Boise State Opens 2023 Campaign Saturday at No. 10/11 Washington on ABC

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State will open the 2023 season Saturday at No. 10/11 Washington in the recent installment of a series that has several close ties between the two programs. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. MT/12:30 p.m. PT on ABC.

Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst) and Kris Budden (sidelines) will have the call on TV while Bob Behler (play-by-play) and Pete Cavender (analyst) will carry the action on the Bronco Radio Network.

THE DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Sept. 2
Time: 1:30 p.m. MT / 12:30 p.m. PT
Location: Seattle, Wash. | Husky Stadium
Watch: ABC | WatchESPN
Listen: Bronco Radio Network | Live Audio | Listen in the App!
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: Boise State | Washington

What You Need To Know

Road Warriors
Boise State is one of four schools nationally to post a winning record on the road each of the last nine seasons. The other are college football royalty in Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State. The Broncos are 18-1 in their last 19 Mountain West road games.

Easy as 1-2-3?
The Jackson 5 said it best and that number is quite appropriate. Boise State is 5-1 all-time when playing games aired live on ABC. The Broncos look to continue that trend Saturday and the Huskies should know that Teacher's gonna show you. That being said, the lone aberration in that trend was against the Huskies in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl as BSU dropped a 38-7 decision to UW in Chris Petersen's final game as head coach. See to the left for a chart of Boise State's games on the American Broadcasting Channel.

May the Lord Open...
...the season in a positive manner, that is. Boise State is 53-30-1 (.637) all-time in season openers, including a 17-10 mark since moving up to the I-A/FBS ranks. That includes the Broncos winning six of their last eight season openers.

When facing ranked teams in a season opener, Boise State has seen some success as well. The Broncos are 3-5 all-time when opening the season against ranked opponents.

Block Like an Egyptian
Known for setting records, Boise State has achieved another first. Defensive lineman Ahmed Hassanein, who was raised in Cairo, Egypt, is the first player from Egypt to ever play Division I football. Even more remarkable, he did not even speak English until five years ago. Anyone who speaks to the bilingual Hassanein would be surprised to learn that fact as he is nearly fluent in English.

But how rare is that recruiting area? In all of Division I sports (not just football), there were only 53 Egyptians participating in intercollegiate athletics during the 2021-22 academic calendar year (the last year of data publicly available).

Say What?
If Boise State opponents think a little noise is going to throw off the Broncos defensive line, they might want to rethink that strategy. The unit led by Erik Chinander has learned to communicate regardless of the decibel level and that was the easy part. Across the line, Chinander's unit speaks a total of eight different languages including: English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Samoan, Greek and ASL. Ready, Set, Hutt! jahizi, jahizi, hut! Auf die Plätze, fertig, Hutt! Listo, listo, Hutt! À vos marques, prêts, Hutt! Sauni, Seti, Hutt! Έτοιμος, Σετ, Χατ!

The Magic Number is 140
Boise State is 13-1 under Andy Avalos 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).

Games Against Autonomous Five Schools
The Broncos are 16-10 against schools from conferences that comprise the Autonomous Five since the start of the 2006 season. Since notching its first such victory, a 34-16 win over Iowa State in the 2002 Humanitarian Bowl, the Broncos have gone 18-14. Boise State is 18-26 all-time in such games. See the next page for a full listing of those games.

Standing Outside the Fire
If you see a little extra effort given by Kaonohi Kaniho this Satuarday, know that he's playing for more than just Bronco Nation. Kaniho, the 6-0, 180-pound defensive back may have gone to high school in Kahuku, Oahu, Hawaii, but his extended family hails from the devastated town of Lahaina. Approximately 40 of his friends and family have been affected by the wildfires which began Aug. 8, claiming the lives of hundreds of people and caused millions of dollars in damage. Thankfully, the redshirt junior said his family is all accounted for.

Establishing a Legacy
The Broncos are the second-winningest football program by percentage in the country since 2000 (240-53; .819), trailing only Ohio State (236-47; .834).

For Pete's Sake!
If you are looking for a notable tie between the Boise State and Washington programs, you shouldn't have to look far. Chris Petersen, who led the Broncos to their first two Fiesta Bowl titles, initially began his tenure in the Treasure Valley in 2001 as the offensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach in 2006. Following the 2013 season, Petersen headed northwest to become the head coach at UW before retiring following the 2019 season.

Not Him Again!
Saturday's game will mark the fifth time Andy Avalos will face the Huskies in a coaching capacity and the Broncos leader seems to have the Seattle-based program's number. Avalos is 3-1 all-time against Washington as an assistant coach and will carry that success into this week's game, his first against Washington as a head coach.

If It Ain't Broke
Ever heard that old adage? UW sure has. After seeing the success that Chris Petersen brought to Montlake, the Huskies have seemingly continued the tradition of hiring coaches from the Treasure Valley. Washington currently has four coaches and support staff members that either played or coached previously at Boise State.

UW Coaches with Boise State Ties
Julius Brown, Cornerbacks - Two stints coaching for the Broncos

2014-15: DBs/Recruiting Coordinator
2009-11: Director of Player Personnel
2007-08: Graduate Assistant
2006: Operations Graduate Assistant
Played CB for the Broncos (2000-03)

Scott Huff, Offensive Line - Coached for the Broncos from 2006-16

2016: OL/Co-Offensive Coordinator
2014-15: Offensive Line
2012-13: TE/Special Teams Coordinator
2010-11: Tight Ends
2007-09: Offensive Line
2006: Tight Ends
Played OL for the Broncos (1999-2003)

Lee Marks, Asst. HC/Running Backs - Coached RBs/ST for the Broncos (2019)

Coached George Holani to 1,000-yd season
Coached RBs for the Broncos (2015-18)
Asst. Strengh Coach for Broncos (2014)
Played RB for the Broncos (2001-05)

Mitch Dahlen, Quality Control (Offense) - Asst. WR/QB Coach (2018)

Die Wiedervereinigung
Saturday's contest will be more than just two regional teams meeting once again. The game will also feature Die Wiedervereinigung, or a "Reunification", with each team featuring a German player on its roster. For the Broncos, freshman defensive tackle Max Stege made the trip to Boise from Cologne, Germany while Washington's Maurice Heims, a sophomore EDGE, hails from Hamburg.

-- BroncoSports.com --

Boise State Opens 2023 Campaign Saturday at No. 10/11 Washington on ABC

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ahmed Hassanein

George Holani

Kaonohi Kaniho

Max Stege

Boise State Opens 2023 Campaign Saturday at No. 10/11 Washington on ABC

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Players Mentioned

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Kaonohi Kaniho

Max Stege

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