Boise State Football

Boise State began the post-Chris Petersen era a bit slowly last season but picked up steam and won its last nine games in a row, and three of its last four outings against the spread. The Broncos will try to pick up where they left off when they host their former head coach and his Washington Huskies Friday night on the Smurf Turf at Albertsons Stadium.

Point spread: Broncos opened as 11-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (see line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 25.9-21.6 Broncos

Why the Washington Huskies can cover the spread

Washington only returns nine starters this season, five on offense and four on defense. But this is the second season of the Coach Petersen era, and the familiarity with his systems should help overcome the lack of returning talent. The Huskies went 8-6 last year, but three of those losses came by one score or less, and they ended the season with a 4-1 run against the spread.

Petersen had a fantastic record on the blue turf as head coach of the Broncos, and he should know how to scheme against his former offensive coordinator, Broncos head coach Bryan Harsin.

Why the Boise State Broncos can cover the spread

Boise State carries a nine-game winning streak into this season after ending last season with a Fiesta Bowl upset of another Pac-12 outfit, Arizona. The Broncos return 17 starters from a team that went 12-2 last year, including the entire offensive line and eight on defense.

And while they have to replace their starting quarterback (Grant Hedrick) and last year's leading rusher (Jay Ajayi), they believe they have those holes filled. This is the first shot the Broncos—many of whom were recruited by Petersen—have had at their former head coach, which may provide a little added motivation.

Smart pick

Boise State would love nothing more than to show Petersen it's just fine without him, perhaps in tough fashion. And the Broncos hold a large advantage in returning talent. Pac-12 teams don't usually visit Mountain West schools, and this game might be a good example why. The smart betting choice is with the team with the motivation, the team that will probably win this game, and that's Boise State.

Betting trends

Washington is 3-0 ATS in its last three meetings with Boise State.

Boise State is 9-0 SU in its last nine games.

The over is 8-1 in Boise State’s last nine games.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.

Boise State quarterback Ryan Finley, who's fighting to win the Broncos starting job, was arrested early Saturday on a pair of misdemeanor charges.

Dave Southorn of the Idaho Statesman reports the sophomore faces charges of a minor in possession of an alcoholic beverage and resisting or obstructing officers. He also notes the school is already looking into the situation:

Ryan Finley, a sophomore quarterback and the likely front-runner to obtain the Broncos' starting position in the fall, was arrested early Saturday morning in Boise on charges of a minor in possession of an alcoholic beverage and resisting or obstructing officers, both misdemeanors.

Boise State said it is aware of the arrest and will follow the student conduct policy in accordance with the situation.

Bryan Levin of KBOI provided the mugshot and booking details:

Further details about the incident that led to the arrest weren't immediately released.

Finley appeared in five games last season as the backup for Grant Hedrick. He completed just 12 of his 27 attempts (44 percent) with two touchdowns and one interception. He also had seven carries for 31 yards in limited action.

The Broncos have given him the first opportunity to win the starting job for the 2015 campaign. The second-year signal-caller worked with the first-team offense during the spring game.

Whether this situation will have any impact on his effort to earn the job is unclear. It's also unknown what type of discipline he could receive from Boise State as a result.

It only took Bryan Harsin one season to earn a raise.    

According to the Idaho Press-Tribune's B.J. Rains, who cites a document on Idaho's Board of Education website, Harsin and Boise State have agreed on a new five-year contract worth a guaranteed $7.35 million. The deal, which is up for approval for the State Board on Thursday, includes bonuses that could push the total worth of the contract up to $9.35 million. 

As Rains noted, the only difference between this deal and the contract Harsin signed last December is a $100,000 signing bonus, another year (2019) tacked on for $1.75 million (the next four years remain the same) and other bonuses, both athletic and academic. 

There is also potential for the contract to be extended: 

The Idaho Statesman's Dave Southorn added some details about any potential buyout: 

In his first season as Chris Petersen's successor, Harsin had little trouble keeping Boise State's football team operating at a high level. The Broncos went 12-2, including an entertaining win over Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl. They finished No. 16 in the final AP poll. 

Keeping the team operating at a high level for an extended period of time will be the 38-year-old's next task, but whether it was as an assistant at Texas or as head coach for a year at Arkansas State, he has shown his worth on the sideline.   

This was likely an easy decision for Boise State

Its turf is blue and its playbook is packed with trickery—these things about Boise State remain unchanged. But what no longer applies to the Broncos is their fairy-tale footwear.

The glass slippers have been replaced with big-boy cleats, the same worn by the teams Boise keeps defeating on the big stage.

