Boise State vs. UCF: Live blog, stats and fan guide
After getting "punched in the mouth" in Seattle, Boise State looks to capture a statement win Saturday against the high-powered UCF Knights on The Blue.
AP
GAME DAY GUIDE
On the heels of a brutal 56-19 loss at the hands of Washington to start the season, the Boise State football team has little time to reflect on what went wrong in Seattle. The Broncos are just days away from squaring off with another high-powered opponent – in need of a bounce-back win.
The Huskies hung the largest point total on Boise State since a 2007 overtime battle with Nevada. A pair of interceptions and poor special teams haunted the Broncos, who threw the ball 47 times while playing mostly from behind. Still, head coach Andy Avalos and Co. are confident in a rebound.
"That's the biggest part about any first game is the growth that comes from it, regardless of who you're playing. We got to see exactly where we're at and what're the things that we can continue to do better, and it was no different last year," Avalos said. "We got some unbelievable guys, a group that we know cares. We got a coaching staff that cares about these guys and we're looking forward – that's football."
It feels as though the Broncos are in a similar boat as one year ago, when Oregon State exposed some flaws in Boise State's secondary and ability to hit big plays on offense in the season opener. The Broncos learned from it, bounced back and become one of the best defenses, and teams, in the Mountain West on their way to 10 wins.
Instead of bouncing back against New Mexico and UT Martin, however, Boise State is tasked with bouncing back against a Big 12 Conference program led by Gus Malzahn in the University of Central Florida. The good news is, the Knights have to come to Albertsons Stadium for Saturday's 5 p.m. showdown.
For the second-straight week, the Broncos have to tame an offense leading the nation in a major statistical category. The Knights' 389 rushing yards in week one ranks No. 1 in college football. UCF also posted 334 passing yards and 723 yards of total offense in a 56-6 win over Kent State last week.
According to Boise State defensive coordinator, who put the blame of last week's performance on himself, said the Broncos remain in high spirits and they are eager to improve against another prolific offense.
"Obviously, you get punched in the mouth the way we did on Saturday, it does motivate you. But more than anything, we know we're way better than that. There's a lot of different things from the past that we've learned, obviously, you don't like to go through a 56-point game to have to learn the lessons, but we are," Danielson said. "We have a group that's very hungry. We have a group that does not feel defeated – we have not lost our confidence … Starting with me, (game plan) just gotta be clear for our guys, cause they care. They want to get it fixed, they want to be an elite defense – that's the standard here. Obviously, that was not even close to how we played on Saturday, and we're excited to get it fixed, just like we worked to get it fixed last season."
The season-opening loss called for a similar story on offense for the Broncos. There were flashes of good plays, especially from sophomore running back Ashton Jeanty, but Boise State was too inconsistent overall.
With feature back George Holani unavailable for a portion of the game, and because – again, they were playing from behind in the second half – the Broncos leaned on their passing game. Taylen Green completed 19-of-39 passes for 244 yards. He had one touchdown on a 50-yard screen to Jeanty, and a pair of interceptions.
While the stats for Green were not terrible, there was not a huge leap forward displayed under first-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bush Hamdan. This week, Hamdan said there's still a lot of positives from the offense, but they have work to do to be consistent for 60 minutes this Saturday.
"I think overall, (Green) has done a really, really good job of his growth since he got here. Mechanically, I feel like he's taken a big jump. Now, as we all know, the final step of this quarterback piece comes down to the decision-making," Hamdan said. "There were good decisions to be made, and he made a lot of them, but we've gotta just keep developing there. We know what it is at the quarterback position, you can be really good for a lot of reps, but the consistency of making those decisions over and over again is gonna be what you're judged off of. I think we're certainly ready to learn from that, grow and excited to get back out there on Saturday."
