coasters at Universal Studios Thursday afternoon. Fitting, but even the most thrilling rides at the theme park couldn't compare to the roller coaster the Broncos have been on since August.

Now the team has the opportunity to get off the ride on a high as Boise State (8-5) faces departing Pac-12 Conference member UCLA (7-5) in the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Saturday afternoon.

ABC will broadcast the game between the Broncos and UCLA in the Bruins' final appearance on the gridiron in the Pac-12 before moving to the Big Ten next year. Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Kayla Burton (sidelines) will call the action on ABC while Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Tom Ramsey (analyst) will bring listeners the bowl game coast-to-coast on ESPN Radio. Bob Behler (play-by-play) and Pete Cavender will have the action on the Bronco Radio Network, simulcast on SiriusXM Ch. 382 and on the app.

Opening Kickoff

Both teams enter the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk with 2014 looming smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. For the Broncos, 2014 (and 2015) marked the last time Boise State won consecutive bowl games. For UCLA, 2014 marks the last time the Bruins won a bowl game.
Boise State enters this week's action with an offensive line ranked 12th in the nation in sacks allowed, yielding only 1.08 sacks per game so far this year. That number is the third-best of a Boise State squad since 2012 (when the Broncos ranked sixth) and is just behind the 2022 mark when BSU allowed just 1.00 sacks per game to rank 10th in the nation. That line has also been the reason the Broncos rushing offense ranks 10th in the nation, averaging 207.7 yards per game.
Did you know that Boise State has the second-longest active bowl eligibility streak in the nation? The Broncos have been bowl eligible for 26 consecutive years, just one year behind Georgia's streak of 27 straight years (both streaks this season have already been extended).
Keep the streak alive! If the Broncos need any motivation for this week's game, they should look to wide receivers coach Matt Miller. A product of Capital (Mont.) High School and Boise State, Miller proudly proclaims that he has never lost to Brock Osweiler in his career, either in high school or in college. Osweiler is a Flathead (Mont.) HS and Arizona State alumnus and between the two levels, they have met on five separate occasions. Sure, Boise State isn't placing ABC on the gridiron, but we can't help but mention an unblemished record.
Grace seems to be on Boise State's side currently, something that's definitely a positive as the Broncos head to the City of Angels. Not only did the Blue and Orange have to win their final three games to be in a position to reach the MW Championship game, the Broncos needed help. Actually, a lot of help. In fact, probabilities show us that there was only a 0.1% chance the results would play out in the way Boise State needed them to play out. The result? Another Boise State title and a trip to Los Angeles.

What You Need To Know

We're Going Streaking!
More detailed information to come will come but Boise State is going streaking! No, not in the quad, but at SoFi Stadium! The Broncos will be heading to Los Angeles with several streaks in tow and a couple still looking to be extended.

Streak	Years	Active Nat'l Rank
Classes with Conference Championship	25	1st
Consecutive Winning Seasons	26	1st (5th all-time)
Years with a Punt Return for TD	6*	1st
Games where Ahmed Hassanein had a Sack	9	1st
Years of Bowl Eligibility	26	2nd
Years with a Blocked Kick	25	N/A
Years with Multiple Blkd Kicks in a Season	5*	N/A
* - indicates annual streak has not yet been extended this season

No Spares, Only Strikes
With Boise State's dominating 45-10 win at Utah State on Nov. 18, the Broncos reached six wins and became bowl eligible for the 26th consecutive season. That marks the second-longest active streak in the country, just one season behind Georgia.
- Longest Active Bowl Eligibility Streaks

Rank	Seasons	Team	Streak Began
1.	*27	Georgia	1997
2.	*26	Boise State	1998
3.	*25	Oklahoma	1999
	*25	Clemson	1999
5.	*22	Wisconsin	2002
6.	*20	Alabama	2004
7.	*18	Oklahoma State	2006
8.	*14	Toledo	2010
9.	13	~~Mississippi State~~	~~2010~~
10.	*11	Ohio State	2013
11.	*10	Memphis	2014
* - indicates streak has continued into 2023 season

