Boise State Football: 3 takeaways from home loss to Virginia

The upsets started on Friday night in Week 4 as Boise State fell big at home. What should we take away from the Broncos blowout loss to Virginia?

When they took to the Smurf Turf on Friday night, Boise State was hoping to lock down a statement win over a visitor from the ACC. Virginia arrived in Boise as a 13.5-point underdog on the road, having lost at home to Indiana in their only non-conference game against a fellow Power Five program. After a 2-1 start that included an overtime loss on the road against a ranked Washington State team, Boise State looked ready to make noise on a national level.

The Cavaliers and their, second-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall had different plans. Mendenhall won his third game in five meetings against Boise State. He went 2-2 as the BYU head coach versus the Broncos between 2012 and 2015. This game was a rubber match of sorts as the coach brought his new school across the country.

With a 42-23 win on the road, Virginia opened eyes across the country in prime time ahead of a full slate of Week 4 games. A program that hasn’t gone bowling since 2011 looks ready to take the next step, while Boise State is falling back into the pack in the Group of Five. Click ahead for three takeaways after the fallout from Virginia’s shellacking of Boise State on Friday night.