PREVIEW | MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP: BOISE STATE (7-5,6-2) (-3) AT UNLV (9-3, 6-2)

 

Boise State University (-3.5) at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Date: Saturday, December 2nd, 2023

Time: 1:00pm MT

Stadium: Alegent Stadium (65,000)

TV:Fox

TV Commentators: Jason Benetti, Brock Huard & Allison Williams

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

 Know Thy Enemy

VIA LAS VEGAS! The Broncos head to test their luck against the up and coming Rebels of UNLV in the Mountain West title game! Boise State is certainly playing with “house money” as they needed some strokes of luck to even be in the conference title game conversation and then needed a computer generated tie breaker to get into the title game. With a little bit of luck and a lot of heart, these boys in blue are playing their guts out for interim coach Spencer Danielson and they have the chance to totally flip the script on this season's narrative. The only team to stand in their way is the UNLV Rebels. 

The Rebels magical run has been just that, magical. During the tenure of the previous head coach the team won a total of 7 seven games. This year the Rebels are looking for just their second double-digit win season in program history. Even if they didn’t win another game, the 2023 season will have the most wins in a single season since 1974 when they won 12  games. Even further this is the program's first winning season since 2013.   

Offensively, these Rebels are Runnin’. UNLV is the top scoring offense in the conference and 19th in the nation, averaging 35.6 points per game. That total could be much higher if it weren’t for the egg they laid against Michigan where they only mustard up seven points. Since that game they have not scored any less than 24 points and have had over 40 five times.  They are also top-three in the conference in total offense averaging 424 total yards per game on the season. All these stats aren’t possible without the play of their dynamic duo of quarterback Jayden Maiava and wideout Ricky White. The two have connected on  71 passes and seven touchdowns. Ricky White is 6th in the country in receiving yards and receiving yards per game. 

On Defense, the Rebels are like a lot of Mountain West teams. They struggle to keep games from scoring on a week-to-week basis. They give up an average of 25.5 points per game, but outside of a couple of games where they held their opponent to 14 points, they have been scored on quite a bit. In the last two weeks they have given up 32 points per game. On the season the Rebels have been really solid against the run, only giving up an average of 152 yards per game, but the last two weeks have told a different story. Against Air Force and San Jose State the Rebels were gashed for a combined 577 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, every dark cloud has a silver lining. Coach Danielson said this week that they will cause a lot of confusion by  showing you one picture presnap and then a different one after the ball is snapped. They also have a couple of linebackers in Marsel McDuffie and Jackson Woodward that will make a ton of plays. Woodward has over 100 tackles this season and you don’t get to that number without being a good ball player.  

 

UNLV is coached by Barry Odom. Coach Odom is in his first season with the Rebels and what a season it’s been. His 9-wins this season was more than the last coach had in his entire tenure and it’s the most wins by any coach in a single season since Ron Meyer did it in 1974. Odom came to UNLV after spending the last three seasons at Arkansas as their defensive coordinator. Prior to that Odom has spent most of his coaching career at Missouri in various roles, including head coach from 2016-2019. 

Saturday will mark the 12th time these two schools have met in football since 1972. The Broncos and the Rebels played annually from 1972-1977 and the teams split those six games three apiece. The two schools took a 33-year hiatus until 2011 when Boise State joined the Mountain West. Since renewing their matchup, Boise State is 5-0 against the Rebels. This is the first meeting since 2019 and the first ever meeting between the schools for the conference title.  

What Happened Last Time

Boise State was looking for a fast start against UNLV, especially coming off a bye week."The whole mindset coming off the bye was how are we going to start fast," said Boise State coach Bryan Harsin, whose team led 17-0 at halftime.Hank Bachmeier threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns and Khalil Shakir caught seven passes for 111 yards and a TD, John Hightower had four catches for 105 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown. Boise State rode a strong defensive effort to a 38-13 win over UNLV.  

Players to Watch 

UNLV

JR., RICKY WHITE, WR #11

You can’t talk about the UNLV offense without talking about Ricky White. White a transfer from Michigan State is having a stellar year and if it weren’t for our own RB#2 who did win the conference player of the year award, White would probably be the far and away winner. He leads the conference in receiving  yards and is third in the conference in all-purpose yards. This guy is a catching machine. He’s had at least 5 catches in all but three games, and at least 7 catches in seven games. He’s also had seven games of over 100 yards receiving and he went over 150 in five of those. White has been and will be the focal point of the offense on Saturday and it will be up to a Boise State defense whose pass defense has been less than stellar this season.  

SO., MARSEL McDUFFIE, ILB #38

The Rebels have two linebackers who are a must watch and who have to have a big game for UNLV and the first is Marsel McDuffie. The Sophomore out of Grand Prairie, Texas is really playing his best ball at the most opportune time. McDuffie is second on the team in tackles with 77, but it’s been over the last two games that really has vaulted him to the next level. #38 has 27 tackles in the last two games and has led the team in tackles the last two games. Two weeks ago against Air Force he had 15 tackles including 10 solo tackles and then last week against SJSU he tallied a dozen. 

