The Boise State Broncos travel to Maverik Stadium Friday night to face the Utah State Aggies in a big Mountain West Conference matchup. The 5-1 Broncos are looking for their fifth straight win and will look to take the top spot in the Mountain division on Friday night. The Aggies are 3-2 on the season but are undefeated in the conference and would like to make a statement against a 21st-ranked Boise State team.
The Broncos are coming off a big win this past Saturday, as they crushed Colorado State 41-10. Since Boise State's loss to BYU in early September, the team has dominated its competition, outscoring opponents 204-24. Boise State is led by freshman quarterback Brett Rypien, who has taken over since quarterback Ryan Finley injured his ankle against Idaho State.
The freshman quarterback has filled in nicely for the Broncos and has already thrown for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. Rypien threw his first interception against Colorado State last week, and the Aggies defense will try to force the freshman to make mistakes.
Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin will probably try to give the ball to star running back Jeremy McNichols in hopes of protecting his freshman quarterback. The sophomore running back has gained 485 yards on the ground this season and has scored 12 touchdowns. McNichols has scored multiple touchdowns in every game this season and will look to put another one in the endzone against Utah State.
Utah State's defense has held opponents to an average of 19.2 points per game, but it faces one of the best offenses in the MWC in Boise State on Friday night. Utah State can stop big conference offenses, as it held an undefeated Utah team to 24 points in a loss. While the Aggies defense will need to play big, head coach Matt Wells will want his offense to pick up where it left off last week.
Utah State scored 56 points against the Fresno State Bulldogs last Saturday and will look to sophomore quarterback Kent Myers to continue moving the ball with the offense. Myers took over as the starting quarterback when Chuckie Keaton sprained his ankle against Washington and has filled in nicely.
The Aggies have two running backs that can get it done with Devante Mays and LaJuan Hunt. Mays and Hunt move the ball on offense for Utah State, and the two combined for five touchdowns last week. Utah State's strength is its defense, but if the Aggies' offense can put up big numbers against the Broncos on Friday, they will have a good chance to get an upset.
This Friday night Mountain West Conference matchup could have big implications as to who the top team in the Mountain division is at the end of this season. The game starts at 9 p.m. EDT, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Broncos radio broadcast, click here, and for the Aggies radio broadcast, go here.
