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Chris Petersen is 74-7 as he is in his seventh season and he continues to find ways to impress America. Sure, he lost his second game against the BCS in their opening loss to Michigan State.
Joe Southwick had a ton of questions heading into the season, and their matchup against a physical BYU team will be one of the more intriguing matchups of the weekend.
BYU is coming off a a tough loss at Utah, 24-21 and the Broncos are coming off a 39-12 beatdown over Miami Ohio. There were some notable injuries impacting both of these teams games last weekend. Utah’s running back John White IV did not suit up against the Cougars and BYU did limit them to 49 yards on the ground.
The ground game will be the matchup to watch for because D.J. Harper of the Smurfs is coming off a career-high 162 rushing yards and 3 TD. Harper has come off a pair of ACL surgeries and being able to battle back and perform like a stud is one of the more heart-warming stories in college football.
The Broncos running game was completely bottled by the Spartans in the opener, and they clearly looked to make it imperative to set a tone in their home opener. Harper toted it 16 times, but he averaged 10.1 yards per carry in an impressive bounce back victory.
Drew Wright as a senior ran it 7 times for 33 yards whereas freshman Jack Fields (freshman) also ran it 13 times for 49 yards. Boise ran it 45 times for a combined 295 yards against a mid-tier Miami Ohio team, but will they be able to do the same against a BYU run defense that is sixth in the nation allowing only 53 YPG?
The linebacker out of Provo are among the best in the country (top 10) and they will be loading the box up to beg the Broncos receivers beat them deep. BYU is solid against the pass as well ranking 32nd, allowing 188 YPG.
While Boise State no longer has a great offensive line, they are still respectable and the receivers are underrated as they torched the Redhawks last weekend.
Matt Miller is the one legit star on this Broncos team outside of Harper in the backfield, but Aaron Burks, Mitch Burroughs and Chris Potter have proven they can get separation thanks to Petersen’s ability to take more than enough shots down the field.
Joe Southwick is a developing junior who threw for 301 yards and 2 TD, and he could be in quite the duel with Riley Nelson and star receiver Cody Hoffman.
Hoffman will be matched up with a bevy of playmakers in the secondary of Boise State. Jamar Taylor, Jeremy Ioane, Jerrell Gavins and Lee Hightower could be your most underrated secondary in America. They locked down a Spartan receiving corps that were blanketed by the Irish, but the talent level is still there.
Hoffman will be the best receiver all season that the Broncos will see before their bowl game perhaps, but this game will be won in the trenches and BYU has struggled to run the ball. Thanks mainly to Chris Petersen, Boise State has gone 78-2 at home since 1999!
Network: ESPN
Time: 9 p.m. Eastern
Experts Pick: Boise by 7.5
Danny V’s Pick: Boise State 28, BYU 17
