Boise State University (-6.5) vs University of Nevada-Reno

Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021

Time: 1:30pm MT

Stadium: Albertsons “Bronco” Stadium (36,387)

TV:FS1

TV Commentators: Alex Faust and Petros Papadakis

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

Know Thy Enemy

It’ll be a showdown in the high desert Saturday afternoon as Albie and the “Battle Born” Wolf Pack from the Silver State head to Boise to face the Broncos in a cross-division Mountain West rivalry game for Homecoming! The Wolf Pack come into Saturday's game with some extra time to prepare coming off a bye week. The ‘Pack started off the season strong, beating Pac-12 foe Cal 24-17 and then whooping up on Idaho State 49-10, before falling flat against Big 12 opponent Kansas State 17-38 two weeks ago. Many of the Wolf Pack faithful seem to think that the “shine” from the season opening win against Cal has worn off and the season hasn’t been as much of a success as they had hoped.

However, Nevada does have bright spots throughout their team. None brighter than quarterback Carson Strong. The buzz around Strong being a potential NFL quarterback started way back as an underclassman at Nevada. That buzz came to a climax in early September when CBS Sports put out a mock draft for the 2022 NFL draft with Strong’s name being not only a top pick in the draft but the top pick going to the Houston Texans as the number one overall pick in the draft. Boise State Head Coach Andy Avalos had high praise for the quarterback saying he is always, “on point, on schedule, on time.” Strong can do it all and is extremely accurate, to the tune of a career 67% completion percentage. Strong as well as the entire Nevada offense works out of the spread. There are plenty of weapons at the gunslingers disposal including four receivers and a tight end that are absolutely incredible.

On defense the Wolf Pack will “hunt” the quarterback. Through three games Nevada is ranked in the top 12 in the nation in sacks getting after the quarterback 11 times this season. Not only do they cause pressure they are in the top 15 in the nation in passing yards allowed, allowing only 149 yards through the air this year. If the Wolf Pack have one weakness it's in their run defense. Nevada is allowing an average of 187 yards per game on the ground to their opponent. They gave up a season high 262 yards and four touchdowns to Kansas State two weeks ago. Ironically Boise State’s rushing attack has been less than stellar this season so it will be interesting to see which has a better day on Saturday.

UNR is coached by Jay Norvell. Norvell is in his fifth season as head coach of the Wolf Pack. Prior to being the head coach at Nevada Norvell was the Pass Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers coach at Arizona State. Norvell’s all-time record at Nevada is 27-23.

Boise State and Nevada go way back and have played some “instant classics” through the years including a 4 OT 69-67 thriller in 2007 and a major 34-31 upset in 2010. However since 2010 Boise State has not lost to UNR, beating them six straight times. In fact the 2010 win by the Wolf Pack is the only win against the Broncos since 1998. Boise State leads the all-time series 30-13.

What Happened Last Time

2018 was another “instant classic” between these two schools. Boise State (3-2) headed to Reno (3-3) looking to get back on track after a devastating 19-13 loss at home to San Diego State the week prior.

Both teams struggled to really get going to start the game as both teams combined for five turnovers in the first half including two interceptions by Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien.

Boise State and UNR would go back and forth in the first half with the Broncos scoring touchdowns on an 88-yard end around by John Hightower and then later in the second quarter, cornerback Tyler Horton would intercept a Wolf Pack pass and return it 99-yards for a pick six.

Down 14-17 with :37 left in the first half, Brett Rypien would orchestrate a 7-Play 55-yard drive that ended in a 31-yard field goal to tie the game at 17.

The second half was more of the same as both teams tried to pull away. The Broncos and the Wolf Pack would trade touchdowns early in the third quarter. After getting the ball back with a little more than six minutes left in the third Boise State would score the go-ahead touchdown on a 3 play 69-yard drive that ended in a 41-yard touchdown pass to AJ Richardson to put the Broncos up for good. Nevada would add a field goal of their own to close the gap at 31-27. The Broncos defense held on in the fourth quarter, stopping the old “lateral play” with :01 left on the clock to outlast the Wolf Pack and ruin homecoming for the home team.

Players to Watch

Nevada-Reno

JR., CARSON STRONG, QB #12

There’s lots of buzz around Carson Strong as the next quarterback to be drafted out of the Mountain West. Even Boise State’s Defensive Coordinator Spencer Danielson says, “He’s an NFL talent and I’m not the only one saying that.” Strong has a cannon for an arm and can make all the throws that an NFL type quarterback needs to make. This season he’s thrown for 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Strong was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year last season as well as being named to the All-Mountain West First Team.

SR., COLE TURNER, TE #19

It’s been awhile since Boise State has faced a dynamic vertical threat at tight end. This week Nevada not only has three receivers that are amazing, their tight end is right up there. Coming in at 6’6” 245lbs, Cole is a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses. He’s too big for a corner to cover and too fast for a linebacker to keep up with. Turner comes into this season averaging over four catches and just under 50 yards per game this season. Last season Turner was named First Team All-Mountain West and is looking to have a repeat performance this year.

SR., Daiyan Henley, LB #11

Daiyan Henley, according to head coach Jay Norvell, is one of the most athletic players on the Wolf Pack. Coming to Nevada as a Wide Receiver, got major reps in 2017, catching three touchdowns his freshman year. Switching over to defense halfway through the 2018 season, Henley has found his groove on the Wolf Pack defense. Heneley leads the team in tackles with 28. Many around the Nevada program say that Henley is set to have a breakout season in 2021.