Scroll down for more information on Saturday's matchup, how to watch and listen to the game, odds and predictions, a breakdown of KTVB's coverage, a fan guide for those headed to Albertsons Stadium and more:
Game Information Broncos vs. Knights
Boise State (0-1, 0-0 MWC) vs. UCF (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
- Saturday, Sept. 9
- Albertsons Stadium - Boise, Idaho
- Capacity: 36,363
- Kickoff: 5 p.m. MT
- Channel: Fox Sports 1
- Weather: High of 88, low of 59 degrees, mostly sunny
Ways to Watch TV, Radio, Streaming
ON TV
Boise State's home opener against UCF will be televised on Fox Sports 1, available on the following channels:
- Sparklight: Channel 146 / 1146 HD
- DirecTV: Channel 219
- Dish Network: Channel 150
- Cox: Channel 78
ON THE RADIO
Fans can listen to the game on the Bronco Radio Network, which can be found online or on the following stations in the Boise area:
- KBOI 670 AM in Boise
- KBOI 93.1 FM in Boise
- KDZY 98.3 FM in McCall
- KSNQ 98.3 FM in Twin Falls
Bronco Nation can also listen to Bob Behler and Pete Cavender on SiriusXM channel 390. For a compete list of Bronco Radio Network stations in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, click here.
STREAMING
Streaming for the Broncos-Knights matchup is available with the FOX SPORTS App. The app is available to subscribers of participating cable and satellite television providers (including Dish Network and DirecTV).
Fox Sports 1 is also available on fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Philo, Sling TV, Vidgo, YouTube TV and AT&T TV Now's PLUS package. For more information on streaming FS1, click here.
Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analyst) will be calling the broadcast Saturday for Fox Sports 1.
Bronco Roundup KTVB Coverage
BRONCO ROUNDUP GAME DAY
Before Boise State's first contest of 2023 at Albertsons Stadium gets underway, fans can tune into KTVB's Bronco Roundup Game Day Show for a preview and breakdown of storylines surrounding the game. The pre-game show airs at 4 p.m. MT and takes fans right up to kickoff at 5 p.m. MT.
Bronco Roundup includes the latest insight from KTVB Sports Director Jay Tust and sports reporter Brady Frederick, live on KTVB Channel 7, KTVB.COM, KTVB+ on Roku and Amazon Fire TV and the KTVB mobile app.
The exclusive show will feature interviews, injury updates, players to watch, sights and sounds and more, live from the sidelines of The Blue.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
KTVB will live stream Boise State's post-game press conference on KTVB.COM, the KTVB YouTube channel and the KTVB mobile app Saturday evening.
Interviews with head coach Andy Avalos and players will be posted online soon after the press conference ends, so Bronco Nation can watch the press conference whenever and wherever they want.
Stay tuned to KTVB.COM after the season opener for a recap, highlights and comments from Boise State vs. UCF.
Odds and Predictions UCF Favored
ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives Boise State just a 22.4% chance to defeat UCF on Saturday. Even though the Broncos are 130-15 on The Blue, with a .897 winning percentage that ranks just second to Oklahoma (.908) nationally, ESPN sees a 77.6% chance of a Knights' win at Albertsons Stadium.
UCF is favored by 3.5 across major sportsbooks, including BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings and FanDuel. According to VegasInsider, the line originally opened at UCF -1.5. As of Wednesday afternoon, the over/under sits at 60.5 for Saturday's game. Odds for picking the Boise State moneyline range from +130 (BetMGM), to +146 (FanDuel).
History Series Breakdown
For just the second time ever outside of the 2002 Humanitarian Bowl, Boise State welcomes a Big 12 Conference squad to The Blue on Saturday. The 5 p.m. MT bout also marks just the second meeting between the Knights and Broncos, with the first coming in 2021.
When the two squared off in the season opener two years ago, they were widely considered two of the top Group of 5 football programs in the entire nation. After nearly three hours of lightning-caused delays, the highly-anticipated matchup at the 'Bounce House' lived up to the hype, with UCF claiming a 36-31 win.
The Broncos jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the September 2021 showdown, before the Knights cut the deficit to 24-14 before halftime. In the third quarter, it was all UCF. In his debut, Gus Malzahn's defense shut Boise State down in the frame, while the Knights tallied 181 yards.
UCF outscored Boise State 22-7 after halftime, and Isaiah Bowser gave the Knights a go-ahead touchdown with just over four minutes left in the game. Bowser rushed for 172 yards in the season-opening win.
