Boise State at #23 Fresno State

Boise State University (+5) at #23 Fresno State University

Date: Saturday, November 6, 2021
Time: 5:00pm MT
Stadium: Bulldog Stadium (40,727)
TV:CBS SportsNetwork
TV Commentators: John Sadak, Aaron Murry, and Lindsay Rhodes
Radio: KBOI 670 AM
Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

 Know Thy Enemy

Taylor Swift sums up the feelings of this week with “Baby now we got bad blood”  as the boys who “Bleed Blue” face Victor E.,the “Red Wave”  and the Pride of the Valley in a battle for the “Milk Can” on Saturday night. 

Fresno State has had quite the successful season in 2021 heading into this week’s matchup with Boise State ranked #23 in the CFP poll after beating a ranked San Diego State team  last Saturday. The Bulldogs are 7-2 (4-1) with a close loss at Oregon by just 7 points and a statement win against UCLA. Their lone conference loss came when they stubbed their toe and failed the “Hawaii Test” falling to the Rainbow Warriors 24-27 on the island. 

Fresno State’s potent offensive attack is all about balance, like a great orchestra, not one section is overpowering another. The offense is orchestrated by quarterback Jake Haener. Boise State’s coaching staff had very kind words to say about Haener, saying they, “Think the world of him,” and “He’s extremely efficient. His accuracy and arm strength and the windows he can throw from[is very impressive].” Haener certainly is having a great season, but he is also surrounded with some pretty special players. Both Bulldog running backs Ronnie Rivers and Jordan Mims, who have been around forever, are capable of explosive runs if allowed. Receiver Jalen Cropper is also part of this relentless attack averaging close to 75 yards per game. Cropper opened up the season scoring a touchdown in seven straight games for the Bulldogs. This Fresno Offense is currently ranked in the top 2 in the Mountain West in scoring, total offense and passing offense. 

On Defense, the Bulldogs have the great ability to get the opposing offense to get “behind the chains.” Right now the Bulldogs have 69 tackles for loss on the season which ranks them top in the nation. The Bulldogs have had seven or more tackles for loss in seven of their nine games. In comparison the Broncos defense has only reached that mark once this season. Like most teams the Bulldogs have playmakers on every level of the defense from defensive lineman Kevin Atkins and David Perales to old friend and linebacker Tyson Maeva to Evan Williams on the backend. 

Fresno State is coached by Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer is in his second season as head coach of the Bulldogs. DeBoer was the offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs in 2017 and 2018. Fresno State isn’t DeBoer's first time as a head coach, he led the Sioux Falls Cougars to five NAIA Semifinals and four Championship from 2005 to 2009 where he posted an overall record of 67-3. Since taking over at Fresno State DeBoer has led the team to a 10-5 record.

Boise State and Fresno State’s rivalry dates all the way back to 1977 with Fresno State beating the Broncos 42-7 in the first ever meeting between the schools. They would meet two more times before the turn of the century with the Bulldogs beating the Broncos both times. It wasn’t until 2001 when the BSU-FSU rivalry really kicked into high gear when the teams started to meet annually. The teams played annually up until 2015 when the Mountain West went to a two-division rotating schedule.Both teams have battled it out 22 times over the years with the Broncos having the advantage in the battle for the “Milk Can” 15-7. Fresno State has had better luck beating the Broncos at home winning 6 of those games as opposed to just once on the Road. 

 

What Happened Last Time

The last time these two programs went toe-to-toe was way back in 2018. In fact in 2018 they didn’t just play once, but twice! Once during the regular season and once in the Mountain West Championship game. Both games were in Boise and both games were tough slugfests. 

In part one of Bulldog-Broncos, Boise State welcomed in a #16 rank Fresno team who was 8-1 on the season and 5-0 in conference. Boise State had a difficult time getting anything going on offense on that November night, scoring just 3 points by halftime. The Fresno State defense was ranked No.2 in the country in scoring and had only given up three touchdowns in Mountain West Play. The Bulldogs would extend their lead to 17-3 on a 1-Yard run by Ronnie Rivers on their first drive of the second half. Boise State would come storming back scoring on their next possession on a 12-play 70 yard drive on a 7-yard run by Alexander Mattison. Boise State would then force a three-and-out on defense which allowed the Broncos offense to score the game-tying touchdown on another touchdown run by Mattison early in the fourth quarter. 

Boise State would hold the Bulldogs scoreless in the fourth quarter and would take the lead for good on a 49-yard strike to FRESHMAN Kahlil Shakir for the touchdown! Boise State would send the Bulldogs back to the dog house 24-17. 

