CFB: BOISE STATE (0-2) VS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA (2-0)

 

Boise State University vs University of North Dakota

Date: Saturday, September  16th, 2023 

Time: 10:00 am MT 

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

TV:FS1

Tv Commentators: Eric Collins and Devin Gardner

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

Know Thy Enemy

Are the Broncos on “upset alert?” Well the #13 North Dakota Fighting Hawks would like to think so as the 2-0 University of North Dakota comes to Boise to have breakfast with the Broncos! 

UND, not to be confused with their neighbors 75 miles to the  south, North Dakota State University, is 2-0 for just the second time under head coach Bubba Schweigert and are looking to do damage in the Missouri Valley Conference this year. UND returns five all-conference players from a season ago and were picked to finish third in their conference in the preseason poll. The Hawks have been rolling this season as they rank No. 1 in the FCS in total offense with 545 yards per game. They are No. 2 in scoring offense, scoring 45 points per game and are No. 4 in the nation in passing offense, racking up over 330 yards per game through the air. Leading the charge of this offense is senior quarterback Tommy Schuster. Schuster was responsible for four touchdowns a week ago and has yet to turn the ball over this season. He’s assisted by his favorite target and all-conference receiver, Bo Belquist who is averaging 116 yards per game. As much as this team loves to throw the ball, when they get near the goal line they will line up and play some “big boy” football by running down their opponents throat.  Four different players have accounted for 2 touchdowns each with Gaven Ziebarth leading the way with his 19 attempts for 181 yards. 

On defense the Fighting Hawks have also been impressive, limiting opponents to 388 total yards and 14 points per game through two contests. They have two all-conference returners from a year ago in Defensive Back C.J. Siegel and defensive lineman Ben mcNaboe. They also return a pair of linebackers in Wyatt Pedrigo and Josh Navratil that have combined for 5.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks so far this season.  UND features a blitzing 3-4 scheme that emphasizes putting pressure on the offense and forcing short gains and high amounts of turnovers, believing these to be the pinnacles of a successful football team. A hallmark of Schweigert's defenses is to stop the run and attack the quarterback. He famously noted in the press conference announcing his hiring as head coach at North Dakota that, "We want the opposing quarterback and the quarterback's mother to be the two most uncomfortable people in the building".

The Fighting Hawks are coached by Kyle Frederick “Bubba” Schweigert. Schweigert is in his 10th season as head coach of UND and has an overall record of 78-66. He’s taken North Dakota to the FCS playoffs four times. His team has made it out of the first round twice and have been as far as the quarter final in 2020. Last  year his squad finished 7-5 but lost in the first round of the playoffs. 

This will be the first-ever meeting between North Dakota and Boise State.

The game was agreed upon on July 2, 2021, and replaced Washington on

the schedule for North Dakota. It will be UND's first time playing on the blue turf. It will also be NoDak's first time playing on a different colored playing surface since Sept. 28, 2019, when North Dakota visited Eastern Washington and played on red turf.

What Happened Last Year Time

Saturday will be the first first-ever meeting between these two schools. 

Players to Watch 

NORTH DAKOTA

SR., TOMMY SCHUSTER, QB #2

Tommy Schuster has been calling the shots for the Fighting Hawks for the last three seasons and is hoping to have one of his best years yet. Schuster is one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the FCS and has a passing efficiency rating of 178.5, which comes in at No. 9 in the nation. On the season, Schuster is 43-for-56 for 521 yards and four touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception this season. The six-foot signal caller does have some long range limitations, but his decision making and ability to improvise could be a tall task for the Broncos. 

SR., BO BELQUIST, WR #1

Belquist is not just #1 on the roster, he’s Schusters #1 target and it's not even close. Belquist has just about double the amount of catches as the next leading receiver and is averaging 70 more yards per game than the next leading receiver. Belquist had the most impressive play of the game in the 55-7 season-opener against Drake, catching a pass from Schuster at the DU 25 and then putting the defense on skates, breaking five tackles on the way to the end zone. His playmaking abilities have not gone unnoticed either as Belquist has been featured as a top-play on both College Football Final and SportsCenter. 

FIFTH YEAR., C.J. SIEGEL, DB #3

Nicknamed “Siegel Island,” C.J. Siegel is UND’s top defender. Entering the 2023 season, Siegel was named a third team preseason All-American by Phil Steele. He garnered acknowledgement from the conference as a Preseason All-MVFC selection as both a defensive back and as a return specialist. Phil Steele also had him as a first teamer as well for both those positions. As a returner Siegel ended last season as the No.1 returner in the MVFC, averaging 29.1 yards per kick return.  