Following a third Fiesta Bowl victory in the past seven years, Boise State should no longer be considered a Cinderella. This is a program that can (and will continue to) play with the power schools, and as long as the current bowl format is in place, the Broncos figure to be penciled in for that "Group of Five" at-large bid annually.

A 12-game winner for the fifth time in the past seven seasons, Boise held on for a 38-30 win over Arizona on Wednesday at the University of Phoenix Stadium in a game that signaled its transition from outsider to part of the club.

Instead of having to make a rally against an established power, the Broncos jumped out to a 21-0 lead—even paying homage to their past Fiesta Bowl triumphs with a Statue of Liberty play for a touchdown—and then had to hold off the Wildcats as they attempted to make one of their own patented comebacks.

It was a bend-but-don't-break finish for Boise, capping a season that didn't begin with high hopes after program elevator Chris Petersen for Washington. Former Broncos quarterback Bryan Harsin, who was part of the team during its early years of FBS play, returned to his alma mater and made it as if no transition was ever needed.

Much like the mid-major powers in college basketball, Boise tries in vain to get games against notable opponents. Other than nearby Pac-12 schools, though, it's been hard to get teams to come play on the blue turf. The Broncos managed to convince Florida State and Michigan State to come to Albertsons Stadium, but those games aren't until 2020 and 2022, respectively.

This year, like many before it, Boise needed to hit the road to get a showcase. It played Ole Miss in Atlanta to start the season, giving up 28 fourth-quarter points to lose 35-13. It opened the 2012 season with a four-point loss at Michigan State and in 2011 began a 12-1 campaign by handily beating Georgia in Atlanta.

The Broncos haven't lost since Sept. 27, when senior quarterback Grant Hedrick threw four interceptions at Air Force. Ole Miss picked him off four times as well, yet he ended the season completing 70.8 percent of his passes for 3,696 yards and 23 touchdowns with 14 interceptions.

Hedrick began Wednesday's win by completing his first 14 passes, tying the record for consecutive completions to open a bowl game. He finished with 309 yards on 24-of-34 passing.

After starting 3-2, Boise ran off nine straight wins. It scored at least 28 points every game during that stretch, topping 50 on five occasions (including against three bowl-bound opponents), yet it wasn't until fellow Group of Five school Marshall lost for the first time that the Broncos even began to return to the national radar.

With this win over Arizona, they should remain in the spotlight, even though there will be major holes to fill in 2015.

Besides Hedrick's graduation, junior running back Jay Ajayi has already announced that he will enter the NFL draft. Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller has Ajayi—who went for 134 yards and three first-half touchdowns against Arizona to finish the season with 1,823 yards and 28 rushing touchdowns—as either a second- or third-round pick.

Those two, along with injured receiver Matt Miller, should add to the 10 draft picks that Boise has produced in the past three seasons. Those are power-conference numbers, not Mountain West ones.

Hedrick was the successor to Kellen Moore, while Ajayi got his shot once Doug Martin went to the NFL. It's been like that for more than a decade, and there's no indication this is going to stop anytime soon.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.

Although most of the attention during the college football season was directed toward the playoff race, two under-the-radar teams will get a chance to prove what they can do at the Fiesta Bowl.

Arizona earned one of the best wins of the year by defeating Oregon, but the next time the Wildcats had a turn in the spotlight, they were blown out in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Still, with plenty of young talent on the roster, fans better start taking note of this up-and-coming squad.

On the other hand, Boise State ended the year as the best non-Power Five conference team in the nation, but it took most of the year for the team to finally get the respect it deserved.

With a great offense and some serious star power, though, it will be hard not to notice the Broncos in this game.

One of these teams will be able to earn a marquee win to end the year and a lot of momentum heading into next season. However, only one can win, and it will be the one that best follows these keys to victory.

Arizona

Control the Clock

When Arizona is playing well, it is moving the football on the ground behind Nick Wilson and controlling the pace of the game. Even before Wilson took over as the primary back, he and Terris Jones-Grigsby combined for 207 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the win over Oregon.

The Ducks were limited to just 26 minutes and 28 seconds of possession in their only loss of the season.

This was clearly not the case in the Pac-12 Championship Game, as Arizona had the ball for just over 21 minutes in a 51-13 loss. The team ran just 61 plays compared to 94 for Oregon.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports joked about this problem during the game:

Arizona dealt with the same problem in the 17-7 loss to UCLA. Meanwhile, USC was able to steal a win against the Wildcats when Anu Solomon threw the ball 72 times.

The team is at its best when it runs the ball as much as possible. Wilson is coming off a terrible outing, but he had 396 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the two games prior.

If he is successful, the team will be able to score offensively and keep Boise State's No. 9 scoring offense off the field.

