Boise State athletics

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State will make its first return to the City of Blues since 2004 on Saturday as the Broncos face Memphis (3-1) in their final non-conference game of the regular season.

The last time Boise State (2-2) appeared at Liberty (Bowl) Stadium, the then-10-year-old^th-the ranked Broncos faced No. 8 Louisville in the Liberty Bowl 2004. Despite a 92-yard interception return from the linebacker Andy AvalosLouisville would escape with a 44-40 victory.

Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Krik Morrison (analyst) and Stormy Buonantony (sideline) will broadcast the game live on ESPN2 with kickoff at 3 p.m. CT/2 p.m. MT while Bob Behler (play -by-play) and Pete Cavender (analyst) will have the call on the Bronco Radio Network as well as on the SiriusXM app.

Opening Kickoff

1. Start and stop. Start and stop. After opening the Mountain West Conference last Friday with a 34-31 victory at San Diego State, Boise State will stay on the road but bow out of conference competition with the program’s first-ever meeting against Memphis.
2. Stop us if you’ve heard this before this season, but Boise State will be facing a highly rated offense as Memphis has a passing attack that ranks 33rd in the nation averaging 279.0 passing yards per match. The Tigers also rank 30th in scoring in the country, averaging 37.0 points per game.
3. Boise State’s defense often leaves opponents feeling blue when they see red. Entering this week’s contest, the Broncos displayed a red zone defense that ranks 45th in the nation. So far this season, BSU’s opponents have scored 14 times (12 touchdowns, two field goals) in 18 visits, with the Broncos forcing three turnovers in the red zone against UCF.
4. Although this weekend’s game won’t be the first time Boise State pr Andy Avalos will make an appearance at Liberty Stadium, it will be the first time against the Tigers. The last time the Broncos visited the City of the Blues, Avalos had a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2004 Liberty Bowl. The 10th-ranked Broncos, however, came out on Beale’s bad side Street, in a 44-40 loss to No. 8 Louisville.
5. Welcome to Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15 each year. Boise State proud to celebrate head coach’s Hispanic heritage Andy Avalos, one of five Hispanic head coaches in the FBS. Bienvenido al Mes de la Herencia Hispana, which is celebrated from September 15 to October 15 each year. Boise State strives to celebrate the Hispanic heritage of Chief Undertaker Andy Ávalos, one of five Hispanic Chief Undertaker in the FBS.

What do you want to know

• Run, run, as fast as you can…

I can’t catch him, it’s the Jeanty-man! Boise State Ashton Jeanty is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic players in the country as he enters this week’s contest ranked leading the nation in all-purpose yards per game. Over the next two games, Jeanty will have the chance to achieve a feat few people have ever accomplished. Since 1996, there has only been one other FBS player to reach 1,000 scrimmage yards (rushing and receiving combined) in six games or fewer. Additionally, only 11 players have reached 1,000 total yards in six games or fewer. The Boise State sophomore has the opportunity to join elite company over the next two games. More than at the national level, a good performance from Jeanty in the next two matches could constitute a first. No player in Mountain West Conference history has recorded 1,000 yards from scrimmage in six games or fewer and only one – Deon Long (New Mexico) – has 1,000 total yards in the same span . Boise State is one of four schools nationally to post a winning record on the road in each of the last nine seasons. The others are college football royalty from Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State. The Broncos are 19-1 in their last 20 road games in the Mountain West. The Broncos currently have 14 championship titles since 1996 when they joined the Football Bowl Subdivision, tied with Oklahoma for the most titles in the country during that span. Ohio State (13) and Florida State (11) are the only other schools in the country to win double-digit conference titles during that span. The Broncos have won 35 all-time conference championships, including four in the Mountain West, eight in the WAC, two in the Big West, six in the Big Sky and 15 in the Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference (ICAC). If you’ve read this far, you may be seeing a trend. Boise State knows a thing or two about football. In fact, the Broncos currently rank fifth in the nation in all-time winning percentage at the FBS level with a mark of .726. Wake up the Echoes because it’s only four percentage points behind Notre Dame (.730) and five points behind the so-called West Champions, Michigan (.731). Ohio State (.733) has the best winning percentage of all time while Alabama is close behind at .732. If Boise State’s opponents think a little noise will disrupt the Broncos’ defensive line, they might want to rethink that strategy. The unit led by Erik Chinander learned to communicate regardless of decibel level and that was the easy part. Across the line, Chinaander’s unit speaks a total of eight different languages, including: English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Samoan, Greek and ‘ASL. In each game, the unit affectionately nicknamed “United Nations” seeks to unite with opposing quarterbacks. Ready, set, Hutt! jahizi, jahizi, hut! Auf die Plätze, fertig, Hutt! Listo, Listo, Hutt! Ready, set, Hutt! Sauni, Seti, Hutt! Yes Yes Yes ! Boise State is 13-2 under Andy Avalos rushing for 140 yards or more, including 7-1 last season (the only loss was to Fresno State in the Mountain West championship game).

