Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) hurdles San Diego State’s Dalesean Staley during the Broncos’ 56-24 win earlier this month.
Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman/Via AP
A look ahead to the Nevada Wolf Pack football game on Saturday against the Boise State Broncos in Boise, Idaho:
KICKOFF: 5 p.m., at Albertsons Stadium.
RECORDS: Nevada (3-7, 0-4); Boise State (7-1, 4-0).
THE SPREAD: Boise State favored by 24.5, the total is 60.5.
HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN: The game can be seen on Fox and heard on 105.7 FM.
AT STAKE FOR NEVADA: Pride, confidence and self-respect. The Wolf Pack, which has already guaranteed its third consecutive losing season without a bowl game, needs to keep this game competitive.
AT STAKE FOR BOISE STATE: Everything. The Broncos still have a legitimate chance at being included in this year's 12-team College Football Playoff. One more loss, especially to a Nevada team that has won just seven of its last 35 games, would ruin that dream.
THE HEAD COACHES: Jeff Choate is 3-7, 0-4 and in his first season as head coach at Nevada. The 54-year-old Choate coached linebackers, running backs and special teams at Boise State from 2006-11. Spencer Danielson is in his first full season as Boise State's head coach. Danielson stepped in for the fired Andy Avalos last November and guided the Broncos to the Mountain West championship. He is 10-2 as the Broncos head coach and 7-0 against Mountain West teams. Danielson's Broncos have also never lost a home game (5-0) when he was the head coach.
ROOKIE COACHES: This will be the first game in the Nevada-Boise State rivalry as head coaches for both Choate and Danielson. It will be just the fifth time that both head coaches were making their debuts in the rivalry in the same game. The first time was in, of course, the first game of the rivalry in 1971 when Boise's Tony Knap beat Nevada's Jerry Scattini, 17-10, in Reno. The second time was in 1976 when Boise's Jim Criner beat Nevada's Chris Ault, 26-8, at Boise. The third time was in 1993 when Nevada's Jeff Horton beat Boise State's Pokey Allen, 38-10, in Reno. The fourth time was in 1996 when Nevada's Jeff Tisdel beat Boise's Tom Mason, 66-28, in Reno. Mason was the interim head coach while Allen was recovering from surgery for cancer.
COACH CONNECTION: Wolf Pack defensive coordinator Kane Ioane was Boise State's co-defensive coordinator the last three seasons, sharing the job with Danielson. Ioane played linebacker for Montana State (2000-04) and was a Montana State assistant from 2005-16 and in 2019-20 when Jeff Choate was the head coach.
GOOD TIMES FOR CHOATE: Boise State is the place where Jeff Choate enjoyed arguably his greatest success as a college football coach. Choate's Wolf Pack, in just 10 games, have already lost more games overall (3-7) and in conference play (0-4) than Boise State lost in his six seasons as an assistant. Boise State was 73-6 overall and 44-3 in conference play (WAC and Mountain West) when Choate was a Broncos' assistant.
THE RIVALRY: Boise State has won 17 of its last 19 games against Nevada (starting in 1999) to take a commanding 31-14 lead in the series. The only Nevada victories this century against Boise State were in 2010 (34-31 in overtime) in Reno and 41-31 at Boise in 2021. The bulk of Nevada's success against Boise State came from 1983-1998, when the Wolf Pack was 10-5 against the Broncos in the Big Sky Conference and Big West Conference.
THE LAST TIME: Boise State rolled over the Wolf Pack, 41-3, on Reno on Nov. 12, 2022, at Mackay Stadium. Wolf Pack quarterback Shane Illingworth was 13-for-30 for 123 yards and was sacked four times. Boise State rushed for 267 yards and four touchdowns, led by George Holani (17-115-2), Tyler Crowe (8-78-0) and Ashton Jeanty (8-73-1).
LAST PACK WIN: The last time the Wolf Pack beat Boise State was 41-31 on Oct. 2, 2021, in Boise. Nevada quarterback Carson Strong was 25-of-38 for 263 yards and a touchdown despite getting sacked four times. Toa Taua ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns for Nevada. Boise State receiver Stefan Cobbs caught 10 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Hank Bachmeier (34-of-47 for 388 yards and four touchdowns). Nevada outscored Boise State 24-3 over a span of roughly 21 minutes (late in the second quarter to early in the fourth) to pull away.
WHEN BOISE STATE HAS THE BALL: Quarterback Maddux Madsen is 144-of-225 for 1,789 yards, 17 touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back Ashton Jeanty leads the nation with 1,525 yards and 20 touchdowns. Six Broncos have caught at least 10 passes this season, led by Cameron Camper (32-527-4), Matt Lauter (26-315-4) and Latrell Caples (19-247-3). The Broncos average 45.8 points a game (third-best in the FBS).
WHEN NEVADA HAS THE BALL: Quarterback Brendon Lewis is 145-of-214 for 1,542 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Running back Savion Red has run for 676 yards and eight touchdowns on 112 carries while Lewis has rushed for 660 yards and seven scores on 118 carries. The wide receivers are led by Jaden Smith (45-630-4), Cortez Braham (43-508-2) and Marcus Bellon (29-387-4). Nevada averages 24.6 points a game.
MOUNTAIN WEST MISERY: Since winning at Boise State, 41-31, in 2021 the Wolf Pack has gone 2-11 in Mountain West road games. Nevada is 2-18 in Mountain West games overall since the start of the 2022 season and has lost eight in a row. This is the first time in school history the Pack has lost 18-of-20 conference games during any stretch, though the 1954-58 Pack came very close, going 2-17-1 in league games during one dreadful stretch in the Far Western Conference.
RARE BOISE BLUES ON BLUE TURF: Boise State isn't as dominant at home as it used to be. The Broncos are 19-7 at home since the start of the 2020 pandemic season. The Wolf Pack even beat Boise on the blue turf in 2021. Boise State, though, was 128-9 at home from 1999-2019, going 9-0 against the Pack. The game that might have turned the Broncos' home record around was a 56-42 Wolf Pack win in the Broncos' final home game of the 1997 season that was televised in both Reno and Boise. Pack quarterback John Dutton was 28-of-41 for 557 yards and five touchdowns as three Nevada receivers each had over 100 yards (Trevor Insley was 6-217-1, Greg Russell was 5-124-1 and Geoff Noisy was 9-118-2). The Broncos went 4-3 at home in 1998 and started their home dominance in 1999 by going 8-0 on the blue turf.
PACK FOOTBALL
Who: Nevada (3-7, 0-4) at Boise State (7-1, 4-0)
When: Saturday, 5 p.m.
Where: Albertsons Stadium
Line: Boise State by 24.5; total of 60.5
TV: Fox
Radio: 105.7 FM (John Ramey, Mike Edwards)
Series: Boise State leads, 31-14