#22 Boise State University (-13) vs University of Wyoming

Date: Saturday, November 9th, 2019

Time: 8:15MT

Stadium: Alberston’s “Bronco” Stadium (36,387)

TV: ESPN

Know Thy Enemy

Pistol Pete is coming to town as the Cowboys of Wyoming try to tame the Boise State Broncos. The Cowboys are in the midst of what some are saying is a surprising season, after coming off a 6-6 season and being picked to finish fourth in the Mountain division in the preseason poll. Wyoming sits at 6-2, 3-1 on the season and is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the Mountain Division. Wyoming could easily be 7-1 if not 8-0 if it weren’t for a late game turnover against Tulsa and the defense giving up a late fourth quarter touchdown against San Diego State. The Cowboys have had the lead in the fourth quarter in every game so far this season. Head Coach Craig Bohl is in his sixth year as head coach of the ‘Pokes and has his team bowl eligible for the fourth year in a row.

Most of the Wyoming offensive success has come from the run game behind sophomore running back Xazavian Valladay and quarterback Sean Chambers. The duo has accounted for over 1,200 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. With Chambers going down with a season-ending knee injury, Valladay will be called upon to shoulder the offensive load. Wyoming's backup quarterback, Tyler Vander Waal, will get the start this week for the Cowboys. Coincidentally, Vander Waal was also the starting quarterback last year against Boise State.

Wyoming’s defense is of the mindset ‘bend but don’t break.’ The Cowboys give up yards, but they don’t give up points. Coach Bohl likes the low scoring, ugly, defensive type games. The Wyoming defense is only giving up an average of 17 points per game, which is good for second in the Mountain West, only behind San Diego State’s 14 points per game. Wyoming also loves to bring pressure from all over the field and get after the opposing quarterback. The Cowboys are first in the Mountain West with 26 sacks; 11 different players have recorded a sack, and their leading sack getter, defensive end Solomon Byrd, accounts for 6 of those. If Wyoming’s defense has a weakness, it is definitely in the passing game. The Cowboys give up an average of 288 yards per game and have given up over three bills three times this season. They are also not a very opportunistic defense, only forcing five turnovers all season.

Boise State and Wyoming have played football against each other 13 times since 2002. Boise State’s only loss to the Cowboys came in 2016 during the infamous “Safety Dance” game. The Broncos lead the series 12-1

What Happened Last Year

The Broncos went on the road to the middle of nowhere Laramie, Wyoming to open up the 2018 conference schedule in late September. The Broncos came into the game ranked 25th in the country and put on a first half show. The Cowboys were unable to slow down a potent Boise State passing attack as Brett Rypien threw for over 345 yards and two touchdowns. Boise State scored on four of their six first half possessions and the defense held the Cowboys scoreless as the Broncos took a commanding 24-0 halftime lead.

Wyoming made a case for a comeback in the second half when they scored on their first play from scrimmage, a 75-yard touchdown run. That would be the only points they would score until another 2-play 75-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter. By that time, Boise State had added 10 points to their total. The Broncos defense forced seven punts and two turnovers in the 34-14 win.

Players to Watch

WYOMING

Rs.SO., Xazavian Valladay, RB #6

Valladay, a redshirt sophomore out of Matteson, Illinois, is the next in a line of great Wyoming running backs. Valladay is coming off of a huge performance two weeks ago against Nevada, where he notched a career-high 206 rushing yards and a career-high 74 receiving yards. Valladay is the offense for the Cowboys, and there is no doubt that the Broncos will know where #6 is at all times.

Rs.FR., Solomon Byrd, DE #51

If there is one word to describe the redshirt freshman from Palmdale, California, it would be ‘disruptive’. Byrd is one of the young players on the Cowboy defense, but he has been making big plays all season. Byrd leads the defense with 6 sacks to go along with his 31 tackles and 8 tackles for loss. Byrd is putting together a strong freshman season and looks to continue that this Saturday on The Blue.

SR., Alijah Halliburton, S #3

Halliburton is a senior out of Aurora, Colorado and he brings a veteran presence to the defensive back corp this season. Halliburton has been called up on this season to replace Andrew Windgard, one of the most productive players that’s ever worn a Wyoming uniform. With such a high standard to follow, Halliburton has risen to the occasion for his team. Halliburton is all over the field, leading his team with 76 tackles and an astounding 48 solo tackles. The Broncos will try to keep his production to a minimum this week.