Scouting in Memphis

• Memphis enters this week’s competition with a 3-1 record (1-0 American) after a close 34-27 loss to Missouri in a rare case of a Tiger vs. Tiger battle.
• Ryan Silverfield is in his fourth full season in Memphis, compiling a 24-17 (.585) record.
• This week’s contest begins two straight home games for the Tigers with a bye week sandwiched in between.
• No players from either team were yet born in the Tigers’ final regular season game against a team currently in the Mountain West Conference.
• Overall, the Tigers are 7-4 (.636) against current MW schools after a 38-10 win over Utah State in the 2022 First Responder Bowl.
• Before last year’s bowl game against the Aggies, Memphis hadn’t played a current MW team since 1977. Groovy.
• Memphis enters this week’s game ranking third nationally in 3rd down conversion defense (.226) and 10th nationally in 4th down conversion defense (.250). The Tigers rank fifth nationally in 4th down conversions (.889).
• UM ranks 30th nationally and leads The American with an average of 37.0 points per game while allowing an average of just 18.8 points per game, a mark that ranks 37th nationally and second in The American. So far, this seems like a good formula.
• The university was founded in 1909 and was originally known as the West Tennessee State Normal School. Believing this to be a pittance, the school’s name was changed to Memphis State College in 1941.
• Blake Watson does his best Ashton Jeanty impression as he averages 138.75 yards per game, which ranks 12th in the country and first in The American.
• Quarterback Seth Hanigan ranks 10th in the nation in games completed (25.5) and 27th nationally in completion percentage (.694).
• Since 1972, Memphis has had a living tiger mascot named TOM. There was TOM I, TOM II, TOM III and TOM IV. If you say their names really quickly, it sounds like an old Tums commercial jingle.
• While singing jingles is fun, we think it’s a missed opportunity to name a mascot “Bustopher Jones.” Pity.
• Speaking of TOM IV, you probably won’t see him at the game on Saturday since the university announced in 2020 that the live Bengal tiger mascot will now remain in his enclosure at the Memphis Zoo. Did no one tell them that COVID-era lockdowns were over?
• A plan circulated in the Tennessee Legislature in 1951 to merge Memphis State College into the University of Tennessee system with a suggested name change as “UTAM – University of Tennessee at Memphis”. This plan failed, perhaps because of potential confusion with neighboring UTM (UT Martin), but we still blame ourselves for the loss of the potential of such a name, given that “TAM” is l short for “Tam-O’-Shanter”, a woolly name. cap of Scottish origin with a tight band, usually with a pompom in the center. And who wouldn’t want to see this depicted atop a tiger’s head?

A victory would be…

• Move Boise State to 1-1 all-time at Liberty Stadium.
• Increases Boise State’s record against Volunteer State teams to 2-0.
• Bring the Broncos’ all-time record in the Central Time Zone to 19-10.
• Mark Boise State’s 10th win in 11 tries playing in the Central Time Zone.
• Improve to 3-1 against an American Athletic Conference team
• Be better than a loss.

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-BroncoSports.com-