Boise State won their third conference win last Saturday in the “Black Out” game vs. UNLV and appear to be hitting on all cylinders in each aspect of their game right now. The Broncos (6-1, 3-0 MWC) are back on the road this weekend for a tough conference match-up with the University of Wyoming Cowboys (1-6, 0-3 MWC).
The Broncos look to be getting into a rhythm on both sides of the ball over the last few games with the defense appearing to be on a mission. For five consecutive games, the Broncos’ defense has not allowed a single point in the first half.
“We are just playing as hard as we can,” said senior nose tackle Dextrell Simmons. “Whether it’s the first half or second half, we just want to go out there and shut them down.”
The Broncos’ defense now ranks sixth in the nation in points allowed per game with 13.6 points per contest, and this statistic keeps improving from week after week.
Wyoming is a team led by a talented quarterback who is notorious for causing problems for defenses. Boise State’s defense will face a tougher challenge than expected by most.
Sophomore quarterback Brett Smith has thrown for 1,335 yards this season while completing 60 percent of his passes and tossing 14 touchdowns to just six interceptions — very comparable numbers to last season when the Cowboys went 8-5. Smith’s mobility is what will help the Cowboys’ chances this weekend. He has the ability to create on his own which opens up the Cowboys offense.
“We’ve got fast defensive ends as well as linemen like Mike Atkinson and Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe,” Simmons said. “So it won’t be hard to contain him.”
Wyoming is on a rebuilding year as they are 1-6 on the season. The Cowboys have lost four games this season by a combined total of only 13 points and Boise State head football coach Chris Petersen knows this is another team the Broncos can’t afford to overlook.
“I think this is a good team,” Petersen said. “I think this is a really scary team
for us.”
For the Broncos, the offense seemed to take another step in the right direction last Saturday, with redshirt junior quarterback Joe Southwick going 22-30 for 243 yards through the air and one interception. The biggest point for the Broncos’ offense right now is simply improvement, as Coach Petersen has reiterated each week.
“I think we’re making some strides, we just need to be more consistent,” Petersen said. “Going back to the run game and trying to eliminate the negative plays.”
As quarterback Joe Southwick leads the offense week to week, he seems to be clicking more and gaining more consistency from game to game. “I think Joe is playing better,” Petersen said. “I think we’re getting closer.”
The Broncos kickoff against Wyoming on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game can be seen on CBS Sports Network as the Broncos try to keep their momentum going in the right direction and snatch their fourth conference win.