BOISE STATE 

FR., JAMBRES “BREEZY” DUBAR, RB #1

The #1 is usually worn by one of, if not the best player on your team. The fact that a true-freshman dons the number is somewhat of an anomaly. However, if the future is anything like what we saw on Saturday, Dubar should have no problem carrying the weight of that number. Last week against UCF Breezy was thrown into action due to the injury to George Holani. Dubar saw limited action, but had five carries for 29 yards including ripping off a beautiful 24-yard run in the second half. Dubar and Jeanty could be a very lethal 1-2 punch for the Broncos and hopefully we see a lot more of #1 this week against the Hawks. 

Rs.SO., MARCO NOTARAINNI, LB #53

Coming off a season-ending injury in 2022, Notarainni started and played in his fourth game of his college career. And boy did he make the most of it. Notarainni was everywhere last Saturday and finished the night with six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. We aren’t exactly sure why Notarainni got the starting nod over Andrew Simpson, but get used to hearing #53’s name being called because he was a stud last weekend. 

Rs.SR., MARKEL REED, CB #8 

Markel Reed is on a “return to play” plan from the Boise State coaching staff after suffering a season-ending injury in the opening game of last year. Slated at the No.1 Corner, Reed did play in the opener against Washington but only saw action on 7 plays. Last week against UCF he saw a big jump in snaps to 39 which was more than half of the total defensive plays. In those 39 snaps UCF only threw to the receiver Reed was covering one time and the pass was incomplete. You have to think Reed will be tasked to cover Bo Belquist this week and if Reed does his job well you won’t actually hear his name called…unless it’s for a turnover! 

Focus Position Group: Defensive Line

The Broncos seem to be in one of those stages of life where they are looking for the next wave of playmakers on the defensive line. It was well known that this unit would have some big shoes to fill after Scott Matlock went off to the NFL. So far this season the d-line hasn’t really produced like the Broncos need them. Through two games, those not playing the EDGE, Ahmed Hassanein, Herbert Gums, and Braxton Fely have a combined nine total tackles and one tackle for loss. Through two games, Boise State has only produced two sacks as a team. When your pass coverage is struggling you can’t allow the opposing quarterback all day to make decisions and pick apart the defense. Boise State's defensive line has to up their production if the Broncos are going to turn this season around. 

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. Public Enemy #1

Defensively it all comes down to stopping Bo Belquist. UND likes to line him up all over the field, but mainly he will line up in the slot to allow him to get the ball quickly.  The Broncos need to take away Schusters top-target and force him to find other receivers. It’s time that this secondary steps up and does their job. 

2. Butter the Toast

Who doesn’t love toast with their breakfast? Well the Broncos can’t get away from what is their bread and butter this week despite playing an FCS team. In fact, it should be all the more reason to run it down the throat of the UND Fighting Hawks and make them wish they never came to Boise. The Broncos need to feed Jeanty and Dubar and run for at least 300 yards this week. 

3. You Do You 

Broncos Nation is about to push the panic button on the 2023 season, but that can’t be the case for the guys inside of the locker room. Coach Avalos said this week, “We have a good team. We’re gonna have a good season.” Boise State has played two tough games to start the season and obviously they are disappointed with being 0-2. Saturday they play against a team that on paper is playing well, but the Broncos should be able to handle them if they play free and loose and not allow the pressure of getting that first win dictate their play. 

Revs Rant and Prediction: 

As Aaron Rogers said this week, “The night is darkest before the dawn and I will rise again.” Let’s hope this morning kickoff time is the dawn of what's to come for the Broncos this season. 0-2 is definitely not the standard that Boise State has set for themselves when it comes to football success. Everyone that follows college football knows that. Yet here we are for the first time since 2005 staring at a zero in the win column. Yes, Boise State opened the season playing two good football teams, but the fact of the matter is, outside of some individual performances, the team as a whole has not played good football through the first two weeks. The quarterback play has been lacking, the wide receivers couldn’t catch a cold right now,  the defense is giving up way too many yards and it seems like the secondary are better off as Wal-Mart greeters as all they do is say, “hello” as the receiver passes them by. 

I don’t think anyone inside the Bronco locker room thinks that this is the way that they are capable of playing. I too think that this team is capable of way more than what they showed the last two weeks. I don’t think this is an offense that has a cap of 19 points per game. I don’t think this defense should be giving up over 500 yards per game. We’ve just heard too much good for this to be the ceiling. 

I think this week is the week everything gets turned around and the Broncos go on a run. This is a young team who I think needs just a little confidence builder and getting an FCS team at home is just what the doctor ordered. Boise State comes out angry and makes an early statement that they are different than their record shows. 

Broncos 52, Hawks 10