Boise State Broncos vs Nevada Wolf Pack Football Preview

What was heating up as a conference rivalry will take a break as a non-conference game—just for one year—as Nevada travels to take on fourth-ranked Boise State on Saturday. With departures from the WAC to the Mountain West a year separated, the two teams play as non-conference opponents before Nevada joins the Mountain West next season.

Of course, last year’s thriller between the two western opponents ended up being Boise State’s only loss in its last 30 games. The widely-publicized field goal misses by BSU kicker Kyle Brotzman gave Nevada a chance to seize the win, coming away with a 34-31 overtime heartstopper on national television in a contest that removed Boise from both the Rose Bowl chase (won by TCU) and the national-title derby. Nevada’s stunning comeback from a 24-7 halftime deficit marked one of the best and most defining games of the 2010 college football season, but the impact on Boise State and the college football bowl picture is what will linger from that epic contest in Reno, Nevada.

Truth be told, Broncos-Wolf Pack had been a great series of late before last year’s classic. While Boise State won each of the three years before the overtime heartbreak of 2010, the Broncos’ succession of wins did not come easily. They emerged from hard-fought contests with scores of 44-33, 41-34, and 69-67. The two schools have started to build a compelling rivalry that stacks up well over time (and which goes into overtime on occasion, as shown in 2007 and last season).

Nevada is struggling a bit to replace Colin Kaepernick, but has kept up a strong run game this year. Junior Mike Ball has a 5.2 yards-per-carry average, amounting to 121 rushing yards per game. The Wolf Pack will be splitting quarterback duties again this week between Tyler Lantrip and Cody Fajardo. Fajardo has been the better running option, putting together a 12.3 yards-per-carry average, while Lantrip has been entrusted to carry more of the passing game. His main passing target is Rishard Matthews who has 20 receptions on the year.

But Boise is a well-oiled machine, combining a capable defense with an offense that purrs. Kellen Moore has been resplendent all season, completing nearly 80% of his passes for 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Several receivers have emerged as reliable pass-catchers, while Doug Martin and D.J. Harper moving the run game along for a complementary 135 rushing yards per game. While Nevada is shaping up to be a decent team, its rebuilding year and uncertainty at who can provide the best quarterback play will likely set the Pack behind a strong Boise State squad. This might be a massive five-star revenge game for the Broncos, but the Pack might not be formidable enough to lend this game the cathartic feeling Boise State wants to gain from it.

Be sure of one thing, though: The Broncos will still want to pound Nevada into the sand and the Smurf Turf: They want to cleanse the memory of a late-November Friday night from 2010.

> Find a great selection of Boise State apparel & merchandise online through MWC-fans.com

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer