CFB: BOISE STATE (3-4, 2-1) (-5) VS UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING (5-2, 2-1)

 

Boise State University (-5) vs University of Wyoming 

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023

Time: 3:30pm MT

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

TV:FS2

TV Commentators: Eric Collins and  Devin Gardner

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

 Know Thy Enemy

With the bye week behind them, the Broncos turn their attention to the Cowboys of Wyoming! It’s the classic battle of man versus beast! Who will come out on top? If the Broncos want to salvage this season they’ll have to do it in a hurry and it starts this week against the University of Wyoming.

 Wyoming and Boise State come into this game sitting in a three-way tie for third place in the Mountain West standings. Wyoming was cruising through conference play, winning games against New Mexico and Fresno State, but then two weeks ago, they let a 14-point lead disappear in a 34-27 loss to Air Force. 

There are three things that are guaranteed in this life, death, taxes and a Cragin Bohl coached team running  a “pro-style” offense. The Cowboys aren’t going to “wow” you on offense, but they do just enough to win games. Right now the Cowboys are actually near the bottom of the conference in most of the offensive categories. They are 8th in rushing offense, 11th in both passing offense and total offense, and then 10th in the Mountain West in scoring offense. Harrison Waylee is their top runner and is hopeful to give it a go on Saturday after being dinged up earlier this season. Andrew Peasley, their quarterback, has proved he is efficient with the football, throwing for 12 touchdowns and just 2 INTs on the year. He’s also riding a bit of a hot-streak, throwing seven touchdowns and zero picks in the last three games.  

The defense is really the Hallmark of this Wyoming team. Unlike the offense, the defense is near the top of the Mountain West. They rank 2nd in passing defense and 3rd in both total defense and scoring defense giving up just 25.5 points per game. The one chink in this armor would be their rush defense. They currently rank 7th in the Mountain West rushing defense. Linebackers Easton Gibbs and Shae Suiaunoa are the mainstays on this defense leading the team with 63 and 53 tackles respectively.

 

Wyoming is coached by Craig Bohl. Bohl is in his 10th season leading the University of Wyoming Football program. Bohl is 57-58 overall. Prior to coaching the Cowboys, Bohl was the head coach of FCS juggernaut North Dakota State Bison for 11 seasons. In those 11 seasons Bohl coached the team to three straight FCS Championships. 

Saturday is the 18th time these two teams have met on the football field. And like most conference opponents, the Broncos are running away in this series winning 16 of the 17 matchups. The lone Wyoming win came in 2016 when the Cowboys pulled off a 30-28 win in Laramie.  This series has become tighter in the last four meetings with three of these games decided by one possession. 

What Happened Last Time

 Two interceptions from JL Skinner in the final two minutes of the game helped the Boise State football team rally past Wyoming 20-17 at War Memorial Stadium. 

Boise State amassed 285 yards of total offense in the first half but was held to three field goal attempts. Junior kicker Jonah Dalmas connected on 22 and 47-yard attempts during the second quarter, closing the Cowboys' lead to four at the intermission.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Taylen Green found the end zone on a 5-yard run during Boise State's opening possession of the second half for the Broncos' first touchdown of the evening. The score capped off a nine-play 80-yard drive which included 65 yards on the ground between Green, redshirt junior running back George Holani and freshman running back Ashton Jeanty.

Boise State inherited the ball trailing 17-13 with 13:32 remaining in the game. The Broncos marched down the field with an 11-play, 78-yard drive capped by a 38-yard touchdown strike to Billy Bowens to reclaim the lead with under eight minutes on the clock.

Trailing late in the game, Wyoming's Jayden Clemons looked to the middle of the field on third-and-10 where he was picked off by Skinner with the clock showing 1:48. After a George Holani fumble on the ensuing Bronco possession returned the ball to the Cowboys inside Boise State territory, Skinner intercepted Clemons for a second time in the back of the end zone, securing the all-important victory.

Players to Watch 

WYOMING

GS., TREYTON WELCH, TE #81

Treyton Welch is looking to continue on his little hot-streak that he’s been on in the last couple of weeks. In the Cowboys last two games, Welch has a combined 9 catches for 112  yards and two touchdowns. In their win against Fresno State Welch really did a number on the Bulldogs secondary and was the leading receiver that game. 

JR.,EASTON GIBBS, LB #28

Easton Gibbs is making his case for Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. He currently leads the defense in tackles with 63 total tackles. Over the course of the first seven games, Gibbs has no less than six tackles and has posted double-digit numbers in three games including 12 tackles in their last game against Air Force. 

