BOISE, Idaho — Homecoming, Parents & Family Weekend and an Albertsons Stadium sellout. Despite 2022 adversity for both programs, Boise State (3-2, 2-0 MW) vs. Fresno State (1-3, 0-0 MW) Saturday night on The Blue is shaping up to be a massive Mountain West showdown.
Saturday's battle for the Milk Can marks the 24th meeting between Boise State and Fresno State. The Broncos hold a 16-7 advantage in the series and have won five of the last seven meeting between the conference opponents.
Boise State rides into Saturday's matchup with immense momentum, after the new-look Broncos scored 35 unanswered points to defeat San Diego State. In his debut as Boise State's offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter used the three-headed monster of Taylen Green, George Holani and Ashton Jeanty to tally 316 rushing yards against the Aztecs.
Fresno State suffered its third-straight loss last week at the hands of Jim Mora and UConn. After dominating Cal Poly Sept. 1, the Bulldogs fell to Oregon State on a last-second score and lost to No. 7 USC in Los Angeles 45-17.
According to 247Sports publisher Jackson Moore, Fresno State head coach confirmed the Bulldogs will be without star quarterback Jake Haener in the City of Trees Saturday. Haener's high-ankle sprain also held him out of last week's contest again UConn.
Boise State's defense only allowed 26 net yards on 37 plays over the final three quarters against the Aztecs, totaling a whopping 0.7 yards per play on offense for San Diego State.
Kickoff for Saturday's game was pushed from 7:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. MT. The contest will air on Fox Sports 2 until the conclusion of Air Force vs. Utah State on Fox Sports 1.
Bronco Nation's vocal south end zone crowd contributed to seven San Diego State false starts last week and could pay dividends Saturday for Boise State's red-hot defense against the Bulldogs' backup quarterback Logan Fife.
“We have played there quite a few times, and it is a very difficult place to play. It is very noisy there. San Diego State jumped offsides seven times last week, and I think the pervious team had five," Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford said. "Their fans are very into it, so we are going to have to manage the crowd noise and be poised with that. They do an excellent job. They have a tough place to play.”
As the 'Official Station of Bronco Nation,' fans can keep up with the score, updates and highlights from Saturday's game with KTVB's Game Tracker and live blog.
Scroll down to find KTVB's Game Tracker, which includes a real-time scoreboard and live blog with the latest tweets and updates from KTVB Sports Director Jay Tust, KTVB sports reporter Brady Frederick and Boise State football.
KTVB will have two pre-game shows Saturday ahead of Boise State's matchup with Fresno State. Before action gets underway on The Blue, join Jay Tust and Brady Frederick for an inside scoop on storylines surrounding the Mountain West battle.
The first Bronco Roundup Game Day Show will be live on KTVB Channel 7, KTVB.COM, KTVB+ on Roku and Amazon Fire TV and the KTVB mobile app on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. MT.
The second, commercial-free Bronco Roundup Game Day Show from inside Albertsons Stadium will be live on KTVB.COM, KTVB+ on Roku and Amazon Fire TV, the KTVB mobile app and KTVB's YouTube channel on Saturday from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. MT.
The exclusive pre-game show will feature interviews and updates live from the sidelines at Albertsons Stadium, getting Bronco Nation prepared for Boise State's sixth contest of the season.
KTVB will live stream Saturday's post-game press conference on KTVB.COM, the KTVB YouTube channel, and the KTVB mobile app.
Interviews with Boise State head coach Andy Avalos and players will be posted online soon after the press conference ends, so Bronco Nation can watch the press conference whenever and wherever they want.
Stay tuned to KTVB.COM after the game for a recap, highlights and comments from Boise State's Mountain West showdown with Fresno State.
STATS COMPARISON
Total offense: YPG (FBS rank)
- Boise State: 316.6 (112th)
- Fresno State: 412.8 (65th)
Passing offense:
- Boise State: 157.2 (118th)
- Fresno State: 287.8 (29th)
Rushing offense:
- Boise State: 159.4 (t-66th)
- Fresno State: 125 (102nd)
Red zone offense:
- Boise State: 82.4% (t-75th)
- Fresno State: 70.6% (199th)
Total defense: YPG (FBS rank)
- Boise State: 236.8 (5th)
- Fresno State: 386 (80th)
Passing yards allowed:
- Boise State: 134.4 (3rd)
- Fresno State: 211 (50th)
Rushing defense:
- Boise State: 102.4 (27th)
- Fresno State: 175 (102nd)
Red zone defense:
- Boise State: 100% (t-126th)
- Fresno State: 77.8% (t-38th)
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