Slow Down the Run

Stopping the run will be almost impossible. Jay Ajayi is one of the most underrated players in college football, ranking fourth in the nation with 1,689 rushing yards and second with 25 touchdowns.

Boise State offensive coordinator Mike Sanford had a lot of praise for the junior running back:

Can’t express how proud I am of Jay Ajayi (@Slick27_PomE) for being named to @USATODAYsports All-American Team. Most complete RB out there!

— Coach Mike Sanford (@SanfordBSU) December 11, 2014

Meanwhile, Arizona ranks just 72nd in the country against the run, a number that was clearly inflated by allowing 301 rushing yards to Oregon.

The good news is the Wildcats do have the ability to at least slow down the Broncos on the ground. Scooby Wright can cover most of the field on defense—he just needs the defensive line to hold its ground in the trenches.

If Boise State is limited in the running game, Arizona should be able to pull out a close win.

Boise State

Avoid Interceptions

Each of Boise State's losses had a similar theme: bad turnovers.

Senior quarterback Grant Hedrick had five interceptions all of last season and five more this year in the 11 wins. On the other hand, he had a total of eight picks in losses to Ole Miss and Air Force.

Hedrick has been extremely accurate this season, as noted by Blue Turf of Rivals.com:

The problem is sometimes his decision-making leaves much to be desired. Against a more athletic team than he is used to facing, this could be an issue.

If he cannot hold on to the ball and gives Arizona more opportunities to score, Boise State will be in trouble.

Get off the Field on 3rd Downs

Arizona has a quality offense and is at its best when it can move the ball down the field and continue extended drives. Of course, this has not been the case in the losses this season.

In the team's three losses this season, the squad is just 20-of-57 on third downs for a mark of 35.1 percent. Over the course of a full year, this would rank 103rd in the country.

This plays right into Boise State's hands with the team currently ranking 22nd in the country in defensive stops on third down, according to NCAA.com.

There are few things worse for a defense than making good plays on first and second down, only to allow the opponent to keep the drive going with a third-down conversion. The Broncos have to do their best to get the opposing offense off the field to get the ball back to Hedrick and Ajayi as quickly as possible.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

Boise State is headed to a marquee bowl for the first time since 2009, when it beat TCU 17-10 in the Fiesta Bowl.

The College Football Playoff selection committee announced Sunday that the No. 20 Broncos will play No. 10 Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl December 31 in Glendale, Arizona.

Boise State won the Mountain West Conference with a 28-14 win over Fresno State Saturday, finishing the season 11-2. One of those losses came on a neutral field to No. 9 Ole Miss in Week 1. The other came against a plucky Air Force team in Week 5. Its eight consecutive wins are tied for the third-longest streak in the country.

In the BCS era, there is no way an 11-2 Broncos team would have made an Access Bowl. Thanks to the CFP, which mandates that the highest-ranked champion from a "Group of Five" conference be included, they will be back in Glendale for the third time in nine years.

Not a bad first season for head coach Bryan Harsin.

Harsin came to Boise after one year as the head coach at Arkansas State. He spent the previous two years as the co-offensive coordinator at Texas and the nine years before that as an assistant with the Broncos.

From 2006 to 2010, Harsin was the offensive coordinator under head coach Chris Petersen, a Boise State legend who in December 2013 became the head coach at Washington. Petersen had flirted with and shot down a number of high-profile jobs in the past, so when he left it seemed the Boise State "dynasty" might be dead.

But Harsin never wavered from the standard he helped Petersen establish. This is one of the most balanced teams in college football, a roster with no discernible weak spot. The pass defense is the only unit on either side of the ball that does not rank in the national Top 40 in yards per game, and even that is a misleading number.

The Broncos rank No. 5 in the country with 20 interceptions.

Much like the other great Boise State teams of the past decade—the 2007 and 2010 Fiesta Bowl Champions—this year's team is led by one of the best backfields in college football: dual-threat quarterback Grant Hedrick and running back Jay Ajayi.

Hedrick ranks No. 9 in the country in passer rating (157.78) and has rushed for 563 yards and eight touchdowns. He is No. 19 in ESPN's Total QBR metric, which adjusts for rushing stats and context. Only two non-power-five quarterbacks rank higher.

But Ajayi is the real star of the team. The 6'0", 216-pound bruiser is a redshirt junior but will likely declare for the NFL draft this offseason.

It is rare to find a player with his size and power who can also move like a scatback and catch like a tight end. He ranks No. 9 in the country in rushing yards per game (179.69) and No. 2 in rushing touchdowns (25) and flashed his versatility with 12 catches for 93 yards against Ole Miss in Week 1.