Boise State

SR., John Hightower, WR #16

John Hightower has quickly become one of Bachmeier’s top targets. Hightower, a senior from Landover, Maryland is leading the team in both receiving yards and touchdowns, and is second in receptions. When #16 is involved in the game plan, good things usually happen. Look for the Broncos to utilize Hightower’s speed to stretch the field against the Cowboys.

SO., Kahlil Shakir, WR #2

Versatility is a big part of the sophomore’s game out of Murrieta, California. Boise State loves to use Shakir in a myriad of ways, from taking snaps at quarterback, running back, and receiver this season. One of the head scratching things about Shakir is his involvement in the game plan. Some weeks he is a focal point, and some weeks he is just a decoy. Three times this year he has had over 75 yards receiving, but three times this year he has had under 25. If they Broncos want to win this week, they should look no further than getting #2 the ball any way possible.

Rs.SR., David Moa, DT #55

The ‘Moaconstrictor’ is due for a big game this week. The senior out of San Diego, California hasn’t had the most production this season, but will be called upon this week to help stop the rushing attack of Wyoming. Moa prides himself on his run stopping ability and the Broncos as a whole have done a good job at stopping the run this season. Look for Moa to clog up the middle and close down running lanes this week.

Focus Position Group: Defensive Line

The Boise State defense has been something of a mystery this season. The defense was on fire the first five weeks of the season, and the last three weeks it's looked more like a dumpster fire. During the last three weeks, the defense has been giving up passing yards and points like it's an Oprah Winfrey show. The cause of this is unknown, but something that could be affecting the pass defense is the lack of pass rush the Broncos have been getting. During the first five games of the season, the defense had 19 sacks, as opposed to just three in the last three games. Outside of Curtis Weaver and his team leading 10 sacks, there is essentially no pass rush. Three other players have two sacks a piece. This week has to be the week where the defensive line gets on track with some qb pressure. The Wyoming offensive line has had their own issue protecting the quarterback, so getting multiple sacks shouldn’t be an issue. The Broncos have to find someone else other than Weaver to wreak havoc on the defensive line.

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

Stop the Run

Controlling the ground game goes a long way in winning a football game. Boise State’s defense is only giving up an average of 116 yards per game on the ground and only 9 touchdowns. With Wyoming going with their backup quarterback this week, the Cowboys will more than likely rely heavily on production from Valladay. Boise State will need to make sure they win the point of attack and tackle well to not allow Valladay to run wild.

Shakir and Hightower Show

Boise State has two players on offense in Shakir and Hightower that can change a game in a blink of an eye. Shakir does so well in open space that all you have to do is get him the ball and he will do the rest. Hightower has the top-end speed that can take the top off a defense and the hands to back it up. Boise State is 7-0 this season when Hightower has over 50 yards of total offense. They are 0-1 when he doesn’t. Getting the ball in these two players hands will be paramount this week.

Know What You’re Getting Into

A lot of talk has been surrounding this Bronco team about how they only play to the level of their competition. Coach Harsin was asked about getting every teams best shot, and Boise State being every other team’s “Super Bowl” if you will. When asked Harsin responded with, “When you don’t think about every single week as your Super Bowl, I don’t care who you are playing, then you have a problem as a team. Yes, we’re going to get everybody’s best. But why aren’t we? Why wouldn’t we give everybody our best?” Boise State can’t afford to overlook anyone left on their schedule, starting with the Cowboys. The Broncos need to come out focused and prepared this Saturday.

Editorial Note:

The Broncos have reached the 4th quarter of the 2019 football season. With just four games left on their schedule, the Broncos have a ton left to play for, including a conference title and a NY6 bowl game. This week starts a stretch of four straight inter-division games, with the Broncos holding onto a 1 game lead in the division. Each of these last four games are winnable if Boise State puts together some complete performances in all three phases of the game. I think some home cooking is just what this Bronco team needs, which is why I think the Broncos will feed off of the home crowd and once again take care of business and continue their undefeated home record.

Boise State carves up the Cowboys through the air and the defense holds Wyoming to their lowest scoring output of the season.

Boise State 35, Wyoming 14

Rev's Rundown

Boise State Vs University of Wyoming