Fresno State (3-4, 2-1 Mountain West) will look retain the Milk Can Friday when it goes on the road to square off against longtime rival Boise State (4-2, 2-1 MW) on the famous blue turf.
Last year’s meeting between the two featured a thriller that came down to the last play, resulting in the Bulldogs edging the Broncos 41-40 at Bulldog Stadium. That put an end to Fresno State’s seven-game losing streak against Boise State.
It will also mark the 17th matchup in the rivalry. Boise State leads the series 11-5 and is 6-1 when hosting. Friday’s meeting will also be the last time the Bulldogs and Broncos meet until the 2017 season.
“Boise Week is always a big week around here,” Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter said, “with [Boise State] being a conference opponent and being picked to win its side of the conference. We know it’s going to be a difficult chore going up against a very well-coached and very talented team. We have to play more efficiently than we did last week in order to get it done against a really good Boise State team.”
The Broncos display some new faces this year at quarterback and head coach. Bryan Harsin is in his first year at the helm, taking over for former head coach Chris Petersen who left to take the head-coaching job at Washington.
Senior Grant Hedrick has stepped in at quarterback, succeeding Joe Southwick. Hedrick has passed for 1,641 yards on the year and seven scores. He can serve as a dual threat player, as he ranks second on the team in rushing with 204 yards and two scores.
Now in his fifth season with the Bulldogs, senior free safety Derron Smith is among those that has plenty of experience when playing the Broncos, whether it is at home or on the road. Boise State has been one of the top squads in the conference, and Smith anticipates that this season is no different.
“[The Broncos] always have a good team,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter who they have at quarterback or who their coach is. They’re always going to have a solid team that’s disciplined and fundamentally sound, and they’re definitely going to play hard on that blue turf. It should be a tough game for us.”
An injury plagues Boise
A season-ending injury in the receiving corps has left Hedrick and the Broncos without their top target. Senior wide receiver Matt Miller suffered an ankle injury a couple of weeks ago that caused him to miss the remainder of the year. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Miller is one of the best wideouts in school history. He is Boise State’s career leader in receptions with 244 and ranks second and third for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, respectively. He racked 28 catches for 461 yards and three touchdowns through five games this season before his year ended.
“Matt Miller is a great player,” Toth said. “It’s a shame and it’s sad to see him get hurt. He’s a great competitor and we’ve enjoyed competing against him the last couple of years. Obviously, losing a player like that hurts any offense.”
Among those looking to replace Miller’s production are junior Shane Williams-Rhodes and sophomore Thomas Sperbeck. Even though Miller’s absence might give Fresno State’s secondary some relief, Toth said the Broncos have other players capable of making big plays and filling in the shoes of the injured receiver.
“His absence might hurt them a little bit,” Toth said. “But they’ll be fine. We still have to defend their passing game, because they have two other guys that are capable of replacing him.”
Headlining the Broncos rushing attack is running back Jay Ajayi. The junior has 709 yards and eight touchdowns on the year while averaging five yards per carry. He ranks second in the Mountain West with 118.2 rushing yards per game.
The 6-foot, 216-pound Ajayi is a big, physical ball carrier whose size and frame make him capable of gaining yards, even after contact. Toth said gang tackling is going to play a key role in his unit trying to slow down the Broncos’ potent run game.
“He’s a really good player,” Toth said. “We have to tackle him. When we get first contact on him we have to down him and not let him get additional yards. We have to have a lot of guys around him to corral him and not give him a lot of room to operate.”
Living up to expectations
In the preseason, both the ‘Dogs and Broncos were picked to win their sides of the conference. With each team already having a conference loss, they can’t afford to lose any more if they wish to remain in contention for a conference championship. Fresno State and Boise State currently stand in second place in the West and Mountain Divisions, respectively.
“We know that we have to win out,” DeRuyter said. “The last two years we won the conference, we lost a conference game. But we don’t have that luxury right now since we’ve already lost one. We’re tied for second in the conference, and it’s still early in conference play, so I believe whoever wins or loses this game might separate themselves from the pack.
“It’s a critical game for us, and to go on the road is going to be difficult. I think when our guys are pressed and backed into a corner, they’re going to come out fighting and I anticipate we’ll do that on Friday.”
Josh Harper is one of the few returning players who played a critical role in last year’s upset win over the Broncos. He hauled in two touchdowns from quarterback Derek Carr to help power his team over the conference rival.
Harper, a fourth-year player, recounts his experiences of playing against the Broncos as physical games. He said that the formula to beating Boise State typically requires one to play without making errors.
“We have to be ready for a dogfight,” Harper said. “We have to execute and we can’t make mistakes like we did last Friday because Boise State is a really good team and it might end up the same way [Friday’s game against UNLV] did if we keep making mistakes.”
“It’s always a physical battle,” he said. “They’re going to be ready to try and knock us back off and keep their win streak going, and we have to be ready. We’re coming off a loss and we really can’t afford to lose again so we have to come out there prepared, ready to execute and be ready for a tough-fought battle.”
This Mountain West showdown is set for 5 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN.