Utah State will open conference play the first week of October and it will be arguably the Aggies’ toughest opponent on its Mountain West slate: the Boise State Broncos. It’s an opponent that’s proved to be USU’s biggest challenge and one they’ve rarely managed to conquer. This game piles on the trend of tough opponents in Utah State’s first-half schedule, but one positive is that this game will come after a bye week and a chance for the Aggies to rest after a road game at Temple following back-to-back games against top-30 foes USC and Utah.
This is the fifth installment in a series of 12 opponent previews that will go in-depth on each of the Aggies foes for the 2024 football season.
Game Info
- Game Day: Oct. 5
- Location: Albertsons Stadium (Boise, ID)
- Kickoff Time: TBA
- TV Broadcast: Fox Sports
Quick-Hit Info on Boise State
- Head Coach: Spencer Danielson (2nd season at Boise State, 3-1 record)
- 2023 Record: 8-6 (6-2 in MW)
- 2023 Offense Rank: 32nd (21.1 points per game)
- 2023 Defense Rank: 59th (25.6 points allowed per game)
- Returning Production Rank — 35th
- 2024 Preseason Consensus Ranking — 38th
History of Utah State vs Boise State
- All-Time: Boise State leads 23-5
- Current Streak: Boise State has won the last eight meetings
- First-ever Meeting:
- Last Meeting: Nov. 18, 2023 (Boise State won 45-10
Perhaps the most cited stat of this series is that Utah State has defeated Boise State just one time in the 21st Century, that being a surprise upset blowout in 2015 that the Aggies won 52-26. Aside from that, it’s been all Broncos and most games aren’t often that close. There’s been a few close calls, but Boise State hasn’t won this game by less than two scores since 2018.
Boise State Players to Watch
- Malachi Nelson (QB)
- Ashton Jeanty (RB)
- Latrell Caples (WR)
- Ahmed Hassanein (DE)
- Andrew Simpson (LB)
- A’Marion McCoy (CB)
The Broncos in 2023
Last year is perhaps one of the best examples of Boise State’s yearly expectation of winning the Mountain West combined with its capability of doing so. The head coach going into the season, Andy Avalos, was fired late in the season. The Broncos were still in conference title contention when he was canned, it even came right after a 42-14 victory over New Mexico. But BSU’s 5-5 record at that point spoke volumes to the fan base that demands 10-win seasons. An embarrassing loss to Colorado State and going 1-3 in non-conference games (the only win being against an FCS team) were also doing a lot of talking. Avalos had already piloted Boise State to its worst record of the 21st century back in 2021 (7-5) and prospects for a similar record were looking rather high.
Enter Spencer Danielson.
In the final two games of the regular season, Danielson — formerly the defensive coordinator — coached the Broncos as interim head coach to victories over Utah State and, more crucially, Air Force. That enabled Boise State to still get into the Mountain West Championship game where it went on to defeat UNLV in Las Vegas by a dominant 44-20 score.
And so, despite firing their head coach over a lack of success, Boise State were still able to secure the conference title. Danielson was naturally given the honor of having the interim tag removed from his job title and enters 2024 as head coach in full.
2024 Season Prospects
Boise State has been picked to win either its division or the conference every season it’s been in the Mountain West (since 2011) and this year is no different. The Broncos have largely justified the media’s extreme confidence with nine division titles and five conference championships in their Mountain West tenure. Though last season ended what had been BSU’s longest MW title drought (hadn’t won since 2019), which creates an interesting conversation about whether the Broncos’ hold on the conference is slipping or whether they’ve just now re-engaged their grip.
Given Boise State’s returning players and optimism with the new head coach, most tend to be leaning toward the Broncos getting back to being a Group of Five powerhouse and a legitimate contender for a spot in the expanded college football playoff.
The Broncos have arguably the best player in the conference on both sides of the ball with running back Ashton Jeanty and defensive end Ahmed Hassanein. Conference media members seem to (mostly) agree with that sentiment as Jeanty earned preseason offensive player of the year and Hassanein was co-preseason defensive player of the year.