A Toast to Boise State Bowl Appearances
Boise State's list of bowl appearances will proudly show anybody and everybody it's identifying list of games as the Broncos look to complete their 21st bowl game since moving up to the Division I-A/FBS level in 1996. The Broncos are 13-7 all-time in bowl games and look to win their 14th bowl game in program history. However, the Blue and Orange haven't been selected for 21 bowls, they've actually been selected for 23 bowl games (including this year's game). No, that list of bowl appearances isn't a Little League pitcher from the Caribbean, the identifying credentials are accurate. Boise State had the 2018 ServPro First Responder Bowl vs. Boston College canceled due to inclement weather while the 2021 Arizona Bowl was canceled after the Broncos withdrew due to a rise in COVID-19 cases among the team.
Saturday Makes It A Dirty Dozen
Saturday's game at SoFi Stadium will mark the 12th time that Boise State will play at an NFL Stadium and, courtesy of UNLV hosting this year's Mountain West Championship Game, will play back-to-back games in NFL Stadia for the first time in program history.
Location, Location, Location
Boise State will be the home team in Saturday's LA Bowl hosted by Gronk but they might not feel a warm welcome. That is because UCLA, the designated visiting team, is located so close to SoFi Stadium that they are actually practicing at home. However, it's more than that. Did you know that SoFi Stadium is actually located closer to UCLA's campus than the Rose Bowl, the Bruins' home stadium, is?
The Broncos Are Back
While the staff and roster has changed over (multiple times) since their last visit, this will not be the first time Boise State Football will hit the turf at El Camino JC, the Broncos' designated practice site this week. Boise State previously hit the gridiron at El Camino on Sept. 22, 1962 when the Broncos took on El Camino in a game, falling 26-7.
Daddy's Girl
The last name "Drevno" isn't the most common last name you can find and it's not a coincidence that two Drevnos will be at SoFi Stadium on Saturday. McKenna Drevno, an assistant athletic trainer with the Broncos, is the eldest daughter of Tim Drevno, the offensive line coach for the Bruins. There's been no answer from Shannon Drevno, Tim's wife and McKenna's mother, on who she will be cheering for in the game. And no, Boise State will not be allowing Tim to visit his alma mater, El Camino JC, this week despite the fact that he won a national title with the Warriors in 1987.
BroncPros
Saturday's game at SoFi Stadium will mark the 12th time Boise State will play in an active NFL stadium. It will also mark the first time the Broncos have ever played back-to-back games in NFL Stadia.
Not Two, Nor Four, But Three
Not only will Saturday's game at SoFi Stadium mark the 12th all-time game in an NFL stadium and the first time playing in NFL stadia in back-to-back games, it will also mark just the third time in program history the Broncos will hit the gridiron in an NFL venue twice in the same year.
- Boise State Seasons with Multiple Games in NFL Stadia

Year	Date	Stadium	NFL Host	Opponent	W/L	Score
2011	Sept. 3	Georgia Dome	Falcons	vs. #19 Georgia	W	35-21
	Nov. 18	Qualcomm	Chargers	at San Diego State	W	52-35
2014	Aug. 28	Georgia Dome	Falcons	vs. #18 Ole Miss	L	13-35
	Dec. 31	Univ. of Phoenix	Cardinals	vs. #12 Arizona	W	38-30
2023	Dec. 2	Allegiant	Raiders	at UNLV	W	44-20
	Dec. 16	SoFi	Chargers/Rams	vs. UCLA	-	-

There's a First Time for Everything…
And for Boise State this week, it will be a quarterback's first pass attempt. Thanks to injuries and the transfer portal, the Broncos enter this week with zero active quarterbacks having ever attempted a pass in their collegiate careers. In fact, Boise State's leading passer entering this bowl game is ... Punter James Ferguson-Reynolds, who is 1-for-1 for 21 yards with no interceptions. Boise State is believed to be the only team with such inexperience at quarterback and joins Syracuse in being the only team that could start a QB that's never thrown a pass.
Bowl Success for the Broncos
Boise State is no stranger to success in the bowl season so don't be surprised if the team generates a favorable result against UCLA in Saturday's game - it won't be the first time. The Broncos have an all-time winning percentage of .650 (13-7) in bowl games, a mark that ranks third in the nation (minimum 15 bowl games played). Not only is that nearly a 2:1 ratio of bowl wins to losses, most of that success has come in recent years with nine bowl wins in Boise State's last 12 completed bowl games.
It's Always Sunny in California
While this may be Boise State's first LA Bowl appearance, it is certainly not the first time the Broncos will play a postseason game in The Golden State. Saturday's game marks the sixth time Boise State will compete in a postseason game in California, going 3-2 in the previous meetings including winning the NCAA I-AA National Championship with a 31-29 win over Eastern Kentucky in 1980 in Sacramento.
- Broncos Postseason Games in California

Date	Event	City	Opponent	W/L	Score
12/9/1950	Little Rose Bowl	Pasadena	Long Beach City College	L	13-33
12/11/1971	Camellia Bowl	Sacramento	vs. Chico State	W	32-28
12/20/1980	I-AA National Championship	Sacramento	vs. Eastern Kentucky	W	31-29
12/23/2008	Poinsettia Bowl	San Diego	vs. #11 TCU	L	16-17
12/23/2015	Poinsettia Bowl	San Diego	vs. Northern Illinois	W	55-7
12/16/2023	LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk	Inglewood	vs. UCLA	-	-

