Game Day Guide: Boise State opens much-anticipated season at Georgia Southern
Boise State embarks on big dreams Saturday surrounded by heightened expectations and Heisman hype. Here's everything Bronco Nation needs to know ahead of kickoff.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
An offseason of heightened expectations, Heisman hype and excitement surrounding the expanded College Football Playoff comes to a screeching halt for the Boise State football team this weekend.
The Broncos kick off the highly-anticipated 2024 season at 2 p.m. MT Saturday against Georgia Southern in Statesboro, seeking their first season-opening win since 2020. The contest will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
Saturday's affair marks several firsts for Boise State – its first matchup with the Eagles, the start of Spencer Danielson's first full season as head coach, the first trip to Georgia since 2014 and Bronco Nation's first look at several talented transfers that helped spark eight months of anticipation.
Boise State sits three spots out of the preseason Associated Press Top 25 and is the highest ranked Group of Five team in the ESPN power index. The Broncos were picked to win a conference or division title for the 17th-straight season in July, which includes all 14 years in the Mountain West.
Georgia Southern enters its third season under head coach Clay Helton, who touts a history-making accomplishment alongside Danielson as the only two interim leaders to reach a conference championship game. Helton led USC to the Pac-12 title bout in 2015.
"Going out to play Georgia Southern, I mean, Clay Helton, I think the world of. I know our whole staff does," Danielson said. "He's coached at an extremely high level everywhere he's been. He's a phenomenal offensive mind as well as a head coach."
While the focus is week-by-week for Danielson and Co., Boise State has an opportunity to boost its confidence and work out kinks ahead of a trip to Autzen Stadium to face No. 3 Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 7.
The Eagles have gone 6-7 in each of the past two seasons, falling in the Myrtle Beach Bowl last fall and the Camellia Bowl in 2022. Georgia Southern had nine players earn preseason All-Sun Belt Conference honors, with five representatives on the first team.
The first-team honorees includes fifth-year running back Jalen White, who turned 160 carries into 889 yards and nine rushing touchdowns last season. Also returning to the backfield this fall is OJ Arnold, a junior with 411 yards and four scores on the ground in 2023.
"They have a tailback in 25 that'll be one of the best tailbacks we see," Danielson said. "They've got number 22, can do it as well. JC French, the starting quarterback, number 12, he played last year as well, and he can run. He can make all the throws … It's an offense that is going to create a lot of confusion with a lot of different motion adjustments, formations, to put defense in conflict, and they have the guys to do it."
Georgia Southern has won 16 of its past 17 home openers and went 5-1 in Statesboro last year. Helton is 7-1 in season openers and the Eagles have a 214-49 all-time record at Allen E. Paulson Stadium.
"The crowd noise, the hostile environment they create down there is going to be something that we have to make sure we're ready for," Danielson said. "We know the task at hand. We have to find a way to win game one. And Georgia Southern's working their tail off, to do the exact same thing. So, I’m fired up for Saturday at 4 o'clock, and we will be ready."
Scroll down or use the tabs at the top of this article for more information on Saturday's matchup, how to watch and listen to the game, predictions, a stats comparison, players to watch, a breakdown of KTVB's coverage and more.
Game Information Broncos vs. Eagles
Boise State (0-0, 0-0 MWC) vs. Georgia Southern (0-0, 0-0 SBC)
- Saturday, Aug. 31
- Kickoff: 2 p.m. MT
- Channel: ESPNU
- Allen E. Paulson Stadium - Statesboro, Georgia
- Capacity: 25,000
- Weather: High of 89 degrees, mostly sunny with intervals of clouds
How to Watch TV, Radio, Streaming
ON TV
Boise State's season opener against Georgia Southern will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU, available on the following channels:
- Sparklight: Channel 136 / 1136 HD
- DirecTV: Channel 208
- Dish Network: Channel 141
- Cox: Channel 78
The broadcast team at Allen E. Paulson Stadium includes Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst). The Broncos last played on ESPNU in October 2018, falling to San Diego State 19-13 at Albertsons Stadium. Saturday marks Boise State's only 2024 contest on an ESPN network.