Top Players Individual Stats
PASSING
- Taylen Green: 19-of-39, 244 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTS
- John Rhys Plumlee: 22-of-30, 281 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTS
RUSHING
- George Holani: 10 carries, 51 yards
- John Rhys Plumlee: 12 carries, 100 yards
RECEIVING
- Ashton Jeanty: 4 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD
- Xavier Townsend: 5 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD
TACKLES
- Alexander Teubner: 11 tackles (8 solo, 3 assisted)
- Lee Hunter: 8 tackles (5 solo, 3 assisted)
SACKS
- Andrew Simpson: 1 sack (-6 yards)
- Malachi Lawrence, Ricky Barber, Hunter: 1 sack each
INTERCEPTIONS
- Boise State: N/A
- DeJordan Mask: 1 INT
KICKING
- Jonah Dalmas: 2-2 on field goals, 1-2 on PATs
- Colton Boomer: 8-8 on PATs
PUNTS
- James Ferguson-Reynolds: 7 punts - 365 yards (52.14 avg.)
- Mitch McCarthy: 1 punt - 42 yards
Comparison Team Stats
Team: Stat Per Game | NCAA Rank
TOTAL OFFENSE
- Boise State: 402 yards | No. 61
- UCF: 723 yards | No. 2
SCORING OFFENSE
- Boise State: 19 points | No. 93
- UCF: 56 points | No. 8
RUSHING OFFENSE
- Boise State: 138 yards | No. 74
- UCF: 389 yards | No. 1
PASSING OFFENSE
- Boise State: 264 yards | No. 51
- UCF: 334 yards | No. 19
TOTAL DEFENSE
- Boise State: 568 yards allowed | No. 121
- UCF: 240 yards allowed | No. 29
SCORING DEFENSE
- Boise State: 56 points allowed | No. 119
- UCF: 6 points allowed | No. 12
RUSHING DEFENSE
- Boise State: 78 yards allowed | No. 30
- UCF: 95 yards allowed | No. 42
PASSING DEFENSE
- Boise State: 490 yards allowed | No. 124
- UCF: 145 yards allowed | No. 33
Color Scheme Blue Out in Boise
The theme for Saturday's home opener is "Back on THE BLUE," and fans are asked to wear all blue inside Albertsons Stadium. Of Boise State's six home games in 2023, three are designated as a "Blue Out."
UCF fans, players and staff members will be greeted with a sea of blue in their first trip to the City of Trees, as it should be. Not only will the stands be flooded with blue, the Broncos' uniforms will match the color of the turf. Boise State is 111-6 all-time when wearing blue helmets, jerseys and pants.
The Knights will wear their gold helmets, with white jerseys, white pants and black cleats. The two Nike schools are not only known for their winning ways on the gridiron, but also well-respected for their clean attire on game days.
Boise State Director of Athletics Jeramiah Dickey earlier this offseason reintroduced "Bronco Fan Friday," a long-time tradition encouraging fans to wear Bronco gear or fly a blue and orange flag every Friday. The athletic department said its working with campus partners to "revive" the end-of-week tradition.
A full schedule of fan color schemes for the 2023 season is shown below:
Tailgating Pre-game Info
FORD FAN ZONE
Prior to kickoff, Bronco Nation can enjoy activities and live music in the upgraded Ford Fan Zone. The fan space is free to enter and includes food trucks, concession stands, a Bronco Kids Club booth with inflatables and sports gardens with alcohol sales.
Located along Bronco Lane between DeChevrieux Field and the Larry and Marianne Williams Plaza, the Ford Fan Zone opens at 1 p.m. Saturday, four hours before kickoff. Food trucks this weekend include The Rusty Dog, Fusion Frites, Basilios Tacos and Kona Ice.
'The Las Call' will perform in the fan area at 2 p.m. Saturday, three hours ahead of kickoff on The Blue. For more information on pre-game concerts for the entire 2023 season, click here. Also going live at 2 p.m. is the two-hour Bronco Tailgate Show on the Hall of Fame Plaza.