JR., JACKSON WOODARD, LB #7

The other side of that coin is linebacker Jackson Woodard. Woodard came over with his coach from Arkansas. Woodard leads the team in tackles and is currently ranked 5th in the conference and depending on how he plays on Saturday could be as high as second in the conference. Both his coach and Coach Danielson have had high praise for the Junior out of Little Rock. His coach says his “consistency” is what separates him from the rest. Spencer Danielson says, “Makes tackles all over the football field.”   

BOISE STATE 

SO., ASHTON JEANTY, RB #2

How can you not watch AJ2 on any given week? With the uncertainty of the college football landscape we better fix our eyes on the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year for as long as possible. Ashton Jeanty will be the best player on that field at Alegent Stadium on Saturday afternoon bar none. His 1,646 all-purpose yards leads the conference and is more than 300 more yards than the next leading player and he missed 2 games. He’s sixth in the country in all-purpose yards and is second in the nation in yards per game. This kid is special and should have a really special day on Saturday. 

Rs.SO., ANDREW SIMPSON, WLB#10

I said last year that I think Andrew Simpson is going to be a star. Well I think its not too hot of a take to say he’s the best linebacker on the team. The fact that Andrew Simpson keeps making plays with only one poseable hand is wild. Last week against Air Force Simpson had only four tackles but three of those were tackles for loss and he also had a sack. Oh and he also forced a fumble! He was living in the Falcons backfield all afternoon. On the season Simpson is second on the team in both TFL’s and sacks. His 15 tackles for loss is only .5 off the team lead and his 6.5 are double the amount than the third highest. The Broncos put him all over the football field on defense. Coach Danielson had a message for UNLV this week, “Good luck trying to find where #10 is.” 

JR., AHMED HASSANEIN, DE #91

Ahmed Hassanein needs a shirt that reads “Fear the Pharaoh.” The Junior out of Cairo, Egypt has done nothing but terrorize opposing quarterbacks this season. His 12 sacks leads the team and is one off the conference lead. It’s also good enough for sixth in the nation. Ahmed has had at least one sack in eight straight games.  

Focus Position Group: Offensive Line 

I don’t think I’m too biased when I say that this is the best offensive line in the conference. These guys have been opening Grand Canyon type holes for their running backs and giving their quarterbacks all day to throw. They are second in the conference in sacks allowed and they have helped produce the offensive player of the year in Ashton Jeanty. These guys are going to win this game for the Broncos. UNLV has given up a ton of yards on the ground the last few weeks and I wouldn’t be surprised if Boise State rushes for close to 300 yards.

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. Deuces Are Wild

Offensive Coordinator Bush Hamden’s play sheet should simply be: give the ball to #2. Ashton Jeanty has been lights out this season and we know that. Since returning from injury, in the last two weeks he’s put up the following numbers: 188 rushing yards, 141 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. For those keeping score at home that's 329 total yards in just two games. Whether the Broncos hand the ball to him or throw him the ball, Jeanty needs somewhere in that 25-30 touch range if Boise State wants to hoist that trophy. 

2. All Your Chips on Red 11

Ricky White is the best offensive weapon that the Rebels have. If the Rebels want to win they have to get him involved. Conversely, if Boise State wants to win they have to figure out how to stop #11 from beating them. The Broncos have to keep a safety over the top, and double team Mr. White or he’s going to burn this secondary all afternoon. 

3. Ride the Hot Hand

There’s no doubt that these last two weeks have been a remarkable turnaround of effort and energy. The boys are playing inspired football at just the right time. Coach Danielson is pressing all the right buttons right now. If the Broncos want to win all they need to do is to do the same things they’ve been doing the last two weeks. Play Fast. Play Smart. Play Together. 

Revs Rant and Prediction:  

What a ride this 2023 season has been. To think this team is four quarters away from winning the conference title in a 7-5 season that included firing their head coach is remarkable. Saturday will mark the 8th time in 11 seasons that the Broncos have been in the title game and it will be the sixth time in the last seven years. However, the Broncos have only won the tile twice in that stretch and haven’t been “At the Peak” since 2019. Boise State has lost the last two conference championship games they’ve played in and that streak ends this year. 

Coach Danielson has said from the beginning he wants to finish strong for these Seniors. Danielson doesn’t want the 2023 season to be remembered as the year the BSU fired their head coach and had their worst season since the 1990’s. No, he wants the 2023 Broncos to be remembered as champions. Coach Danielson has done such a great job rallying the troops and getting them to buy-in to these final few weeks of the season.

I really firmly believe that the Broncos are going to come out and take care of business on Saturday. Coach Danielson’s message to his team this week was, “You come to Boise State to win championships.” To take a line from AD Jeremiah Dickey, ‘my head, my heart, and my gut’ have aligned and the boys are going to finish the job this year. UNLV has their weaknesses and they are not playing their best football right now and Boise State is. 

The Broncos jump all over the Rebels from the start and never look back

Boise State 41, UNLV 20