Boise State University (-13) vs Colorado State University

Date: Thursday November 12th, 2020

Time: 6:00pm MT

Stadium: Albertsons “Bronco” Stadium (36,382)

TV:FS1

Commentators: Alex Faust, Even Moore

Know Thy Enemy

“Daz Ball” makes its Boise debut as the Colorado State University Rams take on the Boise State Broncos in a rare Thursday night matchup. Steve “Daz” Addazio brings his boys into Boise on a high note as they took down rival Wyoming in the battle for the Bronze Boot ‘Border War’ last week 34-24. Many have said that these Rams (1-1,1-1) aren’t ‘Mike Bobo’s Rams,’ after last week's win. CSU’s quarterback Patrick O'Brien said, “It’s the best energy I’ve felt since being here.” The 2020 Rams are smart, physical, poised, and disciplined. They found a way to hold onto a lead that they would have let slip away in the past.

The Rams will feature a Pro-style, balanced offense that utilizes both the play-action pass and the quarterback run game to keep the defense on their toes. Colorado State’s field general is quarterback Patrick O’Brien. O’Brien has multiple weapons at his disposal, but none bigger than tight end Trey McBride. McBride is a mountain of a man, coming in at 6’4” 260lbs. He is hands down O’Brien’s favorite target and is leading the team in every receiving category.

One of the biggest question marks coming into the 2020 season for the Rams offense was the experience, or lack thereof, on the offensive line. So far this season the offensive line has given up three sacks in each of their first two games and have not been able to consistently open up holes in the ground game. Needless to say, the offensive line is still working out the kinks.

The Rams defense has been solid against the run this year and not so solid against the pass. Through two games, the Rams are only allowing 114 yards on the ground, but 335 yards through the air. The strength of this Rams defense comes from their front seven. The defensive line and the linebacker group have been wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lines with their seven quarterback hits, ten quarterback sacks, and twenty-three tackles for loss. Last week against Wyoming, the defense as a whole, did a great job of forcing three turnovers.

Boise State and Colorado State started their annual matchup when Boise State Joined the Mountain West in 2011. The Rams have never beaten the Broncos in nine tries. Colorado State usually loses

by an average of 20 points.

Colorado State is coached by Steve Addazio. Addazio is in his first year at Colorado State, but has faced the Broncos once before in the “Bowl Game That Never Happened” when he was the head coach at Boston College.

What Happened Last Year

The sparse crowd was announced at 12,324 on a chilly and overcast afternoon. Only the middle sections of the stadium were open following a blizzard earlier in the week that dropped around 15 inches of snow. Most of the upper deck and behind the south end zone were blanketed in snow. The Colorado State facilities management crews moved approximately two million pounds of snow from the playing surface to get it ready. And all that work for nothing as Boise State posts a road win over the Rams.

Jaylon Henderson accounted for three scores, defensive tackle David Moa came up with a late sack, and Kahlil Shakir converted a third down with a diving catch to ice the game as No. 20 Boise State beat Colorado State 31-24 to finish undefeated in Mountain West conference play for the first time.

Players to Watch

COLORADO STATE

JR., TREY MCBRIDE, TE #85

A good receiving tight end can cause major problems for opposing defenses. They are usually too fast for a linebacker to cover, but too big for a corner or safety to handle. Trey McBride fits that bill. At 6’4” 260lbs, McBride is a huge target for O’Brien to throw to and has emerged as the QB’s top target. McBride leads the team in catches (13), yards (220), and touchdowns (3). The Broncos had a tough time against a similar type player last week against BYU, giving up 45 yards and 2 touchdowns to the Cougars tight end.

SR., MANNY JONES, DE #33

Emmanuel “Manny” Jones was not expected to be with the Rams for his senior season. Manny reportedly did the hokie pokie with the transfer portal and ultimately decided to play for CSU. Jones is a big physical lineman who excels at getting in the opposing teams backfield. Jones leads the team in tackles for loss (5) and is second on the team in sacks (2).

GS., SCOTT PATCHAN, DE #1

Scott Patchan transferred from power 5 program Miami with one thing in mind, “trust.” He wanted to spend his final collegiate season being coached by a staff that he could trust. Coach Addazio quickly earned that trust and Patchan has found a home in Fort Collins. Patchan has produced on the field and is second on the team in tackles for loss (4) and first on the team in sacks (2.5). The Broncos will have their hands full with these two bucks.