Just three weeks later, The Bulldogs would come back to Boise again, but this time for all the marbles. After losing to the Broncos on Nov. 9th, Fresno State would win their next two games to set up the rematch. On a rainy Saturday evening that would turn into a snowy Saturday night, it was hard for either team to get any offense going. Fresno State would strike first capitalizing on a Brett Rypien fumble deep in Boise State territory, with a 3-play 20 yard drive capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Marcus McMaryion to Michiah Quick. Boise State would answer right back on a long 15-play 75-yard touchdown with Rypien hitting Sean Modster on a 10-yard pass. 

Fresno State would build a 10-7 halftime lead and then extend that lead to 13-7 early in the third. Boise State’s offense struggled to find it’s grip in the snow as they weren’t able to find the enzond until midway through the 4th when Alexander Mattison broke off a 34-yard touchdown run. Boise State, with a chance to take the lead would have their ensuing PAT blocked by Fresno State’s Matt Boetang to keep the game tied at 13. Both defense’s would put the clamps on for the rest of the fourth quarter not allowing either offense to do much, forcing overtime. 

In overtime Boise State would get the ball first and would get all the way down to the 6-yard line before having to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Haden Hoggarth to take the lead 16-13. On the change of possession, Fresno State would march right down to the 1-yard line of Boise State before Ronnie Rivers took a pitch from McMaryion and would run it in for a touchdown and a 19-16 win for the Bulldogs. 

Players to Watch 

FRESNO STATE

SR., JAKE HAENER, QB #9 

Quarterback and team captain Jake Haener has had one heck of a season. The senior is fresh off his 10th career 300-yard passing game this week and his sixth 300-yard performance of the year. Haener can do it all and has the ability to make all the throws and fit the ball into very tight windows. After throwing four interceptions against Hawaii, Haener hasn’t thrown one in the last three games and has thrown for 5 touchdowns during that stretch. On the season Haener has 23 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. 

JR., JALEN CROPPER, WR #5

Cropper's status for Saturday is still uncertain, but FSU offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said he was confident that Cropper would be able to play. If Cropper does play that will be a huge lift to the Bulldogs as Cropper is their leading receiver by leaps and bounds. The former Buchanan High standout is the Bulldogs most targeted receiver by a large margin with 86 passes thrown his direction and obviously a key component in an offense that ranks second in the conference in passing and scoring. Cropper has caught 61 passes for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns, the most in the conference and tied for second in the nation. 

SR., TYSON MAEVA, LB #58

OLD FRIEND ALERT! The captain Tyson Maeva is set to face his former team on Saturday. Maeva played for the Broncos from 2016-2018. Maeva has made an immediate impact on the Bulldogs defense with his 41 tackles, which is second on the team. Maeva’s leadership and experience has benefited a youthful linebacking group. Maeva was asking about playing his former team this year and he said, “Of course, I have to look forward to Boise. I have a lot of friends that still go there...It’ll be good to see them, but once the whistle blows, it’s time for a rivalry game.” 

BOISE STATE 

Rs.SR., TYREQUE JONES, S #21

Tyreque Jones has become a fan favorite this past season. Whether it's his distinct old school “no gloves” look or his old school “downhill” type play, Jones has been a solid player for the Broncos. Last week against  Colorado State Jones made a season high 10 tackles, which also led the team. This season he also has six pass breakups along with one interception. With Boise State facing a dynamic offense on Saturday, Jones will have to do his part in helping the defense. 

Rs.JR., DEMITRI WASHINGTON, EDGE #38

Washington, the redshirt junior from Solana Beach, CA was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school. Many thought that Washington could become the next great pass rusher at Boise State. Defensive Coordinator Spencer Danielson certainly thinks highly of Washington as he has said, “The sky's the limit for that kid,” and “one of the strongest guys on our team and one of the most explosive guys on our team.” Washington is coming off of a season-ending knee injury from last season, which has sidetracked his development. Last week against Colorado State was one of his best games of the season accounting for seven tackles. Washington is still looking for that breakout type game and this week just might be the right time for that to happen.

Rs.JR., TYNEIL HOPPER, TE #88

Everyone was excited for Tyneil Hopper last Saturday after he caught the long 51-yard pass and broke a tackle to take it to the house for the touchdown. Hopper the junior out of Georgia is usually in as more of a blocking tight end than a receiving one, but Hopper made the most of his opportunity last Saturday. Hopper has also had a catch in each of the last four games. With Fresno State keying on some of the other receivers that the Broncos have, Hopper might get his number called a few times this week. 

