Boise State vs. UNLV: Game Preview, Kick Time, Livestream, Odds, Prediction
Boise State Will Continue Conference Play against the Struggling Rebels of UNLV
Contact/Follow @RajaBleedsBlue & @MWCwire
Broncos make one last trip to Sam Boyd
Boise State entered their first bye week of the year at 4-0 and will reengage in conference play. Next up for the Broncos is the UNLV Rebels. UNLV has not been overly successful the last few years and this should be a good game to work out any kinks that Boise State may have after two weeks of practice. The schedule for the Broncos does get a bit harder after this matchup with a home contest versus Hawaii and a trip to Provo to face BYU.
Boise State did lose their starting middle linebacker and leading tackler, Ezekiel Noa, in their matchup versus Air Force but may get some players back from the injured list and this will be a good game to ease them back into competition. Either way, this should be a game that the Broncos should win before getting into the heart of their schedule. However, no opponent can be taken too lightly and the Rebels do have enough athletes and the talent to make this game interesting.
Date: Saturday, October 5th 2019
Where: Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas
When: 8:30 PM MT
Spread: Boise State -24
ESPN FPI Win Predictor: Boise State projected to win at 93% rate
Weather: High of 86˚/Low of 61˚, mostly clear and no chance of rain. Sunset at 7:18 PM MT
How to Watch: CBS Sports Network
Stream: FuboTV (Get a 7-day free trial)
Head to Head Record: 4-0, Boise State
Previous Meeting: Boise State 42, UNLV 25 on November 18, 2016 in Boise, Idaho.
MWC Division Titles: UNLV 0, Boise State 2 (2017 and 2014)
MWC Conference Titles: UNLV 0, Boise State 3 (2017, 2014, and 2012*) *split championship
UNLV Season Rewind
Welp, the Rebels have not been very good in 2019 and there is no way to sugar coat that. The Rebels opened with a home victory over FCS foe Southern Utah, but the good vibes came to a halt shortly after that. UNLV dropped 3 straight games to Arkansas State (by 26 points), at Northwestern (by 16 points), and finally at Wyoming (by 36 points).
Rebel head football coach Tony Sanchez might be coaching for his job but he does have a veteran quarterback in Armani Rogers. Unfortunately for Sanchez, Rogers along with star running back Charles Williams are dealing with knee issues but are currently expected to play in this contest.
Boise State Offense Update
Boise State has put up good numbers on the offensive side of the ball. The Broncos rank 24th in yards gained but only come in at 62nd in points scored. This has been due to the Boise State offense stalling in the red zone repeatedly during the early part of the year.
This is something the head coach Bryan Harsin has undoubtedly worked on during the bye week. True Freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier has dazzled so far and has notched 1,190 yards on a 64% completion rate with 6 touchdowns against 3 interceptions to go along with a rushing touchdown.
Boise State Defense Update
Boise State’s defense has been solid this year as well and rank 21st in points given up per game and 25th in total yards allowed per game. Boise State’s defense has been especially lights out in the second half of football games, having only allowed nine points after the intermission for the season. With Noa out, the rest of the Broncos will have to be stalwart as new players are rotated in. Curtis Weaver, the current active leader in career sacks at the FBS level, has 6 sacks in2019 and has been the monster we predicted he would be before the year.
Rankings
Boise State did not move in either poll during the bye week. The Broncos remain at 16th in the AP Poll and stand at 15th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. UNLV is not receiving votes in either poll. Jeff Sagarin’s computer rankings have the Broncos checking in as the 27th best team in division 1 football and the Rebels find themselves at 133rd.