JR.,HARRISON WAYLEE, RB #4

Harrison Waylee joined the Wyoming football program as a proven FBS running back, transferring to UW from Northern Illinois. He’s a back that will carry the rock a lot, averaging 18.75 carries per game. He’s been banged up a little bit and missed the game against Air Force two weeks ago. Coach Bohl said this week he’s hopeful that Waylee will be out three helping the Cowboys. 

BOISE STATE 

Rs.SO., MARCO NOTARAINNI, LB #53

With the news that DJ Schramm is back on the practice field this week, the playing time decisions just got tougher. Especially for Marco Notarainni who has done an excellent job stepping in for Schramm. Now I don’t think #53’s playing time is in jeopardy because he’s proven that he’s probably Boise State’s best defensive player at the moment. Notrainni will have another tough task at stopping this Wyoming rushing attack again this week. 

Rs.SO., TAYLEN GREEN, QB #10

Taylen Green has had an interesting last couple of games. It all started when Green didn’t finish the UCF game with an apparent cramping situation. Soon after coaches came out and said that they would be imploring the dreaded “2-QB system.” They did assure Bronco Nation that Green was going to be the starter and focal point of the offense, but in the last two games it doesn’t seem like that is the case. In the last two games, Madsen has twice as many pass attempts and has out rushed Green 10 attempts to 7. Green finds himself more on the sidelines than in the huddle these days especially in the fourth quarter. What has this new system done to the psyche of our once highly anticipated QB1? QB1.5? I guess we will find out more on Saturday. 

Rs.SR., GEORGE HOLANI, RB #24

If you read the tea leaves, Boise State should be getting their pre-season RB1 back on the field this week. Holani has been sidelined for all but one game this season with what looked like a lower body injury.  In the one game he did play he was off to a great start rushing the ball 10 times for 51 yards. He also added to receptions for seven yards. Now how much he plays this week is uncertain, but more than likely he will only be out there sparingly. It will be interesting to see how they use him and how productive he is when they call his number. 

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. Back in the Stable

George Holani's return to the football field is getting close and if you read between the lines, it could be this week. If George is able to play it’s obvious that he’s not going to play every snap. It will be important though, that when he is on the field he is productive. Not only because Holani is a productive player, but it will give Wyoming defense another playmaker to keep an eye on. 

2. Finish the Fight

Two weeks ago the loss to Colorado State was downright embarrassing. However, how they lost was probably the most embarrassing thing about it. Being up by 20-points with just over six minutes to play and coming out on the losing end is unacceptable. It’s also been said that three of the four losses are by a combined six points. Turning those L’s to W’s all comes down to finishing the game. Making the key stop or getting the crucial first down to keep the drive alive. Boise State has to finish the fight this week. 

3. Bring the Heat

The forecast says that the high on Saturday will be 46 degrees. Boise State can’t come out cold and expect Bronco Nation to stay focused on the game and not the numbing of their toes. Boise State has to start fast and make some big plays early to keep the pressure on Wyoming. 

Revs Rant and Prediction

As the seasons change and the weather gets colder, Coach Avalos has his seat warmer on and I don’t mean in his Ford 150. His coaching “hot seat” is getting hotter by the week and his job doesn't get any easier as the Broncos go into a gauntlet of five games, starting with this one against Wyoming. I think the bye week came at a good time for both fans and players. I think both the team and Bronco nation needed a reset and both are ready to finish this season strong. However, this game feels like a “must-win” and if the Broncos lose this game, especially at home, things are not going to end well. This team is in serious jeopardy of not being bowl eligible at the end of the season and that would be catastrophic. 

I think this game is going to be what Boise State’s basketball coach Leon Rice calls a “rock fight.” It’s not going to be high scoring and it could be a quick game with how much each team will rely on the ground game. The Broncos would be foolish not to rely on the best weapon they have in Ashton Jeanty. They have to lean on the young running back and let him dictate the game. Coach Avalos hinted that the team is getting back to full strength which could really be the boost that this is searching for. 

However, Wyoming is also coming off their bye week and has been stewing for over a week about the loss that they let slip away against Air Force. Both teams want to flush disappointing losses and get back to winning football. 

Boise State is really dealing with an identity crisis and there might be too many cooks in the kitchen at this point. Wyoming beats the Broncos on ‘The Blue’ for the first time in history. 

Broncos 21, Wyoming 27