Focus Position Group: Wide Receivers

Boise State has had some really great groups of receivers over the years and the 2021 group has been pretty good as well. Through seven games the Broncos have three receivers that all have more than 27 catches and multiple touchdowns. On one hand you have King Khalil that can do it all with 49 catches and 4 touchdowns and then you have both Octavious Evans who is having a strong season and then Stefan Cobbs who is breaking out this year with his 27 catches and five touchdowns. Last week Boise State got all three receivers involved in the run game as well with the group getting 71 yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown. 

This week Boise State faces another tough task in Fresno State. However if they have one weakness, which isn’t very weak, it’s in their pass defense. Shakier, Evans, and Cobbs will have to make an impact on this game if the Broncos want to win. 

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. SHAK ATTACK

Boise State has a one of a kind player and his name is Khalil Shakir. “Shak” as they call him is arguably the most dynamic playmaker Boise State has ever seen. Last week against Colorado State Shakir had nine catches and seven rushing attempts. Shakir touched the ball 16 times out of 81 offensive plays that Boise State ran. That means close to %20 of the offense went though Shakir. In games that Boise State wins, “The King of Catch” is getting 10.25 touches compared to just 6.5 when they lose. If Boise State wants to go on the road and win another big time game they have to get the ball to #2 early and often. A minimum of 10 times would suffice. 

2. BOMB THREAT

Boise State keeps a tally of how many explosive plays that their opponents have had during the season. For Boise State, explosive plays are defined as runs of 12-plus yards and passes of 15-plus. This season Boise State has given up 74 of these types of plays. Boise State has given up 10 or more explosive plays five times already this season. This week Boise State faces an offense that is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 35 points per game. The Bulldogs also can score quickly, having 10 touchdown drives that have been scored in less than 1:00. Boise State is dealing with a ticking time bomb in the Bulldogs offense. Boise State will have to tighten up and not allow Haener and company to explode on Saturday. Boise State needs to keep the Bulldogs to five or less of these explosive plays come Saturday.

3. BE THE HAMMER

Last week Boise State fell behind 13 to 0 before the offense finally came to lifeand outscored the Rams 28-3 the rest of the way. The difference in the game was the fact that Boise State’s defense only gave up one red zone touchdown. Boise State can’t afford to have another slow start this week if they want to keep up with the Bulldogs. The Broncos are more than capable of starting fast, scoring 10 or more points in the first quarter 5 times this season. Boise State needs to be the hammer and not the nail on Saturday if they want to come out with the “Can.”

Editor Note: 

Again we find ourselves at a crossroads. The Broncos c0me from behind and win against a team they have never lost to in Colorado State. Which I suppose is cool in it’s own right. However, the offense looked mediocre at best in the first half and couldn’t get anything going. That first half made the game so aggravating for me I couldn’t shake it and appreciate the domination after halftime.  Which brings me to the crossroad. The Broncos have played .500 football all season long, loss, win, loss, win, loss, win, loss, win. So can the Broncos finally put two weeks together and get on a winning streak? Can they show any sort of progress in fixing their consistency issues? Or are we in for another letdown?

The only glimpse of hope that I see is the fact that this game is on the road. Boise State this season is 1-3 at home and 3-1 on the road. Before 2021, Boise State had only lost 9, count them, 9 games at home. You have to go back to the late 90’s and earlier to find home-road splits that are close to even. But even then Boise State has never won more away games than they did home games. For some reason this team loves playing on the road. Maybe it's a focus thing, maybe it’s a comradery thing, maybe it’s less pressure to not have to “protect the blue.” I don’t know, but it's evident that this team plays better away from Albertsons Stadium. Which is good, I guess, because this week the Broncos are yet again on the road facing a tall task in Fresno State. The atmosphere will be eclectic with Bulldog Stadium expecting a sell out of more than 41,000 rabid fans. Fresno State is 4-0 at home. In their non conference they absolutely blew out their two opponents by 45-plus. However, their two conference games have been different. They only managed to beat UNLV by 8 and then only beat Nevad by 2. Which could be the sliver of hope the Broncos need.

If Boise State can prepare like they have shown they can and play sound football, this game has all the makings for another solid win for the Broncos. I know I said last week that I wasn’t going to predict the outcomes the rest of the season, and I still hesitate because this team is more all over the place than a shotgun blast, but predictions is what this business is all about. 

Hank slings it all around, Holani gets unleashed and the defense turns over the Bulldogs three times. 

Broncos 38, Bulldogs 27