ON THE RADIO
Fans can listen to the game on the Bronco Radio Network, with Bob Behler calling play-by-play alongside former Boise State offensive lineman Pete Cavender. Click here to stream the Bronco Radio Network online. The call can also be heard on SiriusXM Channel 385. Radio affiliates are listed below by location:
- Boise: KBOI 670 AM / 93.1 FM
- Idaho Falls: KSPZ 980 AM / 98.7 FM
- McCall: KDZY 98.3 FM
- Pocatello: KSPZ 94.5 FM
- Salmon: KSRA 960 AM
- St. Maries: KOFE 1240 AM
- Twin Falls: KSNQ 98.3 FM
- Baker City: KBKR 1490 AM
- La Grande: KLBM 1450 AM
STREAMING
Saturday's showdown in Statesboro can be streamed online through ESPN+ and the ESPN app, available in Apple, Android and Amazon app stores. The service is only available to subscribers of participating cable and satellite television providers, such as Sparklight, DirecTV and Dish Network.
A majority of popular streaming platforms and services offer the ESPN networks, including Apple TV, DirecTV Stream, Disney+, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV and more. For additional information on streaming ESPN, or to log in with your provider, click here.
Bronco Roundup KTVB in Statesboro
BRONCO ROUNDUP GAME DAY SHOW
Start the 2024 season with KTVB Sports Director Jay Tust on the official TV station for Bronco Nation! A pair of pre-game shows will provide fans with all they need to know ahead of kickoff, live from Allen E. Paulson Stadium at Evans Family Field.
The first Bronco Roundup Game Day Show starts at 9 a.m. MT Saturday on KTVB Channel 7, KTVB.COM, KTVB+ on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, and the KTVB mobile app.
One hour before the game, Tust returns for a second exclusive pre-game show on KTVB's digital platforms. Tune into KTVB.COM, KTVB's YouTube channel, KTVB+ and the KTVB mobile app at 1 p.m. MT Saturday to see the sights and sounds of Statesboro from the sidelines.
Both editions of Bronco Roundup will hit on matchup storylines, players and trends to watch, in-depth analysis with Boise State leaders and more. Saturday afternoon's online program gives fans an up-close look at players and coaches on the field prior to game time.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
KTVB will live stream Boise State's post-game press conference immediately following Saturday's game on KTVB.COM, KTVB's YouTube channel, KTVB+ for Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV and the KTVB mobile app.
Bronco Nation can expect to hear from head coach Spencer Danielson and select players in Georgia. All interviews are posted online following the press conference and will be available to watch on KTVB's digital platforms.
Celebrate the season opener Saturday night with continuing Boise State coverage on KTVB.COM, including an in-depth game recap, extended highlights, game photos, raw interviews and more.
Odds and Predictions Road Favorites
ESPN's Matchup Predictor, generated using ESPN Analytics, gives Boise State a 64.9% chance to start the season 1-0 Saturday afternoon. The Broncos opened as 13-point favorites (-110) on ESPN Bet, with an over/under of 56.5 (-115) on the platform as of Thursday afternoon.
The story is similar across most popular sportsbooks, with a 13-point spread on BetMGM, bet365 and DraftKings, according to VegasInsider. BetRivers and FanDuel favored the blue and orange by 12.5.
Boise State owns an 8-0 all-time record against Sun Belt Conference squads, most recently defeating Troy 56-20 on the road in September 2018. The Broncos have won eight of 10 games on ESPNU between November 2009 and October 2018.
Team Stats 2023 FBS Ranks
Team: Stat Per Game | 2023 FBS Rank:
TOTAL OFFENSE
- Boise State: 436.1 YPG | No. 26
- Georgia Southern: 419.5 YPG | No. 37
SCORING OFFENSE
- Boise State: 32.1 PPG | No. 31
- Georgia Southern: 30.2 PPG | No. 48
RUSHING OFFENSE
- Boise State: 214.9 YPG | No. 6
- Georgia Southern: 117.2 YPG | No. 106
PASSING OFFENSE
- Georgia Southern: 302.2 YPG | No. 13
- Boise State: 221.3 YPG | No. 65
RED ZONE OFFENSE %
- Boise State: 0.887 | No. 33
- Georgia Southern: 0.842 | No. 69
SCOTT SLANT: The keys to the car in Mad Dog’s hands
TOTAL DEFENSE
- Boise State: 385.1 YPG | No. 71
- Georgia Southern: 395.9 YPG | No. 88
SCORING DEFENSE
- Boise State: 25.1 PPG | No. 55
- Georgia Southern: 30.5 PPG | No. 103
RUSHING DEFENSE
- Boise State: 134.8 YPG | No. 38
- Georgia Southern: 161.4 YPG | No. 86
PASSING DEFENSE
- Georgia Southern: 234.5 YPG | No. 80
- Boise State: 250.4 YPG | No. 107
RED ZONE DEFENSE %
- Boise State: 0.813 | No. 45
- Georgia Southern: 0.862 | No. 93
