Game Facts
- Date: (Today) Saturday, October 18th @1:30 PM MST
- Location: The Blue (Albertsons Stadium—Boise, ID)
- Weather at kickoff: 56°
- Moon Phase: Waning Crescent
- Odds: Boise State by 12.5
- TV: FS1
- Radio: 670 KBOI/Here or Stream
- Commentators:
Other facts
1. What’s Next?
2. Injury Report (And link to depth chart article)
Still some concern in the LB core, but good to see Brackett back.
3. THREADS
The all-Blues look to be a mainstay going forward in the uni department. Plan accordingly!
4. MEMRIES
One of the best-ever games at Albertson’s stadium. Another long Jeanty run, a playoff berth, and a goalpost in the river. That’s what the game is all about.
Streaks
Boise State – Won 1
UNLV – Won 7
Best Name On Their Roster
Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu, LB
Best Picture On Their Roster
Daniel Hernandez
Speaking of blesyngs, today we’ll be blessed to get to play against a civil war general.
Players To Watch
Anthony Colandrea, QB
He’s completing 68% of his passes and only has 3 interceptions to go against 10 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he’s also a run threat. He’s the team’s second leading rusher, with 323 yards and an additional 3 TDs.
Aamaris Brown, DB
It’s impressive enough that he has 4 INTs on the year, but that’s not entirely unusual. What is unusual is that he’s managed to return two of those for TDs. So…let’s not get rid of the ball anywhere near his direction!
Matchup(s) to Watch
Shoutout to cfb-graphs.com for the tables here.
Offense
The caveat here (or with most stats, really) is that it compares you against teams you’ve played, even if those teams are really good or bad.
The basic matchup to look here offensively is that UNLV will look to be a solid matchup for Maddux Madsen, holding offenses to the 33rd-worst EPA/dropback. I suspect this is mostly due to the UNLV defense forcing turnovers. Meanwhile, the Boise State should be fine against a porous UNLV rush defense, which should assuage some concerns.
Defense
On the defense, Bronco fans will shiver at UNLV’s success rate on late downs. UNLV will want to march down the field, and stunting those drives will go a long way to a smooth afternoon.
Keys to Victory
Turnover battle
I might as well say “score more points”, but UNLV is a team that relies on winning the turnover battle. Staying on the plus side won’t give them any chances.
3rd and Long to 4th and Long
Will we still be holding your breath on 3rd and long? Probably. But keeping them off schedule and into 3rd and longs will keep UNLV’s better half (their offense) from making their mark on the game.
Score Prediction
I really wish the spread doubted us a bit more, but I like the Broncos a lot here. UNLV offense will test the Bronco defense, but I think the home offense shines in the end.
Boise State 42, UNLV 21