BOISE STATE

Rs.JR., SCOTT MATLOCK, DT #99

What a week that was for the Junior from Homedale, ID! Scott Matlock had himself a day last week against Utah State, accounting for five tackles, had a sack, blocked a field goal, and to top it off CAUGHT A TOUCHDOWN! Matlock has proven himself a very reliable and consistent part of the Broncos defense and really deserves all the success he’s had lately. Matlock will get the coveted honor of leading the team out of the tunnel carrying the Dan Paul memorial hammer for his role on special teams last week.

Rs.JR., TYRIC LEBEAUF, CB #22

Coming in as one of the biggest question marks before the season, Tyric LeBeauf has certainly become an exclamation mark for the Broncos! LeBeauf definitely has the “ball-hawking” quality you’d like in any corner back with this team leading 3 interceptions. LeBeauf even has a nose for the end zone taking his first INT of the season back 99-yards for a pick six. This week the Broncos face a dynamic, explosive, passing attack and if they want to win LeBeauf will need to be on his “A” game.

JR., HANK BACHMEIER, QB #19

Now if you’ve followed along with Rev’s Rundown for any length of time you realize that the quarterback is rarely featured as a Player to Watch because let’s face it, he’s watched every week regardless. But this week will be a big week for Hank. It came out this week that Hank is in charge of calling the protections for the offensive line, so if there is a defender who gets a free run at him it's usually his fault because he didn’t adjust the offensive line accordingly. Also this week, Offensive Coordinator said that the Nevada defense does a good job disguising what they do pre-snap so you’re not always sure who is going to be blitzing the QB. Bachmeier is going up against a defense that has 10 sacks through three games so he will have to be on the top of his game if he wants to be kept upright on Saturday.

Focus Position Group: Defensive Secondary

Again the secondary is going up against a top passing attack in the Mountain West. Carson Strong is a formidable quarterback that has proven he can play at a high level. Last week the Broncos gave up six pass plays of 15 or more yards in the first half. Time after time it looked like Aggie receivers were just running wide open last Saturday. This week the Wolf Pack will be without one of their leading pass catchers, but they have three or four more that are right behind him that can make plays. The Broncos secondary has been the most reliable part of the defense this year and this week they will go for a major midterm exam. It's up to the Broncos secondary to communicate and execute well if Boise State wants to win this game.

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

Defuse the Bomb

For the second week in a row Boise State will face an explosive offense. Nevada is averaging over 29 points per game and has scored 49 in one of their games. Their passing game is what makes this offense humm, averaging over 350 yards per game through the air. Last week against Utah State, Boise State let up a lot of yards,but kept the Aggies out of the end zone. As much as the “bend don’t break” style of defense works, you can’t allow the other team to gain chunks of yards all at once all the time. Limiting the “chunk” plays, getting after the quarterback and not allowing Strong to sit back there with “all day” to throw will be important for the Broncos this week.

Stampede

Last week it seemed as though the Broncos had turned a corner in the run game. It wasn’t in the traditional way by any means, but it was by far the best rushing output thus far this season. Last week Boise State ran the ball 42 times for 178 yards...by 9 different people, including 54 yards by quarterback Hank Bachmeier. This week the Broncos face a rushing defense that is giving up 187 yards per game on the ground which is third worst in the conference. Running that ball and keeping the defense honest will go a long way in allowing the Broncos offense to be successful.

Focus

Last week head coach Andy Avalos said the Broncos had the best week of preparation that they have had all year. That level of focus and attention to detail showed up last Saturday in the form of a 27-3 win at Utah State. Being focused on the current opponent, having the mindset of just going “1-0” each week and not getting ahead of themselves is most important this week. Nevada is hungry coming off a bye week and a loss so the Broncos have to focus this week and not sleep on the Wolf Pack.

Editorial Note:

It’s homecoming week for Boise State! There’s nothing like hosting a rival for homecoming and Boise State is going all out for this game. They are even debuting a new “reverse retro” style helmet for the first time this season.

Boise State and Nevada are as much of a rival as you can get in college football. Now it’s not one of the rivalries where it's back and forth with which team wins, but every time the Broncos play the Wolf Pack there’s going to be drama. Dating back to the 1970s these two teams have played some epic battles. However, the Wolf Pack have not won in Boise since 1997. That means the last time Nevada beat Boise State on the road, Titanic was the number one movie in the world and Barbie Girl and Mmmbop could be heard on every pop radio station in the country. It's been a long time since Boise State has lost a game to the Wolf Pack at home.

All that being said, this week has all the makings for another great BSU/UNR classic. The Wolf Pack are coming off a bye week and under Jay Norvell are 3-1 in such games. The Broncos are coming off a win and are looking to avenge a rare home loss from two weeks ago. If Boise State's defense can do what they did last week and limit the explosive plays from the ‘Pack and Boise State’s offense can continue attacking with balance, the Broncos have what it takes to win this game.

Call it the “Bronco mystique” or what have you, most Mountain West teams have a mental block when it comes to coming to Boise, playing on “The Blue” and trying to beat the Broncos. This week is no different.

Boise State 35, UNR 24

Rev's Rundown

Rev's Rundown Week Five: Boise State vs University of Nevada-Reno (21)