BOISE, Idaho — The Boise State football team hits the road for the first time in more than a month, heading to Sin City this week to take on the UNLV Rebels in an inter-divisional conference matchup.
Fresh off a bye week, the undefeated Broncos remain ranked Nos. 15 and 16 in the Coaches and Associated Press polls, respectively, and are the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the country.
Boise State (4-0, 1-0 MWC) completed a three-game home stand by beating Air Force 30-19 on Sept. 20. Saturday's game will be the team's first true road game since the season-opener against Florida State.
Coach Bryan Harsin said at this press conference on Monday that his team used the week off to focus on better preparation for games and to clean up some recurring issues on the field. He pointed out that their undefeated record can be misleading, and he used an interesting analogy to illustrate his point.
"It's like deodorant, right? It covers up the stuff that stinks and that's exactly it, because there's a bunch of things that stink and if you don't correct them or address them, then they're going to come back at you," he said.
Harsin indicated that the issue boils down to players not holding up Boise State's high standards when it comes to preparation.
"We need to prepare as a team a whole lot better," he said. “Guys need to come in here and study, and older guys need to teach younger guys how to do that.”
Meanwhile, UNLV (1-3, 0-1 MWC) is coming off a 53-17 beatdown at the hands of Wyoming in Laramie last weekend. In that game, the Rebels allowed the Cowboys to put up almost 500 yards of total offense, including 374 rushing yards.
The Rebels are now dealing with injuries to two key players - quarterback Armani Rogers and running back Charles Williams - that could put a damper on the team's chances of upsetting the 24-point favorite Broncos. Both players exited the Wyoming game with sprained knees in the second quarter, but are expected to play this weekend. However, it's not yet clear how much playing time they will see.
UNLV coach Tony Sanchez said the duo was cleared to practice, although he does have backup QB Kenyon Oblad sharing first-team reps with Rogers this week. If Williams is limited this weekend, it could hurt the Rebels in a big way. Harsin said the tailback - who is averaging 8.6 yards per carry - is "one of the best we'll see all season long."
GAME INFORMATION
Boise State at UNLV
- Saturday, Oct. 5
- Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
- Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. MT
- Weather at kickoff: Clear skies, 78 degrees
ON TV
The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor and Jenny Dell), which can be found on the following channels:
- Sparklight (formerly Cable One): Channel 139 / 1139 (HD)
- DirecTV: Channel 221
- Dish Network: Channel 158
- Cox: Channel 234
ON THE RADIO
Fans can listen to the game on the Bronco Radio Network (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender), which can be found online or on the following stations in the Boise area:
- KBOI 670 AM in Boise
- KTIK 93.1 FM in Boise
- KDZY 98.3 FM in McCall
- KSNQ 98.3 FM in Twin Falls
Here is a list of Bronco Radio Network stations outside the Boise area.
BRONCO ROUNDUP GAMEDAY
KTVB's Bronco Roundup Gameday show will be live from Sam Boyd Stadium before the game from 7 to 8 p.m. on KTVB, KTVB.COM, and in the Bronco Roundup app.
Join Jay Tust and Will Hall for a live look at all of the major storylines surrounding this conference matchup. Also, make sure to check out KTVB's YouTube Channel for highlights from the Bronco Roundup Gameday show during the game.
Watch more Boise State Football:
See them all in our YouTube Playlist:
TOP TACKLER OUT FOR SEASON
UNLV won't be the only team on the field this Saturday working to overcome the injury bug. Harsin confirmed on Monday that the Broncos' leading tackler, sophomore linebacker Ezekiel Noa, suffered a torn ACL in the win against Air Force.
Noa had surgery to repair the ligament this week, but will miss the rest of the season.
That leaves an opportunity for someone else to step up at the MIKE linebacker spot. Atop the depth chart is junior Benton Wickersham, a former walk-on. Harsin said guys like Wickersham, as well as Bruno DeRose, DJ Schramm, Brandon Hawkins and Phillip Mills have to be ready to go.
"Now it's their chance to carry the flag," he said. "They're going to get more reps and they're going to be in the game plan more. Unfortunately, someone goes down and now as one of those backup guys... they've got to be ready to go.
"That position already has some depth issues," Harsin added. "I mean those guys are going to have to play."
There was some good news this week on the injury front: Safety DeAndre Pierce and right tackle John Ojukwu are close to returning to Boise State’s lineup. Both were injured in the season-opening win against Florida State.
Harsin said the bye week was helpful to both players, though, and they’re now practicing again “in controlled conditions.”
If they don't return this week, it's very likely they'll be back for next week's home game against Hawai'i.
“I don’t think they’re pain-free, but I know they want to play,” Harsin said.
POLL POSITION
The Broncos held steady this week in the national rankings, staying at No. 15 in the Amway Coaches Poll and at No. 16 in the USA Today Top 25. They are currently the top-ranked Group of 5 team competing for a bid to one of the New Years Six bowl games at the end of the season.
KTVB sports analyst Tom Scott explains in his Scott Slant column how the G5 competition is heating up between the Mountain West and American Athletic conferences:
"It’s too early to be booking Cotton Bowl travel packages. Boise State, staying at No. 16 in AP and No. 15 in the Coaches Poll this week, has to keep takin’ care of business, with two or three American conference teams breathing down its neck. UCF is instantly resurgent after toying with UConn in a 56-21 win on Saturday—the Knights are ranked Nos. 18 and 19. The polls disagree on the other AAC team, with AP opting for SMU at No. 24 and the coaches choosing Memphis at No. 23. Marshall did the Broncos no favors Saturday, getting whacked at home by Cincinnati 52-14. But Pitt didn’t help UCF’s cause as it struggled past Delaware, an FCS team, 17-14. The Knights play at Cincy this Friday night."
BRONCOS-REBELS SERIES
Boise State holds a 7-3 all-time lead in the series with UNLV that dates back to 1972. The Broncos have won each of the last five meetings, with the last loss happening way back in 1976. Boise State is 4-0 against the Rebels since 2011 when the teams became league rivals. The last game played between the teams in Sam Boyd Stadium was a 55-27 Broncos win in 2015.
Boise State's all-time record against UNLV:
- Nov. 18, 2016 - W - 42-25 (Boise)
- Oct. 31, 2015 - W - 55-27 (Las Vegas)
- Oct. 20, 2012 - W - 32 - 7 (Boise)
- Nov. 5, 2011 - W - 48 - 21 (Las Vegas)
- Sept. 24, 1977 - W - 45-14 (Boise)
- Nov. 6, 1976 - L - 31-26 (Las Vegas)
- Oct. 18, 1975 - W - 34-21 (Boise)
- Oct. 19, 1974 - L - 37-35 (Las Vegas)
- Oct. 13, 1973 - L - 24-19 (Las Vegas)
- Sept. 16, 1972 - W - 36-16 (Boise)
