The Climb Begins Friday as Boise State Opens MW Play at San Diego State

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State heads to sunny San Diego to open conference play Friday when the Broncos will face San Diego State in the Mountain West opener for both teams.

The game will kickoff at 8:30 p.m. MT/7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (analyst) and Justin Walters (sideline) calling the action. Fans can also listen to the game with Bob Behler (play-by-play) and Pete Cavender (analyst) on the call on the Bronco Radio Network and on SiriusXM Ch. 380.

Opening Kickoff

The climb starts now. Boise State opens Mountain West Conference play Friday evening at San Diego State on CBS Sports Network. While this will be the ninth meeting between the two programs, it is the first time the two teams will open conference play against each other. Speaking of the Mountain West Conference, San Diego State is the ONLY current MW program against which the Broncos do not have a winning record with each team having won four of the eight meetings (4-4, .500).
For the first time in four weeks this season, the Broncos will not face an offense that leads the nation in a major statistical category regardless of level. In the opening week it was Michael Penix Jr and Washington's top-rated pass attack from last season. In the second week UCF brought the country's top-rated rushing attack and second-best total offensive unit. Then the third week saw one of the most prolific offenses in FCS visiting The Blue as North Dakota made its first-ever trip to Boise.
Boise State's defense often leaves opponents feeling blue when they are seeing red. Entering this week's contest, the Broncos have posted a Red Zone Defense that ranks 47th in the country. So far this season BSU opponents have scored 10 times (nine touchdowns, one field goal) in 13 visits with the Broncos forcing three red zone turnovers against UCF.
Boise State has historically been successful against teams from the California Republic, with an 82-38-3 all-time record against pro- grams from the state.
Welcome to Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. Boise State is proud to celebrate the Hispanic heritage of head coach Andy Avalos, one of five Hispanic head coaches in the FBS.

What You Need to Know

The Climb Starts Now
Boise State opens Mountain West Conference play this week and, if history is any indication, that's a good thing for the Broncos. BSU is 59-14 all-time in conference openers and have won their past 23 league debuts as well, a streak that dates back to 1900s. But it's not just the winning, it's how the team has won. Only once in the past 10 league openers as Boise State allowed more than 20 points.
Why You Bringing Up Old Sh--?
Sorry, Smokey, but we need to because the Broncos have a long-standing tradition of playing on a non-traditional day, particularly on Friday. All-time, Boise State has a record of 89-27-3 (.761), showing the day of the week is not a determined factor in Boise State's success. In the modern history of the Broncos (since 1996), BSU has compiled a record of 41-14 (.745). Meanwhile, this week's game is not the first time Boise State and San Diego State will meet on a Friday. The Broncos and Aztecs will meet on a Friday for the third time with each team having prior won a contest.
All By Myself…
Boise State's Ashton Jeanty can truly relate with Eric Carmen and his 1975 hit. That's because he is the only player in the country with 200-plus rushing yards AND 200-plus receiving yards. More than that, Jeanty is the only player in Mountain West Conference history to have 200+ rushing yards and 200+ receiving yards through his team's first three games of a season. Jeanty is the seventh FBS player to do so over the last 25 seasons. See the full list on Page 9.
Run, Run, As Fast As You Can…
Can't catch him, he's the Jeanty-man! Boise State's Ashton Jeanty is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic players in the country as he enters this week's contest ranked sixth in the nation in all-purpose yards per game.
California Dreaming
When Boise State makes the trek down to San Diego this week, it will mark a Homecoming for several Broncos. The Orange and Blue have six players from the San Diego area and another 17 from Southern California. Moreover, there are four coaches on staff that either played or coached (or both) at programs in Southern California.

Scouting San Diego State

San Diego State enters this week's contest with a 2-2 record, having dropped back-to-back contests to a pair of Pac-12 schools (for now).
Brady Hoke is in his second stint as head coach of the Aztecs proving that you can go home again.
By hosting Boise State on Friday, San Diego State will be the only team in the country to have hosted four games through the first five weeks of the season.
San Diego State has one of the best red zone defenses in the nation, ranking 47th in the country and second in the Mountain West.
The Aztecs excel at capitalizing on mistakes, ranking 34th in the country in fumbles recovered.
SDSU leads the country in turnovers gained (10) while ranking 119th in turnovers lost (8). Here's hoping equipment manager Dale Holste packs the Stick 'Em this week.
Expect a low scoring affair. San Diego State ranks 114th nationally and 11th in the Mountain West in scoring offense, averaging 18.8 points per game.
However, to move the ball against the Aztecs it might be wise to consider a ground attack. SDSU ranks 33rd nationally and second in the MW in team pass efficiency defense (112.89).
That defense starts with Cedarious Barfield, the national leader in interceptions (3), while Noah Tumblin (2) follows behind him by ranking eighth nationally.
But wait, there's more! Tumblin also ranks seventh in the country and second in the Mountain West with 1.8 passes defended per game this season.
Sure, San Diego State has a good punter in Jack Browning, whose 43.7 average ranks 28th nationally, but does he also have a cool accent?
With three home games under its belt, the Aztecs are averaging just over 26,000 people per game, or nearly 10,000 fewer per game than its student body enrollment. Boise State is averaging 36,029 fans across two home games.
The Broncos will be the second team from Idaho that the Aztecs will face this season. San Diego State already battled Idaho State on Sept. 2, escaping with a win from the mighty, mighty Bengals (who were 1-10 last year), 36-28. We do not believe a return trip to Pocatello is in the cards. Pity.
The first major sport sponsored by San Diego State was rowing, followed by tennis, basketball, golf, croquet and baseball.
In its early days, San Diego State was a member of the Junior College Conference proving that schools that were a member of a junior college conference more than a half century ago can, in fact, be considered for Power 5 conference membership.
Despite a popular myth, the name "San Diego" is not a German word or phrase for a female whale's body part. #TheMoreYouKnow

A Win Would...

Move Boise State to 60-14 all-time in conference openers.
Mark the 24th consecutive win in a conference opening game.
Advance Boise State's all-time record against schools from California to 83-38-3.
Bring Boise State's all-time record against current Mountain West programs to 158-44.
Be better than a loss.

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-BroncoSports.com-