No. 17/22 Boise State Heads to the Islands to Face Hawai’i Saturday

Saturday, October 12

Honolulu, Hawaii

9 p.m.

Boise State

Hawai'i

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No. 17/22 Boise State Heads to the Islands to Face Hawai’i Saturday

10/10/2024 3:00:00 PM | Football

Watch Listen SiriusXM Ch. 113 or 201 Live Stats Series History Media Central Boise State Football Notebook - Oct 12, 2024

Game will air live on CBS Sports Network

BOISE, Idaho – Following three consecutive sold out home games No. 17/22 Boise State will make its longest planned trip of the year with a Saturday night visit to Hawai'i airing live on CBS Sports Network.

Kickoff Saturday is scheduled for 9 p.m. MT/5 p.m. HT with Rich Waltz (play-by-play), and Robert Turbin (analyst) calling the action. On the Bronco Radio Network (Flagship: KBOI 93.1 FM/670 AM) and on SiriusXM Channel 113 or 201, Bronco Nation can tune in to hear Bob Behler (play-by-play) and Pete Cavender (analyst) call the action.

OPENING KICKOFF

Ashton Jeanty continues his HEI2MAN campaign (and rampage through opposing defenses) this week when the No. 17/22 Broncos head to Hawai'i. Last week, the Boise State junior became just the eighth player to reach 1,000 rushing yards in only five games. Find out more about Ashton Jeanty's record-setting season at HEI2MAN.com.
Boise State enters this game ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 poll and 22nd in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Broncos have a .846 winning percentage (115-21) all-time when ranked by the Associated Press. That is the best winning percentage of any team when ranked by the AP. See the top marks in this category on Page 5.
Appropriate for No. 3 on this list is Boise State's success rate on 3rd down. The Broncos have converted 56.3% of their third down conversions this year, a mark that ranks No. 3 in the nation and leads the Mountain West. Only Miami [Fla.] (.603) and Army West Point (.582) have better numbers on 3rd down.
Boise State heads to the islands to face Hawai'i and its run and shoot offense with a gunslinger of its own. Maddux Madsen currently has the best QB pass efficiency rating of any Mountain West QB at 150.15.
We saved No. 5 for the appropriate Group of 5 note. The 2024 season marks the first of the expanded College Football Playoff era with a 12-team bracket. The highest-rated conference champion of the Group of 5 will automatically earn a berth into the CFP postseason this year and several national pundits have prognosticated the Broncos could be one of the top teams vying for that spot.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Running Broncos
Boise State enters this week's game averaging 8.18 yards per rush this season, marking the second-highest average through five games by any FBS team this century. The only other team to average at least eight years per carry at this stage of a season was Stanford (8.44) in 2017.
Did You Noah's Headed Home This Week?
Boise State defensive back Kaonohi Kaniho (nicknamed Nohi, pronounced KNOW-HE) will be heading home this week as the Kahuku, Maui native will return to his home state of Hawai'i when the No. 17/22 Broncos head to the islands to face the Warriors. While Kaniho did get a chance to play at home in Aloha Stadium in 2020, COVID regulations did not permit fans so this week's game will mark the first time Kaniho's family will get a chance to see him play at home in his career.
It's Been 84 91 Years
Saturday will be more than just another gameday for Boise State Football but will mark the 91st anniversary of the first time the Broncos stepped onto the gridiron. On Thursday, Oct. 12, 1933 - 91 years ago from Saturday's contest at Hawai'i - the Broncos faced St. Joseph's Academy in their first official game in program history. The game may have been a 6-0 loss for the Broncos, but it was just the beginning of what has become one of the most successful football programs in the country. That inaugural contest was played at Public School Field in Boise, which is now where Dona Larsen Park - now home to Boise State Softball - currently resides. Click here to see the inaugural game's stats.
Rise Up!
Boise State is not throwin' away its shot. Two weeks after the Broncos returned to its familiar home in the AP Top 25 rankings at No. 25, the Blue and Orange continued to rise up by jumping up to No. 17 following a dominating 62-30 win over Utah State. The No. 17 slot is the highest the Broncos have been ranked by the AP since a No. 14 ranking on Oct. 13, 2019. It marks the first time since the 2020 season that Boise State has been ranked in both polls.
Best of the Best
Boise State is not only back in the Top 25, but history is on their side. When ranked in the Top 25 by the Associated Press, Boise State is 115-21 (.846) all-time. That's the best record of any team while ranked over the last 40 seasons (min. 50 games as a ranked team).
Bucking Bronco
How impressive has Ashton Jeanty been this season? Of his 1,031 rushing yards, 755 have come after contact. He recorded an incredible 233 yards after contact against Washington State, putting him back on top of the national rankings. The HEI2MAN hopeful forced six missed tackles in one half against Utah State, putting his season total at an FBS-high 50. His average of 151.0 yards after contact per game is higher than all but one FBS player's total rushing yards per game number, with Iowa's Kaleb Johnson running for 154.2 yards per game.
Doak, Meet Deuce
For the third time this season, Ashton Jeanty was named the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week. He earned the recognition after the Utah State game, depsite playing two quarters. 2023 Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State) won three weekly awards throughout the entire season.