BRONCO ALLEY
Also opening four hours prior to kickoff each week is the Bronco Alley, located on the east side of Albertsons Stadium. The area will be open from 1 p.m. Saturday through halftime. Bronco Alley consists of food trucks, beverage stands and extra restrooms.
Serving food at Bronco Alley this week is Bolton Brothers Kitchen, Fly Word Class Wings and Meltz Extreme Grilled Cheese.
BRONCO WALK
The Ford Fan Zone gives fans a close view of the Bronco Walk, a tradition outside Albertsons Stadium prior to Boise State home games.
The Bronco Walk is scheduled to begin two hours and 40 minutes ahead of kickoff, or 2:20 p.m. MT Saturday, and goes from the Student Union Building, along Bronco Lane, and through the Larry and Marianne Williams Plaza to the Allen Noble Hall of Fame.
10 TO 10 ZONE
According to the Boise Police Department, the 10 to 10 Zone remains in place for home games this season. It specifies off-campus areas where people over the age of 21 may consume alcoholic beverages from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Boise State home football game days only.
Alcoholic beverages are allowed in opaque plastic cups within the zone. Glass containers, beer cans and types of liquor bottle and cups with alcoholic labeling are not allowed.
The 10 to 10 Zone begins at Broadway Avenue and Myrtle Street, extends south down Broadway to Beacon, turns west along Beacon, north up Oakland Avenue, west on Potter Drive, north again up South Joyce Street, and then west along University Drive all the way to Capitol Boulevard.
The boundary extends north along Capitol and turns east onto Cesar Chavez Lane, crosses Friendship Bridge north, and leads into Julia Davis Park. In the park, the 10 to 10 Zone boundary is the area east of Zoo Boise to Broadway Avenue, and south of the Julia Davis pond.
A map of the 10 to 10 Zone is shown below. For more "2023 Bronco Game Day Reminders" from Boise Police, click here.
Transportation Parking, Traffic, Shuttles
Expect increased traffic on all roads surrounding Boise State before and after the game. University Drive, from Capitol Boulevard to Broadway Avenue, will be congested throughout the afternoon. Due to limited public parking on-campus, fans are encouraged to park off-campus and walk/bike or use a shuttle to get to the game.
Parking in Boise Parks:
Parking is allowed in designated parking spots within Julia Davis Park, Ann Morrison Park, Idaho Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park and Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park. Parking for Boise State home games is free on a first-come, first-served basis.
According to Boise Police, there is no public parking allowed in Julia Davis Park Friday, Sept. 8, through Sunday, Sept. 10, due to Art in the Park. Towing will be delayed at all city parks until 9 a.m. the day after each home game, regardless of kickoff time. For this weekend, towing excludes Julia Davis Park.
Officers will be on the lookout for parked vehicles blocking sidewalks, crosswalks and fire hydrants, as well as those parked too close to intersections or stop signs. Most parking tickets for vehicles, motorcycles and scooters have a fine of roughly $60. Your vehicle may be towed if it is blocking a driveway, access way, fire hydrant or parked illegally in an alleyway.
Game Day Shuttle:
Valley Regional Transit is introducing a new resource for Boise State football game days – a free to ride service which will operate for the six home games and stop seven times on its way to Albertsons Stadium.
The Game Day Shuttle will go through Main Street Station, downtown parking garages and other areas, VRT said in a press release Tuesday. The shuttle will run two hours before the game and one hour after the game, with stops every 10 minutes.
Locations for the shuttle's seven stops on its way to the stadium are listed below, in addition to a route map from VRT. The eighth and final stop is Caesar Chavez and Broadway, taking fans right on campus:
- Idaho & 6th
- River & Pioneer
- Front & 9th
- 11th & Main
- Main & 8th
- Main & Capitol
- 6th & Broad
Stadium Entry Gates, Tickets, Security
Tickets for 2023 Bronco sporting events are digital and screenshots no longer work, according to Boise State Athletics. Fans should use the Boise State Broncos Athletics app and their Boise State Ticket Account Manager to have full access to tickets on a smartphone. Tickets can also be saved to the wallet app before arriving to Albertsons Stadium and should be pulled up before the ticket scanner area.
