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Boise State Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Wyoming

By Connor Muldowney

SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Brett Rypien #4 of the Boise State Broncos clooks to throw the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first half at SDCCU Stadium on October 14, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Brett Rypien #4 of the Boise State Broncos clooks to throw the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first half at SDCCU Stadium on October 14, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /
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Boise State football will travel to Wyoming in Week 8 and here’s everything you need to know for the Mountain West matchup.

Coming into the season, Boise State football had high expectations. The Broncos were returning starting all-conference quarterback Brett Rypien, now a junior, and they added Kansas dual-threat grad transfer Montell Cozart to the mix. Both had played fairly well through six games, although Rypien missed some time, and Boise State is 4-2.

The run game has been nearly non-existent, though. Sophomore Alexander Mattison has come on as of late with back-to-back 100-yard games and he looks to lead this backfield back from the brink. Right now, the Broncos have just 812 rushing yards in six games with 10 touchdowns, averaging a paltry 3.6 yards per touch. That needs to change.

Wyoming, on the other hand, has put together a 4-2 campaign as well with a 2-0 record in the Mountain West. However, this will be the Cowboys’ first conference test. They faced Oregon and Iowa in non-conference play, but it’s safe to say those two contests were far from competitive.

Behind the arm of potential first-round draft pick Josh Allen, the Cowboys are looking to make a run in the Mountain West. He’s had an underwhelming year thus far, passing for 1,085 yards and seven touchdowns with four picks and a 57 percent completion rate. However, he’s been stronger in conference play, passing for 427 yards and four touchdowns in two wins.

Here’s how to watch Saturday’s Boise State vs. Wyoming game:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 21
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Location: Boise, Idaho
Venue: Albertsons Stadium
TV: ESPN 2
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

While it’d be easy to say that Boise State needs to let Rypien do his thing through the air, I actually believe the Broncos would be better served developing a strong rushing attack. The game plan should be to set up the run with a suddenly-hot Mattison which will open up the aerial attack for Rypien against a strong Wyoming defensive backfield.

Playing on that blue turf won’t be easy, but if the Cowboys want to pull out a big road win, they need to stymy Rypien — which goes without saying. If Rypien can be slowed down by that 15th-ranked pass defense, then Allen can take advantage of Boise State’s 64th-ranked secondary. He will also need to have a big game and potentially go for over 300 yards with no interceptions.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Complete first round after Week 7

Prediction

This is going to have a “Pac-12 After Dark” feel to it despite being a Mountain West contest. Hey, there needs to be a phrase to describe Mountain West night games. Anyway, the Broncos are going to rely heavily on Alexander Mattison who will record his third straight 100-yard performance while the passing game struggles against the Cowboys. Josh Allen, on the other hand, will torch Boise State for 315 yards and three scores, but a late interception will end the comeback effort.

Final Score: Wyoming 27, Boise State 31

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