Game Facts

  • Date: Tonight, September 22, 2023 @ 8:30 PM MST
  • Location: Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, CA)
  • Weather at kickoff: 70°
  • Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
  • Odds: Boise State by 6.5
  • TV: CBSSN
  • Radio: 670 KBOI/Here or Stream
  • Commentators: Rich “3/4” Waltz (play-by-play), “A-Aron” Aaron Taylor (Analyst), with Justin Walters “The Third” (Sideline)

Other facts

1. Threadz

Broncos are going with the Blue-White-Blue tonight, and they are 22-15 all-time (FBS Era) in that combo. Do you buy into the superstition? Here’s the list of games that have been played in that combo since 2000:

2. Promotion and Relegation?

Maybe not *game* news, but the Broncos made waves this week when assistant AD Mike Walsh proposed a promotion/relegation system for the new PAC/MW. Is this the kind of innovative move we need to change our fortunes?

3. Fancy Stats

Peep this graph by @statsowar on Twitter:

There’s a LOT to unpack in these. A couple things I’ll point out: Aztecs excel in getting good field position, but not really anything else at the moment. Also notable that the Broncos have not done well on 1st/2nd down, but have been able to convert pretty well on 3rd down. So I’d say we should convert on all downs, I think that will work.

4. Throwback to My Best Tweet Ever

The first half against SDSU was a catastrophic low point for the team last year, but thanks to my tweet (and nothing else) the Broncos were able to turn it around. A win against the Aztecs could provide some much needed juice for this squad. (Possibly even an 12 game win streak en route to a NY6 berth??)

Streaks

Boise State – Won 1

SDSU – Lost 2

Best Name On Their Roster

New Zealand Williams, Sophomore LB

Oceania’s finest will be in San Diego tonight. Hopefully that makes us like Australia or something?

Best Picture On Their Roster

Pierce Brown, Freshman WR

SDSU’s photographer ran a pretty tight ship with team photos sadly, but Pierce Brown’s smirk here made me chuckle.

Players To Watch

Jaylen Mayden, QB

This man was playing safety a year ago against the Broncos. No he’s the starting QB. Ideally we’d like to make him looks like a safety again, but 700 yards and 3 TDs is a solid start to the season (With the LARGE caveat of 4 ints).

Zyrus Fiaseu, LB

Zyrus leads an SDSU defense that has struggled against the run. He already has 25 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles on the year, making him a key cog in the Aztecs defensive gameplay. If this game gets tricky, expect to hear his name.

Keys to Victory

Punting… wins championships?

The last outing in San Diego against the Aztecs takes us back to 2017. The catalyst was this punt return by the one and only Avery Williams:

Our Punter/Kicker duo could be the best in the nation. Converting FG opportunities and pinning the SDSU offense back will be critical down the stretch.

3rd Down the Best Down

Along the same vein as above, this will be a game of possessions. 3rd down stops will be huge to break any momentum the Aztecs try to build.

Catches

I’m not picky as to who, but the WR group needs some collective improvement. Not just limiting drops, but also making big plays will ease the pressure on TG and build a nice rhythm.

Score Prediction

While I thoroughly enjoyed the last outing in Boise (at least the second half), I’m expecting this game to be muddier all. the way through. Both the Aztecs and Broncos have had their struggles early, but the strengths match up more to the Broncos.

Boise State 24, SDSU 13

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