New this year, each digital ticket will provide a recommended entry point and gate (see map below). However, fans outside of the Stueckle Sky Center and student section can enter through any gate. VIP fans will have an expedited entry process by going through gates labeled 'Stueckle Entry.'
Four Entry Plazas:
Entry Plaza 1
- Gates L, M (Main Student Entry)
Entry Plaza 2
- Gates N, P (ADA Accessible Entrance)
Entry Plaza 3
- Gate A (ADA Accessible Entry Only)
- Gate B (Player Pass List Entry Only)
- Gate C (Stueckle Entry Only)
- Gate D
- Lyle Smith Society @ Hall of Fame
Entry Plaza 4
- Gate E
- Gate F (Stueckle Entry Only)
- Gate H
Bronco fans should arrive early. The only bags allowed in Albertsons Stadium are included below with maximum sizes:
- Clear plastic or vinyl bags: 12 x 12 x 6 inches
- Clear plastic freezer bag: One gallon
- Purse, bag or clutch: 4.5 x 6.5 inches
Prior to entry, fans will pass through metal detectors, and any bags carried in will be subject to search. Remember to leave prohibited items behind, including all weapons, alcohol, glass, and coolers. For a breakdown of permitted and prohibited items, click here.
GAME TICKETS
As of Thursday afternoon, there are 35,163 tickets out for Boise State's home opener. That's approximately 8,000 more tickets out than there were last weekend, which is a relief to Bronco leaders vying for a sell out for the 5 p.m. game on social media the past week.
The total number of tickets "out" typically combines single-game tickets sold, season tickets, giveaway and free tickets, and so on. Tuesday afternoon, there were a handful of sections with more than 90 open seats on Ticketmaster. Now, a majority of sections under the "best available" filter have between 20-50 open seats.
$75 is the lowest cost for a single ticket for Saturday's contest at Albertsons Stadium. For those struggling with the price, Boise State Athletics has a three-game mini plan available. For a total price of $124, you receive a ticket to the UCF, Wyoming (Oct. 28) and Air Force (Nov. 24) games. The mini plan brings the price to a little more than $40 per game.
The Boise State student section is sold out for the Broncos-Knights battle. According to The Corral, additional reserved tickets and student guest tickets are available due to sell-out effort:
For more information on Boise State tickets and to purchase tickets, click here.
WE WIN, YOU WIN
Boise State Athletics in July launched "We Win, You Win" — a progressive ticket promotion beginning with the Broncos' home opener on Saturday. Fans who purchased a limited-edition ticket to the UCF game for $125 and attend will automatically receive a complimentary digital ticket to the next week's home game against North Dakota.
Tickets for the promotion were only available through July 24, one day before single-game tickets went on sale. According to Brett McMurphy with Action Network, 160 tickets were sold through the "We Win, You Win" promotion, generating $20,000.
Concessions Stadium Food and Drinks
Boise State Athletics and Boise State Dining have released their concessions menu for the 2023 football season, featuring local businesses and products. Designated stands will bring back favorites such as Hammer Frys, mini donuts, pizza cones and Blue 32 BBQ sliders, in addition to options from Meraki Greek Street Food and La Tapatia.
Of course, the classics like hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, pretzels, popcorn and candy will be back for Bronco Nation. Boise State Athletics announced Albertsons Stadium will have six Mashgin self-checkout kiosks this year. The locations of the self-checkout kiosks are described below:
- Two adjacent to the west Locals Corner concession area
- Two near the east Locals Corner concession area
- Two at the Double R Ranch concession area on the east side of the stadium
In addition to bottled water, Coca-Cola products and selections from Anheuser-Busch such as beers and seltzers, Boise State will also offer options from local vendors this season. Lost Grove Brewing, Meriwether Cider Co., Payette Brewing, Sockeye Brewing, Woodland Empire and Western Collective will be represented at games starting Saturday.
Western Collective's Horseshoe Golden Ale will be available at Albertsons Stadium, with a portion of the proceeds going to The Horseshoe Collective, supporting Boise State student-athletes. Fans are required to show proof of identification to receive a wristband to purchase alcoholic beverages.
Albertsons Stadium concession map:
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