BOISE, Idaho — For the first time since last fall, the Boise State football team returns to the Blue on Saturday for the Broncos' 2022 Spring Game in front of a live crowd at Albertsons Stadium.
Following its allotted 15 spring football practices, head coach Andy Avalos and the Broncos will debut their 2022 roster at 4 p.m. Eight outgoing Boise State players worked out in front of scouts from 21 NFL teams March 30, leaving opportunities for underrated Broncos to move into starting roles.
Boise State's Hall of Fame Plaza and campus parking lots open at noon Saturday, with Albertsons Stadium's gates set to open for fans at 2:30 p.m. To mimic a live game day environment, players and coaches will stroll around the stadium in the 'Bronco Walk' at 2:40 p.m.
The Broncos will begin warmups at 3:30 p.m., 30 minutes prior to the Spring Game. Parking and admission to Saturday's event is free and fans may go on The Blue after the game.
Bronco Nation can also keep up with all the scores, updates and highlights from Boise State's Spring Game with KTVB's live blog below. The thread features the newest tweets and updates from KTVB's Jay Tust and Will Hall from Albertsons Stadium.
Saturday's Blue and Orange game includes four quarters of competition between the Broncos' offense and defense. Each quarter is slated for eight minutes, with the second quarter featuring a red-zone drill.
Touchdowns, field goals and point-after attempts will score as their usual points -- six, three and one, respectively. During the red-zone drill from the 15-yard line, the offense gets four plays to score for six points. A stop by the defense is also worth six points and forcing the offense to kick a field goal scores one point for the defense.
Turnovers and fourth-down stops are worth three points for Boise State's defense on Saturday. Three-and-outs and sacks score two points for the Broncos' defense and forcing the offense to kick a field goal in the red zone -- outside of the red-zone drill -- is worth four defensive points.
If Boise State rushes for 12 or more yards or completes a pass of 16 yards or more in the Spring Game, the Broncos' offense scores one point.
With the likes of star wide receiver Khalil Shakir, safety Kekaula Kaniho and offensive lineman and two-year starter Jake Stetz moving on from Boise State, KTVB compiled a list of Broncos to watch during Saturday's Spring Game:
OFFENSE:
Taylen Green - Quarterback
Boise State's starting quarterback for 2022 is without question senior Hank Bachmeier. On April 6, Avalos said, "there's things [Hank] is even doing this year that he couldn't do last year," while speaking to the local media.
However, Boise State fans have heard the hype around Green -- a three-star recruit from Lewisville, Texas -- and Bronco Nation could get a glimpse of their future signal caller on Saturday.
The lengthy second-year freshman threw passes during Boise State's Pro Day, impressing the NFL-bound Shakir with his strong arm.
Stefan Cobbs - Wide receiver
The fifth-year senior is slated to be Boise State's go-to-guy at wide receiver on the heels of Shakir's departure. Cobbs -- a fifth-year senior out of Fort Worth, Texas -- compiled 34 catches, 421 yards and five touchdowns in 2021.
The only entirely healthy position group going into Boise State spring football was the wide receivers unit. We’ll see if the rest of the Broncos offense is healthy enough to get these guys the ball on Saturday in the Spring Game.
George Holani - Running back
First-year Boise State running backs coach Keith Bhonapha has raved about Holani since he arrived on campus this offseason. Holani burst on the scene in 2019, totaling 1,014 rushing yards.
In 2020, Holani appeared in just three games, before rushing for 569 yards and one touchdown on 119 carries in nine games played. When healthy, Holani is a top-tier back in the Mountain West.
The California native is expected to be Boise State's workhorse running back in 2022, but Holani may not see an overwhelming amount of touches on Saturday after returning to spring football practices at full strength.
Avalos said the Broncos already know what they have in the backfield with Holani and scrimmage touches may not be required for him ahead of fall camp.
"We're tremendously grateful, even for his growth, the offense is different when he's on the field," Boise State head coach Andy Avalos said on Holani.
DEFENSE:
Caleb Biggers - Cornerback
After Boise State starting cornerback Markel Reed missed part of 2021 due to injury, Bowling Green transfer Caleb Biggers stepped in and ended up leading the corners with 34 tackles.
Biggers earned starting reps on the right side of the Broncos' defense as Reed was still recovering during spring football. After the departure of Jeron Johnson, it will be interesting to see how first-year cornerbacks coach Demario Warren rotates the cornerbacks Saturday.
George Tarlas - Defensive end
The Borah High School graduate was a massive get for Avalos and the Broncos this offseason. George Tarlas racked up 20 career tackles-for-loss, 17 sacks, seven forced fumbles and two interceptions during his time with Weber State.
Boise State was the first program to offer Tarlas after he entered the transfer portal, but the hometown standout also earned offers from San Diego State, Utah Arizona. Saturday will be Tarlas' first appearance on The Blue, with the potential of working his way into a starting or No. 2 role come fall camp.
Seyi Oladipo - Nickelback
With the departure of Boise State's 2021 starting nickelback -- Kekaula Kaniho -- the Broncos' starting nickel spot is wide open. Seyi Oladipo has impressed during Boise State's 15 spring practices and could line up with the starting defense on Saturday.
As a freshman last season, Oladipo earned playing time in 12 games and snagged a pair of interceptions in Boise State's 2021 win over UTEP. The Colorado native totaled eight tackles with a tackle for loss for the Broncos.
Bronco Nation can keep up with all the scores, updates and highlights from Boise State's Spring Game with KTVB's live blog in this article on Saturday. KTVB's live blog with the newest tweets and updates from KTVB's Jay Tust and Will Hall will appear in this article prior to the scrimmage Saturday.
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