No. 21 Boise State Celebrates Homecoming as Utah State Visits Albertsons Stadium

BOISE, Idaho – Homecoming spirits are high in the Treasure Valley with anticipation building towards Saturday's football game when No. 21 Boise State hosts Utah State with a 5 p.m. kickoff at Albertsons Stadium.

The annual Homecoming tilt will air live on FS2 with Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Spencer tillman (analyst) calling the action. On the Bronco Radio Network (Flagship: KBOI 93.1 FM/670 AM) and on SiriusXM Channel 162 or 201 (depending on your radio model), Bronco Nation can tune in to hear Bob Behler (play-by-play) and Pete Cavender (analyst) call the action.

OPENING KICKOFF

He may wear No. 2 but the No. 1 running back in the country is an indisputable fact at this point. Ashton Jeanty broke records as he has ran all across teams from coast to coast. Through 3 1/2 games the #HEI2MAN hopeful has 845 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing.
Boise State enters this game ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Broncos have a .844 winning percentage (114-21) 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.
Saturday's game is the third of three sellouts (so far) this season at Albertsons Stadium. Last Saturday, a record 37,711 members of Bronco Nation filled the stands marking the largest crowd to ever watch a game at Albertsons Stadium.
Bronco fans everywhere are excited for the return of football and to see what Ashton Jeanty can do in his junior season. The Heisman candidate wowed the nation with video game numbers in 2023, setting the stage for a HEI2MAN-worthy year in 2024. Find out more about Ashton Jeanty's record-setting performances at HEI2MAN.com.
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

Rise Up!
Boise State is not throwin' away its shot. A week 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. 21 following a dominating 45-24 win over Washington State. This marks the first time Boise State has been ranked since a two-week stay in early November 2020. The No. 21 billing is the highest the Broncos have been listed since Nov. 1, 2020 and this week's elevation mimicked that 2020 season when a 49-30 win at Air Force pushed the Broncos up four spots from No. 25 to No. 21 in a week's time.
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 114-21 (.844) all-time. That's the best record of any team while ranked over the last 40 seasons (min. 50 games as a ranked team).
Welcome Home
This weekend marks Boise State's annual Homecoming festivities in the Treasure Valley, an annual tradition dating back to 1933. The Broncos have gone 71-15 (.826) all-time in Homecoming games, winning 26 of the past 27. Saturday's contest marks the fourth time Boise State will host Utah State for Homecoming, but history has not been kind with Utah State winning two of those three meetings.
Familiar Faces
When Boise State and Utah State face each other on Saturday, each sideline will recognize a familiar face on the opposite sideline. Although he has yet to play this year, former Boise State quarterback CJ Tiller - who started for the Broncos in the 2023 LA Bowl - now plays for the Aggies. For Boise State, Cooper Jones now dons the Blue and Orange following several years in Logan.
The Climb Starts Now
Boise State will open Mountain West play Saturday evening when the Aggies visit Albertsons Stadium and The Blue. The Broncos are 58-16 (.784) all-time in league openers and have won 23 of their past 24 conference debuts. Saturday's contest marks the first time the Broncos have not opened league play at home since 2020, but the Broncos are 27-3 (.900) when beginning conference play at home.
These Broncos are Lead Horses
Boise State enters its 14th season in the Mountain West and the Blue Collar style that the program embodies seems to work. The Broncos are 83-17 (.830) in Mountain West league play and have won 18 of their past 20 MW games. Boise State has posted a 42-7 (.857) record in home conference games in the Mountain West.
It's More Than Just A Color
Boise State's turf color may be a bit different than others, but that's because visitors often leave Albertsons Stadium feeling blue. Since 1986, when the non-green turf was first installed, the Broncos have compiled a 207-45 (.821) record on The Blue.
Establishing a Legacy
The Broncos are the second-winningest football program by percentage in the country since 2000 (.805, 252-61), trailing only Ohio State (.834; 251-50).
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 (252) than any other west coast team by 25 victories with Oregon (228), 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.
Go Long!
Beware the big play. Boise State has had nine 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 are second in the nation this season in one-play touchdown drives. Currently, Boise State has scored four touchdowns by only using one-play drives, matched with Utah (4) and just one shy of Navy (5).
Back-to-Back Packed Houses
Bronco Nation showed up and showed out for the team's first two home games of the 2024 season. A new 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. That came just a week after Boise State rolled to a 56-14 win over Portland State in front of 36,972, the largest crowd to watch a home opener in the Treasure Valley.
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.
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 77 games scoring 35 or more points. The Broncos' last loss when scoring 35+ was to No. 24 TCU on Nov. 12, 2011.

ABOUT UTAH STATE

Utah State enters this week with a 1-3 (0-0 MW) record as both teams will open conference play.
While the Aggies have a total offense that ranks 51st nationally, posting a respectable 423.0 yards per game, Utah State only ranks 107th in scoring offense with an average of 21.5 points per game.
USU's rushing defense ranks 114th nationally and 11th in the MW, allowing 196.8 yards per game.
USU ranks 80th in sacks allowed (2.0), which could prove problematic on Saturday.
That does not mean all is not lost in Logan. In fact, the Aggies are quite adept at making people lose things. DJ Graham II leads that effort by forcing an average of 0.50 fumbles per game, ranking eighth in the country and first in the Mountain West.
When the location for Utah State University was being debated prior to its founding, historian Joel Ricks, in 1938, "Provo had received the Insane Asylum, Salt Lake City had the University and Capitol, and most of the legislature felt that the new institutions should be given to Weber and Cache Counties." We cannot help but respect the truth in historians' research.
That which is lost can always be found. There's a good chance that's the personal motto of Clyde Washington, the Aggie that ranks 12th nationally in fumbles recovered while leading the MW.
The image of a bull first appeared on a football game program in 1975, and the following year it was adopted as USU's mascot. For a few years, USU used an actual white bull, painted blue, which was brought to sporting events and corralled on the sidelines. However, when the Smith Spectrum was built, there were concerns with the bull ruining the floor. We can't imagine why.
Jordan Vincent is a stalwart on the Aggie defense. His 5.8 solo tackles per game ranks eighth in the nation and leads the Mountain West.
In 1987, USU Student Athletics Vice President John Mortensen decided that Utah State should still have a mascot and spent $750 on a costume for Big Blue. The costume was somewhat of a disappointment because it was royal blue, not navy, had real animal horns, and was not easy to move around in. No word on if this costume was debuted on Halloween or if it was retired due to haunting the dreams of people far and wide.

A WIN WOULD...

Register Boise State's 115th win while playing as a ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll.
Mark Boise State's 72nd win in a BSU Homecoming game.
Register Boise State's 84th all-time win in MW play and 59th win in a conference opener.
Move Spencer Danielson's record to 7-2 as a head coach.
Bring Boise State's all-time record in Albertsons Stadium to 291-63.
Move Boise State's all-time record on The Blue to 208-45.
Be better than a loss.

SINGLE GAME TICKETS

While the first three games are sold out, single-game tickets remain for the final three home games for as low as $25. Fans can purchase single-game tickets online at BroncoSports.com over the phone with the Boise State Athletic Ticket Office at (208) 426-4737, or in person at the Boise State Athletic Ticket Office located at the southwest corner of Albertsons Stadium.

WAKE UP TO THE LATEST BRONCO NEWS

Get the latest news from Bronco Nation delivered to your inbox every morning! Delivered every weekday, Good Morning, Bronco Nation is a daily email full of the latest news, fun information, weekly schedules, stats and a daily trivia question. Click here to sign up today!

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.

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--