These Broncos Are Lead Horses
Boise State is currently in its 14th season in the Mountain West and the Blue Collar style that the program embodies seems to work. The Broncos are 84-17 (.832) in Mountain West league play and have won 17 of their past 20 MW games. Boise State has posted a 41-10 (.804) record in road conference games in the Mountain West.
Can You Stop Him? Many Have Tried, All Have Failed.
So far this season, Ashton Jeanty has had 30 carries against an 8+ man defensive box. In those plays, the HEI2MAN candidate is averaging 8.9 yards per carry. The national average in those situations is 2.1 yards per carry.
He Did It Again (and Again and Again)
At this point, the Mountain West should consider naming its weekly award after Ashton Jeanty. Through five games, the HEI2MAN candidate has earned MW Offensive Player of the Week four times, most recently after his dominant first-half performance against Utah State. The last player to win the award five times was Jordan Love, who did so in 2018 while playing for the Aggies.
Establishing a Legacy
The Broncos are the second-winningest football program by percentage in the country since 2000 (.806, 253-61), trailing only Ohio State (.834; 252-50).
Defenders of the West. Crushin' All Pretenders in the West.
Since 2000, Boise State has been leader of the Team with the Broncos registering more wins (253) than any other west coast team by 25 victories with Oregon (229), Southern California (205), Utah (204) and BYU (197) following.
Success in the Mountain West
Now in its 14th season in the Mountain West, Boise State has lost just 17 games in conference play, and only five of those losses have come by more than seven points.
HEI2MAN-Worthy Numbers
Ashton Jeanty (16 touchdowns) has scored more total touchdowns this season than the total scored by 36 FBS teams, including Arizona (14), Stanford (13), Michigan State (13), Purdue (12), Northwestern (10), Florida State (10) and Hawai'i (15). Ashton Jeanty has played five games (but only 16 quarters as he did not play in the second half against Portland State and Utah State).
Run Production Unmatched
Ashton Jeanty has scored 16 rushing touchdowns this season, equaling or besting the season total of 124 FBS teams, including the top six teams in the AP Poll. Of the teams with more than 16 rushing touchdowns, three have played six games.
Go Long!
Beware the big play. Boise State has had 11 offensive plays of at least 50 yards this season, the most among FBS teams in 2024. Last season, the Broncos had 14 plays of 50+ yards with only Central Florida (15) having more in FBS.
We're Not a One-Trick Pony
Don't think that this Boise State team only has one playmaker. In the Sept. 21 game against Portland State, the Broncos had six different offensive players score a touchdown, marking the first time six or more players have scored since 2016.
Or Maybe We Are...
Because the Broncos lead the nation this season in one-play touchdown drives. Currently, Boise State has scored six touchdowns by only using one-play drives, just one ahead of Navy (5).
Back-to-Back-to-Back Packed Houses
Bronco Nation showed up and showed out for the team's first three home games of the 2024 season. An Albertsons Stadium record was set on Sept. 28 as 37,711 fans - the largest crowd to attend a game at Boise State - watched the Broncos stampede their way to a 45-24 win over Washington State. The crowd of 37,210 on Oct. 5 was the fifth-largest in school history, marking the first time Boise State has had over 37,000 in attendance for three consecutive home games.
Like a G6 G5
Looking at all of the Group of 5 (G5) programs around the country, Boise State ranks sixth in total number of bowl appearances. That's a heady number made even more impressive when you consider the Broncos have only been at the Division I-A/FBS level since 1996 while many others have been competing at that level for decades longer.
We're Just Carrying On an Old Family Tradition
There aren't many groups that are more tight-knit than The Brotherhood that is formed on The Blue, and that family atmosphere that is forged at Boise State is something that Hank Williams Jr. should have really crooned about. The Broncos have won 35 conference championships in its program history, the seventh-most conference titles won by any current FBS team. That trails only Oklahoma (50), Nebraska (46), Michigan (44), Ohio State (39) and Southern Cal (37) in the most number of conference championships won. With Southern Cal joining the Big Ten alongside Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio State, Boise State has the opportunity to move up the list. The win against UNLV put the Broncos within one of Southern Cal and within seven titles of Michigan, something no manifesto could have predicted.
Mane Event
The most famous Clydesdales in the world carry Budweiser beer at official Anheuser-Busch events. The second-most famous Clydesdales in the world pave the way for Broncos to carry the ball into the end zone. Known for its big man package dubbed the "Clydesdale" package, Boise State can be seen lining up near the goal line with up to a trio of defensive linemen in the game as Braxton Fely, Michael Callahan and Herbert Gums contribute on both sides of the ball.
Blue (and Orange) Bloods
Boise State is just one of four programs in the country to have been eligible for three consecutive bowl games and made three consecutive NCAA Men's Basketball tournaments. The other three? That would be Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. Consider it a quartet of Blue Bloods.
Thirty-Five. Same Age Mozart Died.
Boise State is unbeaten in its last 78 games scoring 35 or more points. The Broncos' last loss when scoring 35+ was to No. 24 TCU on Nov. 12, 2011.

