BOISE, Idaho — Boise State's football team hopes to return to the gridiron this Saturday after a three-week hiatus because of the coronavirus.
Head coach Bryan Harsin talked with the news media Monday afternoon during his weekly press conference and discuss this week’s opponent Wyoming and the challenges the team faces trying to keep healthy.
The Broncos are scheduled to play the Wyoming Cowboys (2-3) in Laramie, Wyo. on Saturday, Dec. 12. Kick off is set for 4 p.m. MT. The game will air on the CBS Sports Network.
"Very confident we'll play this game," Harsin said Monday. "We want to play, Wyoming wants to play. I don't know their whole situation, I know that I feel very confident about where we are, and that's going into Tuesday."
The Broncos are 4-0 in Mountain West Conference play. They trail San Jose State, which is 5-0 on the season. The two teams were scheduled to play a nationally televised game on The Blue on Nov. 28, but it was canceled just five hours before kickoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last Friday’s conference game against UNLV was also canceled due to recommendations from health experts.
This is the last conference game of the season for the Broncos, and must win.
The Cowboys' offense features a high-powered running game led by junior running back Xazavain Valladay, who is averaging nearly six yards per run and just under 100 yards game in five games.
"I think very highly of him, he's one of the best running backs that we've seen in a couple of years, so we got to tackle him," Harsin said.
The top two teams with the highest winning percentage in conference play will face off in Mountain West Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 19. A win in Laramie on Saturday would guarantee the Broncos a spot in the title game.
As for a postseason bowl game, there is now one less option for the Mountain West. The inaugural LA Bowl would have matched a Mountain West team against a Pac-12 opponent on Dec. 30 in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The game was canceled Monday due to COVID-19 concerns.
Harsin says if the Broncos do make it to a bowl game, it will be much different that in years past.
"I think for our guys you want to travel and you want to go play somewhere and have that experience, which it's not going to be the same as a normal bowl game, you not going to go there for three of fours days, you're not going to have that experience," Harsin said.
The Broncos last took the field on Nov. 21 against Hawaii. They came away with a 40-32 victory at Aloha Stadium.
You can watch full press conference below on our YouTube Channel.
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