Game Day Guide: No. 22 Boise State to open first Pac-12 season on The Blue against Utah State

BOISE, Idaho — Boise State prepares to open its first-ever Pac-12 conference slate by welcoming Utah State to Albertsons Stadium on Saturday.

Boise State is coming off a dominant 32-7 win in Kalamazoo over the Western Michigan Broncos, holding Western Michigan to a single late touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Maddux Madsen threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns and continued to not throw a single interception yet this season. Boise State tight end Matt Wagner had a career game, finishing with seven catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs. Dylan Riley ran for 138 yards, including 103 in the first half. Boise State finished with 377 offensive yards, 204 through the air and 173 on the ground.

Western Michigan gained 223 yards but converted just 2 of 14 third downs and missed on all three fourth-down tries. Roman Tillmon picked off a pass for the first interception of his career, setting up Wagner's second score, and led the team with six tackles. The Broncos have now won 11 straight games against MAC opponents, with their last such loss coming Sept. 13, 1997, against Central Michigan.

The win over Western Michigan propelled the Broncos into being ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 Poll. The last time Boise State was ranked in the poll was last season when the team was ranked 25th in the preseason poll. The last time the Broncos held a spot in the regular season was in 2024 when they ended the season ranked No. 8.

"I [told the team], ‘Guys, congrats. You guys are ranked.’ But I’m also a truth-teller, and I said the only rankings that matter are the rankings at the end of the season," Spencer Danielson said during his Monday press conference. "I told them the last time we were ranked, which was last season, did not go well. Let’s not get that twisted. So, congrats. The only rankings that matter are the rankings that happen at the end of the season."

Utah State is coming off a 21-10 win over Troy on Saturday to end their nonconference schedule.

Utah State quarterback Grady Brosterhous accounted for 331 total yards of offense over the Trojans on Saturday. Brosterhous threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 89 yards, both career highs. Javon Robinson broke a tackle and went 57 yards for a touchdown on Utah State's first offensive play. Troy led 10-7 at halftime, but the Aggies took control after the break, with Utah State adding two touchdowns and holding Troy scoreless to secure the win at 21-10. Utah State's D'Angelo Mayes, Brevin Hamblin, and David Kabongo each came up with an interception.

Utah State has had somewhat of a gauntlet of a schedule so far this season. Boise State, now ranked No. 22, will be the third-ranked team the Aggies have played this season.

Utah State went to Seattle during week two of the season and played a very close game against the No. 19 Washington Huskies, only losing 14-16. The Aggies held the Huskies to a single touchdown and three field goals but put up two touchdowns against the Huskies, including a one-play, 78-yard passing touchdown from Grady Brosterhous to Javon Robinson.

"They’ve played a tough schedule to date, had a big-time win at home against Troy, who’s a really good football team," Spencer Danielson said on Monday. "Utah State dang near beat Washington in Washington. We’ve played those guys. We know how good they are, and so I’ve got a lot of respect for Bronco, man, a ton of respect for him. I honestly wish we didn’t play each other because I’d be picking his brain more because I just think the world of him as a football coach, as a leader, as a mentor, and I know his teams will be ready to play.”

The Aggies also played an in-state rival the week after Washington, No. 17 Utah, and lost 0-33 without scoring a single point. The Aggies were outmatched against the Utes, managing only 188 yards of offense while allowing 480 total yards. The Aggies' other loss of the season came to an FCS team, the Idaho State Bengals, when the Aggies lost 17-29. The Bengals also outgained Utah State, putting up 407 yards of total offense on the Aggies while Utah State managed only 241.