Boise State Broncos (9-3, 7-1) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3, 7-1)
This is the second straight week these two teams have played each other, as Fresno State won last weekend by a score of 28-17. It was the first loss in conference play for Boise State, who may not have put all of their cards on the table based upon the fact that both teams knew they would be playing again this week.
For Boise State, they are averaging 33.3 points per game. Brett Rypien has had time taken away from his reps by Kansas transfer Montell Cozart, and they have combined for over 3000 yards passing and 24 TDs to just five INTs. That said, it seems to disturb the flow of the game once Rypien gets pulled for Cozart and then comes back in, as Boise State has, at times, had struggles moving the football against certain opponents. Alexander Mattison has rushed for just over 1000 yards this seasonwith 11 scores, but the Broncos are not consistent in this area, and run for just 149 yards per game. They are averaging 254 yards per game through the air.
Cedrick Wilson is the star at WR, as he has rolled up 1142 yards receiving and has scored six times, while TE Jake Roh has been the other go to option, with 9 TD receptions this season.
On the defensive side, Leighton Vander Esch emerged as the leader this season, as he wraps the regular season with 13 tackles, with 71 tackles being solo jobs. Kekoa Nawahine has been a star as well at DB with 90 tackles. Freshman LB Curtis Weaver has been a major threat up front with 10 TFLs, and Tyler Horton has defended 11 passes.
On the Fresno State front, the Bulldogs have had one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history under first year coach Jeff Tedford. Oregon State transfer Marcus McMaryion gave the Bulldogs some stability at the QB position, which they had not had since Derek Carr graduated. They went to a team approach at RB, and rushed for 158 yards per game. KeeSean Johnson emerged at WR as well, catching 64 passes this season while scoring 8 times.
On defense, the Bulldogs made major strides and went from allowing 30.9 points per game in 2016, to allowing just over 17 in 2017. Sophomore LB Jeffrey Allison finished with a solid 103 tackles, while LB Robert Stanley joined defensive linemen Tobenna Okeke and Malik Forrester to combine for 25.5 TFLs on the season. JuJu Hughes and Jaron Bryant, both sophomores, combined for 13 PBUs as well.
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