When 2=1
Ashton Jeanty is the most dynamic player in the Mountain West and now it has become official. He is just the second sophomore ever to be named Offensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West and just the third Bronco to receive the honor, following Kellen Moore (2011) and Brett Rypien (2018). The national leader in total first downs recorded (84) and second in the nation in total missed tackles forced (83), despite missing two full games, he also is the only player in the nation with multiple 50+ yard rushing touchdowns and multiple 50+ yard receiving touchdowns, racing downfield for two of each.
Nine Times? Nine Times.
Ahmed Hassanein has at least 0.5 sacks in nine-straight games, eclipsing Will Anderson (Alabama, 2021) for the longest FBS streak since Carl Nassib recorded at least 0.5 sacks in 10-straight games for Penn State in 2015. The junior has 12.5 sacks this season, the sixth-best single-season total in school history.
Ashton Jeanty, MD
With a dominating game over Air Force on Nov. 24, Ashton Jeanty became the first FBS player with 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in a season since Kenny Gainwell (Memphis) achieved the feat in 2019. Even more impressively, Jeanty did it in 10 games, instead of 12, and became the first FBS player to hit 1,000/500 in 10 games since I'Tavius Mathers (Middle Tennessee) in 2016.
The Magic Number is 140
Boise State is 20-5 since 2021 when rushing for 140 yards or more, including 7-1 last season (the only loss was to Fresno State in the Mountain West Championship Game).
Not Exactly Three-and-Out
The Nov. 24 win over Air Force was Boise State's third in a row, extending one of the nation's longest streaks. The Broncos have won at least three straight games now for 25 consecutive seasons, tying Georgia for the longest active streak.

Scouting UCLA

UCLA enters this week's contest with a 7-5 record (4-5 Pac-12), hoping to upend Boise State's hopes of winning consecutive bowl games since 2014-15 while UCLA is in search of their first bowl win since 2014.
UCLA enters this week's contest hoping to win its second all-time meeting against the Broncos.
UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the California State Normal School. We appreciate that they were a normal school, as opposed to that abnormal school across town, Southern Cal.
While we may be in California, yes we know that school across town likes to be called by their acronym but we just can't bring ourselves to do that. Maybe it's because we're way too formal. Or maybe it's because one of the writers of Game Notes is a graduate of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks!), a school that was established long before California was even a state.
Chip Kelly leads the Bruins and he is no stranger to Boise State. The Broncos ruined his debut as head coach at Oregon with a 19-8 win over the Ducks back in 2009.
A win over the Bruins will mark Boise State's 13th all-time win over a Pac-12 school. Or will it be the program's first-ever win over a Big Ten school?
UCLA defensive lineman Laiatu Latu, this year's winner of the Ted Hendricks (nation's best defensive end) and Lombardi (top lineman) Awards, has opted out of the game and we don't blame him. The last time he faced Boise State, he was limited to one assisted tackle in 22 snaps during the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl. With those awards and All-America First Team honors, there's no reason to blemish your final days at UCLA.
Following this season UCLA will move to the Big Ten. If you are confused about the Big Ten, let us help you understand. The Big Ten was established as a collection of land-grant universities that commonly held AAU status, both of which UCLA qualifies for. But, despite the fact that since 1991 the Big Ten added an 11th member, they did not change their name to the Big Televen. Even in 2013, when Rutgers (surely for the NYC TV viewership market), Maryland and Nebraska joined the league, they still called themselves the Big Ten, despite having 14 members. Now, the Big Ten is growing to 18 teams with a Western collection of UCLA, Southern Cal, Oregon and Washington but will still call themselves the Big Ten, possibly because math is hard.
Merriam-Websters Dictionary defines a Bruin as "A disturbing and all-too-common sign of a feeding bear is an overturned garbage can … its contents scattered about as the bruin searched for something edible in the trash." Should UCLA ever wish to refresh their logo, we might have a suggestion...
During its first 32 years, UCLA was treated as an off-site department of UC. As such, its presiding officer was called a "provost", and reported to the main campus in Berkeley. Since the first 32 years fell between 1881 and 1913, we're surprised they didn't call the system President as "Daddy Warbucks."
While San Francisco may be known for its fog, that does not mean Los Angeles is immune from the weather phenomenon. But do you know what you see when the rare fog clears out of Los Angeles? UCLA.

A Win Would...

Register Boise State's ninth bowl win in the past 12 appearances.
Move Spencer Danielson's record to 4-0 as a head coach.
Give Boise State a winning record (4-3) when playing postseason games in California.
Even the all-time series against UCLA at one game apiece.
Mark the sixth bowl win in eight tries for Boise State over a Pac-10/12 Opponent.
Up its all-time bowl winning percentage to .700, moving into second in the FBS (min. 15 bowl games played).
Be better than a loss.

For complete coverage of Boise State Football, download the Bronco Sports App or follow the team on social media on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X.

--BroncoSports.com--

Broncos Face Bruins in LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

James Ferguson-Reynolds

Ahmed Hassanein

Ashton Jeanty

Broncos Face Bruins in LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

James Ferguson-Reynolds

Ahmed Hassanein

Ashton Jeanty

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