Jeanty’s selection as top offensive player is just about undisputable given he is the reigning OPOY from the end of 2023. He tallied 1,916 scrimmage yards (1,347 rushing, 569 receiving) and 19 total touchdowns, accomplishing that despite splitting a good number of carries with George Holani. With Holani now gone, Jeanty is set to be a workhorse back and his rushing production could skyrocket. In fact, he made a bet with a teammate that if he didn’t rush for 2,000 yards he would cut off his dreadlocks. The bar Jeanty is reaching for is quite high, but it’s one he’s fully capable of reaching. Danielson said Jeanty is “one of the best running backs we’ve ever had” at Boise State.
“Ashton Jeanty is a 10 out of 10,” Danielson said. “He’s one of the greatest young men I’ve ever been around in regards to how he works, how he treats his teammates, how he leads. His play on the football field will take care of itself. You watch any film, he can do it all. Run between the tackles, catch the ball in the backfield. He’s a nightmare to tackle day in and day out. And he is his best footballs in front of him.”
The offense for the Broncos overall should be able to maintain what it accomplished last year, being top 35 in scoring production, largely thanks to Jeanty but also with more consistent quarterback play. That will fall on the shoulders of Malachi Nelson. And despite the fact that Nelson hasn’t played a single meaningful FBS snap, there is immense hype around him for one simple fact. Coming out of high school, Nelson was a five-star recruit and, at least according to 247 Sports, the number five QB recruit in the nation.
Boise State did lose top receiver Eric McAlister (he actually transferred mid-season in 2023) but will return Latrell Caples, someone pinned as likely to have a breakout in 2023 but suffered a preseason injury that prevented that. He led BSU in receiving in 2022 with 549 yards and four touchdowns and could wind up being Nelson’s favorite target. Two other players that could be solid up-and-comers as pass-catchers are the 6-foot-5 Prince Strachan and 6-foot-3 Austin Bolt.
On defense, Hassanein is the headliner as the conferences leader in sacks and TFLs among returning players of which he had 12.5 and 16.5, respectively, last season. The native of Egypt is a terror for opposing offensive lines but is one of three Boise State defenders named to the preseason all-conference list. Linebacker Andrew Simpson, who had 16.0 TFLs and 6.5 sacks to his own name last year, and cornerback A’Marion McCoy.
The Broncos’ defense wasn’t elite last year in the way it has been in the past, ranking 59th in points allowed after back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022 of being top 15 in the same category. But with eight returning starters there’s every expectation for internal improvement to kick in big time this season with not only stars at every level of the defense, but solid depth at each position as well.
“I can sit here and tell you how much we improved and how much we grew and how much we’re excited for the season, which is all true. But, man, just call a place, call a name, and we’ll be there,” Hassanein told Cache Valley Daily reporter Craig Hislop at Mountain West media days.
And to top it all off, the Broncos likely have both the best kicker, Jonah Dalmas, and punter, James Ferguson-Reynolds, in the conference. Thanks to his additional year of eligibility because of the COVID-impacted 2020 season, Dalmas will have a chance to set a new NCAA record for career field goals made. It’s well within his reach as he needs 18 to set the new record and has hit at least 23 in each of his last three seasons.
Despite the expectations already being pretty high every season for Boise State, it’s fair to say this year they’re even higher. Nationally, there’s not as much hype there with the Broncos being slotted right around the edge of the top 40 teams in the country. But with a good season, they’ll end up in the top 25 and be in contention for an auto-bid slot into the playoff as the top G5 champion.
Preseason Game Prediction — Fairly Decisive Loss
Boise State would either need to have a down season or Utah State would need to have an insane year for this to go any other way than a Broncos victory. There is the chance of a 2015-esque game, and those chances could go up if USU defies preseason expectations. But there’s a reason the Aggies are projected low and the Broncos high. This probably isn’t the game to be placing hopes of a win on.
