This Saturday, the Cowboys will be playing host to the 13th ranked team in the nation, and college football playoff contenders, the Boise State Broncos.
The last time the Cowboys played host to a Boise State team that was ranked 13th in the nation was the first, and only time the Cowboys have ever beaten the Broncos in series history.
On a chilly late October night, legendary Cowboy quarterback Josh Allen led the Cowboys to a massive upset victory over the Broncos that saw the Cowboys just edge the then undefeated Broncos by a safety in the final two minutes of the game.
Time for the Safety Dance! @chase_appleby57 makes it happen and the Cowboys take the lead! #OneWyoming // #CowboyCapsules pic.twitter.com/0EVCsPnBXx
— Wyoming Cowboy Football (@wyo_football) April 30, 2020
Coincidentally, that 2016 season was also the same season in which the Cowboys won the Mountain division of the Mountain West for the first, and only time in the division era of the Mountain West conference. Seeing as Boise State has completely dominated the matchup between these two schools, Boise State typically served as the roadblock that gatekept the Cowboys from appearing in the Mountain West championship as the Mountain division champions.
Now, the Cowboys have the chance to serve as a roadblock to the Broncos, one that could very just keep them from making a coveted college football playoff appearance.
Get to know Boise State
The Broncos have currently led likely the most impressive campaign of any Group of Five school in the nation and is currently in contention to make the college football playoffs as the sole Group of Five representative. The Broncos currently sit at a 9-1 record, with their only loss being by three points on the road at the current #1 ranked team in the nation, Oregon.
“This is probably the best Mountain West team that I’ve seen in the five years that I’ve been in this conference,” head coach Jay Sawvel said of the Broncos.
We truly are 𝘽𝙐𝙄𝙇𝙏 𝘿𝙄𝙁𝙁𝙀𝙍𝙀𝙉𝙏
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) November 10, 2024
Boise State holds the nation's longest active streak for consecutive winning seasons 📈#BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/3h9XqlXQbO
The Broncos are headlined offensively by one of the most electric running backs in the nation in Heisman Trophy frontrunner Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty currently leads the nation in rushing touchdowns, total yards and yards per carry. On the season, Jeanty currently sits at 1,893 yards averaging 7.4 yards per carry with 26 touchdowns. The Cowboys will likely be receiving a heavy dose of Jeanty when they play host to the Broncos, as he currently averages around 27 carries a game.
The Cowboys will have to contain the run at a much higher level against the Broncos than they have in their last two contests if they want any chance of success. In their last two outings, the Cowboys have given up 330 yards of rushing and have allowed individual game-high rushes of over 200 yards.
Jeanty isn’t the only offensive weapon on the Broncos’ roster, as their starting quarterback, Maddux Madsen, has quietly put together a solid season in the shadow of Jeanty. Maddux has thrown for 2,194 yards to go along with 19 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
“The quarterback, Maddux Madsen, really makes them go. You can load the box on everybody run-game wise, but his accuracy and what Dirk Koetter does with him offensively and everything, creates a balance for them that makes them that much harder to defend,” Sawvel said.
The Broncos currently lead the fourth best defense in the Mountain West and have been holding conference opponents to around 21 points per game. Sawvel noted that if his defense can play at a high level to contain the Broncos’ potent offensive attack, then it will give his offense a chance to keep this game close down the stretch.
Cowboys look to end season on a high note
While this season has played out in a way nobody has imagined, especially for the seniors on this squad that have been through the highs of the last few years, Sawvel and his team still want to end the season on a high note, whether that’s by stringing together a pair of late season upsets or just by staying competitive with two highly ranked teams in Boise State and Washington State to end their season.
“I think that’s the hardest thing, in a sense, that there’s a number of seniors in our program that will be finishing up the type of season that we’re having right now, which none of us wanted, none of us expected,” Sawvel said.
“I think if you went down that list, right now, DeVonne Harris, Wyett Ekeler, Isaac White, all these guys, this isn’t the senior year that they had imagined for themselves.”
Despite just how bad, unfortunate or downright ugly things have been at times for the Cowboys this season, there is still light at the end of the tunnel with a number of young that are currently in the program, or coming to the program next year.
“We have two games left with a lot of guys that are going to be back for a while, that have a lot more growth to do…we have a ton of growth that we have to do in this program,” Sawvel said.
