WEEK 3: Boise State Broncos vs. Connecticut Huskies
WHEN: Saturday, September 13, 10:00 AM, MST
WHERE: Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT (40,000)
CONFERENCES: Mountain West /American Athletic Conference
2014 SEASON: Boise State, 1-1, 1-0 (MW); Connecticut, 1-1, 0-0 (AAC)
COACHES: Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin (8-6); Connecticut head coach Bob Diaco (1-1), 1st year
TV: ABC/ESPN2
WEB STREAMING: Watch ESPN
RADIO: Bronco Radio Network: KBOI (670 AM) and KKGL (96.9 FM) in the Boise area; UConn IMG Sports Network: WTIC News Talk (1080 AM) in the Hartford, CT area
SERIES RECORD: 1st meeting
WEB SITES: Boise State official / Connecticut official
The Boise State Broncos will meet the Connecticut Huskies for the first time ever in East Hartford, Connecticut in a game that promises plenty of action. Both teams are sporting new head coaches. Broncos HC Bryan Harsin and Huskies HC Bob Diaco are both off to a 1-1 start to their 2014 seasons and are determined to make a statement on Saturday.
Last week the Broncos posted a 37-24 victory over Colorado State in their Mountain West Conference opener and the team's 676 total yards was the fifth most in school history. UConn is coming off a win of their own with a 19-16 victory over Stony Brook, a game they won without without former starting quarterback Casey Cochran, who sustained a career ending injury during the Huskies' season-opening loss to BYU two weeks ago.
What to expect when Connecticut has the ball: Last week against Stony Brook, only 81 of UConn’s 223 yards were on the ground. In fact, the Huskies have managed an anemic 152 yards on 52 running plays for an average of just 2.2 yards per carry this season. With Cochran out, QB Chandler Whitmer, 6-1, 192 lbs, has once again taken over as the starter. Whitmer was a four-star recruit out of high school who first went to Illinois, then to Butler (Kansas) Community College before transferring to UConn. He guided the Huskies to a 5-7 record in 2012, but lost his starting job over turnover issues after throwing 16 interceptions versus nine TD’s. In his start last week against Stony Brook he completed 12 of 27 passes for 142 yards and a TD and he’ll be out to improve those stats against the Broncos Saturday. UConn's Geremy Davis, 6-3, 216 lbs, has been a star receiver for the Huskies through their first two games this season, averaging 16.1 yards per grab. In his outing against Stony Brook, Davis caught six passes for 113 yards and a 30-yard touchdown. That moved him into seventh place on the Huskies all-time receiving list with 1,980 career yards.
Any running attempts to keep the Broncos’ defense honest will undoubtedly be carried out by junior RB Max DeLorenzo, 5-11, 218 lbs. He has run 19 times in two games for 61 yards. Two weeks ago against BYU he had 9 runs that averaged 4.2 yards a carry. Unfortunately for DeLorenzo and UConn, Boise State has one of the stingiest run defenses in the nation this year and has the #1 rushing defense in the Mountain West so far this season. The Broncos have given up just 99 rushing yards in total to both #18 Ole Miss and Colorado State thanks to top-10 MW tacklers LB Tanner Vallejo, 6-1, 228 lbs, and DL Beau Martin, 6-2, 258 lbs. Senior LB Cory Bell, 5-11, 203 lbs, is the leading tackler on the team with 13 solo and 2 assisted tackles.
That run defense will encourage UConn to double down on their passing game. That is where Boise State has been the most vulnerable, giving up an average of 410.5 yards through the air in two games. Add to Boise State’s woes the recent injuries that have plagued the depth at safety and cornerback. That will be the one soft spot the Huskies will try to exploit. But the Huskies need to keep in mind that the Broncos are also the MW conference leaders defending against the pass and have 5 interceptions so far this season.
What to expect when Boise State has the ball: Broncos QB Grant Hedrick, 6-1, 195 lbs, was pretty impressive last week against Colorado State. He completed 22 of 33 passing attempts for 352 yards and posted a 66.7 percent completion rating with 2 TDs and 1 INT. He also ran 16 times for 80 yards and punched in a touchdown. WR Matt Miller, 6-3, 220 lbs, caught eight of Hedrick’s passes last week for 151 yards and a touchdown and surpassed Austin Pettis for the most career receptions at Boise State. Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford will want to keep that combination working, along with a good running game.
So far the running game has been carried on the back of RB JayAjayi, 6-1, 215 lbs, who has emerged as the 5th best rusher in the nation. Last week against Colorado State he was nearly exhausted after 4 quarters of play. In that game the Broncos rolled up 425 yards of total offense in the first half last week and jumped out to a 30-10 lead going in at the half. If they do that against UConn this week you have to think Sanford will give Ajayi a rest and send in backups Devan Demas, 5-8, 174 lbs, and Jack Fields, 5-9, 203 lbs to carry some of the load. That goes for taking out Hedrick as well. We have yet to see backup quarterback Ryan Finley, 6-4, 190 lbs, take a snap this season.
That is not to suggest Boise State will have an easy ground game. Not if junior LB Marquise Vann, 6-0 226 lbs, has anything to say about it. He is the leading tackler for the Huskies and 5th in the AAC with 12 solo and 8 assisted tackles. His fellow linebacker, Graham Stewart, 6-1, 227 lbs, has 7 tackles and 11 assisted tackles of his own and good for an AAC conference 7th best.
Special Teams: Boise State has one of the best field goal kickers in the nation with Dan Goodale, 5-10, 185 lbs. He is 3 for 3 on field goals this year and has made 4 of 5 extra points. Goodale also handles kickoffs where he is averaging 65 yards per kick. Six of his ten kicks have been touchbacks. Kicker Sean Wale, 6-2, 186 lbs, is conducting the punting duties and averaging 36.2 yards per punt, while CB Bryan Douglas, 5-9 175 lbs, is handling the lion’s share of punt returns, and averaging 22 yards per return.
On the Connecticut side, it’s no secret that WR Deshon Foxx, 5-10, 173 lbs, can be dangerous for the Broncos. He leads the AAC in kickoff returns, averaging 21 yards per return including a touchdown. Another playmaker is punt return specialist Arkeel Newsome, 4th best in the AAC and averaging 22.25 yards per return. Kicker Bobby Puyol, 5-10, 174 lbs, does the honors for the Huskies and is 3 for 3 on field goals this season and and 1 of 2 on extra points.
The Bottom Line: Boise State is a 14 point favorite against UConn. All things considered, I expect the Broncos to cover that spread.
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