ABOUT HAWAI'I

Hawai'i enters this week with a 2-3 (0-1 MW) record following a heartbreaking 27-24 loss at San Diego State last week.
The Rainbow Warriors' two wins so far this season have come against FCS teams - a 35-14 win over Delaware State on Aug. 24 and a 36-7 victory over Northern Iowa on Sept. 21.
Hawai'i ranks sixth in the nation in fumbles lost, having only lost one so far this year. The Broncos will need to pry a little harder.
UH ranks 12th in the nation in team tackles for loss (7.6), providing a formidable challenge for the Boise State offensive line.
Hawai'i also ranks 12th in punt returns (17.29), putting a premium on special teams.
Leading that special teams return unit is Tylan Hines, who ranks third nationally in combined kick returns (327) and seventh in the country in punt returns (17.3).
The Univeristy of Hawai'i was originally created by the Territory of Hawai'i in 1907 as a land-grant college of agriculture and mechanical arts and held its first classes in 1907. In 1912 it moved to its present location in Mānoa Valley and was renamed the College of Hawai'i.
This is not your father's Hawai'i team. The 2024 edition of the Rainbow Warriors ranks 28th in the nation in total defense, limiting opponents to an average of 309.4 yards per game. They also rank 32nd in scoring defense, allowing an average of 19.0 ppg. Meanwhile Boise State has not scored less than 34 points in a game this season. So what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force?
Hawaiian football first began competition in 1909. From that point through 1923, the UH teams were called the "Deans." It is not true that the teams used that nickname to suck up to the educational administration for a little extra time on their term papers.
In the final game of the 1923 season, the football team upset Oregon State, with a rainbow appearing over the stadium during the game. Sportswriters began referring to UH teams as the "Rainbows," and the tradition was born that Hawaii could not lose if a rainbow appeared.
Rainbows, however, had magical powers long before football came to the islands. Hawaiian chiefs considered them sacred and used them as signs of a chief's presence. A rainbow hovering over a newborn child indicated that he was of a god-like rank. So if rainbows have magical powers, does that make UH the Pacific's version of Hogwarts?
Green and white became the school's colors when a group of faculty wives were deciding on decoration and color schemes for the school's social calendar. At the time, materials took weeks to be shipped to the islands, making materials of many colors scarce. The wives reasoned that basic white would always be available and green decorations could constantly be provided by Hawai'i's lush growth of tropical plants.
Hawai'i is believed to be the only FBS team in the country without their own equipment truck. If you aren't sure why, please read that last sentence again, only more slowly.

A WIN WOULD…

Register Boise State's 116th win while playing as a ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll.
Mark Boise State's third consecutive win when playing on the islands.
Register Boise State's 85th all-time win in MW play and 102nd against a Mountain West opponent.
Move Spencer Danielson's record to 8-2 as a head coach.
Bring Boise State's all-time record at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex to 1-0.
Move Boise State's all-time record against Hawai'i when ranked to 11-1.
Be better than a loss.

Led by Spencer Danielson in his first full season, Boise State looks to become the first Mountain West program to win back-to-back championships since San Diego State did so in 2015-16. Achieving such a feat will put Boise State in the discussion for the new, expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff format beginning this fall. Last year, Danielson became the first coach in college football history to win a conference championship with an interim title.

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