BOISE STATE

Rs.SR., JOHN BATES, TE #85

John Bates the senior out of Lebanon, OR has had multiple catches in all three games this year. He is currently the second leading receiver in catches on the team with 12 but has yet to find pay dirt. Bates has become a viable option for the Broncos quarterbacks so don’t be surprised if he is a big part of the passing game Thursday night.

JR., KHALIL SHAKIR, WR #2

Half animal, half man, Kahlil Shakir is perfection on the football field. A “do it all” player for the Broncos will need a big game Thursday night to get the Broncos back in the win column. Shakir leads the team in all purpose yards with 408. He leads all receivers with 23 catches and 4 touchdowns. The Broncos need to get him the ball early and often Thursday night.

SO., MARKEL REED, CB #8

The pride of Temple Texas, Markel Reed is in his sophomore season as Boise State. Reed is the third corner on the depth chart, but has played in each game this season. He currently has nine tackles, one quarterback hit, and one pass breakup on the season. Last week Reed and the rest of the defensive backs were challenged and often failed. Look for Reed as well as the other members of the secondary to really focus in and hopefully get a pick...or two...or three?

Focus Position Group: Offensive Line

The Bronco Offensive line has done a decent job protecting our quarterback this season, giving up six sacks through three games. This group is still trying to meld together, but has done a good job of keeping their names off the lips of Broncos Nation, exactly what an offensive lineman wants. This week they go up against a defensive front who have proven their ability to get after the quarterback and to stop the run. Boise State needs to establish a rushing attack this week as well keep our poor quarterback, whomever it is, healthy.

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

RAM ROD

Boise State’s rushing attack was MIA last week as the Broncos leading rusher only had 42 yards on the ground. This week they play a Rams team who are very tough against the ground game, giving up an average of only 114 yards per game. Establishing a run game this week will be important for two reasons. First, it will help control the ball and extend drives which will give the defense a much needed breather. Second, it will keep the CSU defense from being able to just “pin their ears back” and rush the quarterback. With Holani being doubtful this week, Van Buren and whoever else is healthy, will have to share the load this week.

NO FLY ZONE

Last week the Broncos secondary got shredded like a pork shoulder at a BBQ joint. BYU’s Zach Wilson threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns and regularly torched the defense for completions of over 20 yards. Wilson averaged over 16 yards per completion last week. Now, Patrick O’Brien is no Zach Wilson, but nevertheless, the Broncos secondary needs to step their game up and not allow the Rams offense to pass on them at will.

FORGIVE BUT DON’T FORGET

Last Friday was an ‘embarrassing’ loss at the hands of the Cougars. In fact, it was the worst home loss since 1996. There is still plenty to play for this season including a Mountain West Championship. There is no reason why last week could and should be the only loss on the season. This week is a very winnable game, but they will need to forgive themselves for what happened last week, but not forget what happened and use that feeling of embarrassment to fuel them going forward.

Editorial Note

What a giant let down last week was. All this hype of a top 10 team coming to Boise in a rivalry matchup, only to end in a total beat down. Yes the Broncos weren’t at full strength, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a Boise State team “wave the white flag” like they seemed to do last week. This week is gut check time for the Broncos. The Broncos haven’t lost back-to-back home games since 2015 when they lost to both New Mexico and Air Force. Boise State is still the team to beat in the Mountain West and even with the loss last week their path to a fourth conference title in seven years is still in clear view.

Coach Harsin is still playing coy when it comes to the injury status of Hank Bachmeier, Jack Sears, and George Holani. Getting any combination of those three guys back this week would be a huge boost to an offense that is trying to find some production out of someone other than Shakir. If Bachmeier or Sears can’t get healthy by Thursday then Cade Fennegan is likely the starter. Even though OC Eric Keasu had to pull out a simplified playsheet at halftime for Fennegan, I think we saw enough good out of him last week, that with a week of preparation, he would be able to move the ball effectively against Colorado State.

The Broncos are at a crossroads at the midway point of their 2020 season. Will they be able to show enough maturity to use last week's loss as motivation, or will they let one loss derail a season that could still end in a Mountain West title?

I see a healthy Bronco team come out and lay the hammer on a Rams team who might be having a big win hangover themselves.

Broncos 49, Rams 13

Rev's Rundown

Rev's Rundown 2020 Week Four: Boise State vs Colorado State