Wyoming @ Boise State preview
Albertsons Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 18, 2010 ) Boise State 51, Wyoming 6
THE STORY: Second place in the Mountain West Conference is on the line when No. 8 Boise State hosts upstart Wyoming on Saturday. The Broncos were expected to be near the top of the standings, but the Cowboys are the surprise team of the league and have won four of their last five games. Wyoming was predicted to finish sixth prior to the season. Both teams lost to TCU for their only conference losses. Boise State is shooting for its sixth consecutive 10-win season, which would tie Virginia Tech (10-1) for the longest active 10-victory streak in the nation.
TV: The Mtn. LINE: Boise State -32.5
ABOUT BOISE STATE (9-1, 4-1 Mountain West): Senior quarterback Kellen Moore is one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s top player. Moore has passed for 2,915 yards and leads the nation in completion percentage (73.8) and ranks second in touchdown passes with 35. Senior receiver Tyler Shoemaker had three touchdown receptions last Saturday against San Diego and has 14 overall to tie the school’s single-season mark set two years ago by Austin Pettis. Senior defensive end Tyrone Crawford leads Boise State with 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. The Broncos have allowed an average of 29.5 points over their last four games.
ABOUT WYOMING (7-3, 4-1 Mountain West): Quarterback Brett Smith has been the biggest factor in the Cowboys’ success. The true freshman causes headaches with both his arm and legs and he was been a solid decision-maker. Smith has passed for 2,226 yards and 15 touchdowns while being intercepted just five times. He also has rushed for 518 yards and 10 touchdowns and is Wyoming’s second-leading rusher behind junior Alvester Alexander (582 yards). Senior defensive end Gabe Knapton has a team-leading six sacks and senior defensive end Josh Biezuns has forced five fumbles. Knapton has 353 career tackles, 10th-most among active players.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Broncos lead the series 5-0 and beat Wyoming 51-6 in 2010.
2. Boise State senior Doug Martin had 129 yards rushing against San Diego State to become the sixth player in school history to top 3,000 rushing yards. Martin has 3,017.
3. Wyoming is 3-1 on the road but the one loss was an ugly one – 63-19 at Utah State.
PREDICTION: Boise State 48, Wyoming 21 – The Broncos have too much firepower on both sides of the ball.