"Most of the national attention on the running back position has been directed towards Melvin Gordon, Telvin Coleman and James Conner for their spectacular efforts, but Ajayi is beginning to generate some buzz on the West Coast with his sensational production as the Broncos' workhorse runner," wrote Bucky Brooks of NFL.com.

Better late than never, I suppose.

Even with Petersen in Seattle, Boise State is the Alabama of non-power-conference football. It is the team every other team wants to beat. And for that, Harsin takes more (or at least different) pride in this year's achievements than anything he accomplished in the past.

"For the guys in our program right now, this is the most difficult time to win a championship, because Boise State is on the map," Harsin told reporters after Saturday's win. "And that’s what I’m most proud of, to go out there every single week and know that we have a history and a record. We still step out there and give their very best.

"I don’t know if there is a another group, not to take anything away [from previous teams], but it’s been five years and one last time on the blue as seniors in particular, that’s what they’ve set out to do."

We all know what happened the first time Boise State made the Fiesta Bowl. With Petersen at the helm, it upset Adrian Peterson's Oklahoma Sooners with a hook-and-lateral at the end of regulation and a statue-of-liberty two-point conversion in overtime.

The Broncos will not shock the world with another win, which in part speaks to the state of their own program and in part speaks to the widespread opinion of Arizona, which looked awful, to put it kindly, in the Pac-12 Championship Game against Oregon. But in some ways, that might be more fitting. Boise State is in no shape to be shocking anyone or anything. Not anymore, it isn't.

When it wins, we should all nod our heads.

Follow Brian Leigh on Twitter: @BLeighDAT

The No. 22 Boise State University Broncos outlasted the Fresno State Bulldogs 28-14 en route to a Mountain West Conference championship Saturday night.

Boise State jumped out to a 28-point lead but cooled off during the second half. Regardless, the Broncos are likely headed to a New Year's Eve bowl game against a Power Five opponent.

Pass Offense: Boise State didn't need to rely on the passing attack, but Grant Hedrick connected with his targets on 9 of 16 attempts for 155 yards. He scrambled when necessary and was sacked just once.

Run Offense: Though Jay Ajayi raced to a 70-yard performance during the opening 30 minutes, he failed to gain a yard in nine second-half carries. Hedrick waltzed in for two touchdowns on designed runs, but Boise State will need a dominant performance from its offensive line to upset an eventual postseason opponent.

Pass Defense: Donte Deayon intercepted Brian Burrell in the end zone, Tanner Vallejo recorded a pick-six and Beau Martin sealed the victory by snaring a swing pass with less than two minutes remaining. The defense, which recorded four sacks, surrendered 30 of 45 completions but allowed just three passes to gain more than 20 yards.

Run Defense: The Broncos completely stonewalled a team that entered the night averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game, limiting Fresno State to 70 yards and three first downs on 41 carries. They shut down outstanding running back Marteze Waller, holding him to a season-worst 1.5 yards per carry.

Special Teams: Punter Sean Wale averaged 40.1 yards over seven attempts, and Dan Goodale buried all four extra points. Jeremy McNichols only had two chances to run back a kickoff, and no Broncos player officially recorded a punt return. Most importantly for Boise, though, was that nobody on special teams screwed up.

Coaching: Defensive coordinator Marcel Yates shied away from blitzing, though Boise State was clearly most successful when pressuring Burrell. Despite the second-half struggles, head coach Bryan Harsin led his alma mater to an 11-2 record and a major bowl game during his first season as head coach, and that's a major accomplishment.

Follow Bleacher Report college football writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.

What started out as a rough season for the Fresno State Bulldogs has turned into a shot at the conference title. They meet the Boise State Broncos in Saturday’s Mountain West Championship Game at Bronco Stadium.

The West Division champion Bulldogs suffered through two three-game skids this year but also won three in a row twice, going 5-1 against the spread during the two different winning streaks.

Point spread: The Broncos opened as 17-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 30.3-20.6 Broncos

Why the Fresno State Bulldogs can cover the spread

Fresno State has nothing to lose here. It is already bowl-eligible with six wins and is content to finish the season on a positive note by making it to this game.

The Bulldogs played Mountain Division champion Boise State tough on the road back on October 17, losing 37-27 but covering the spread as 18-point underdogs. All looked lost for them when they fell to the Wyoming Cowboys 45-17 two weeks later as 15.5-point favorites.

But Fresno was able to come together and end the regular season with three straight wins, including two as an underdog. The Bulldogs are 7-3 straight up and against the spread in their last 10 road games against Mountain West opponents.

Why the Boise State Broncos can cover the spread 

The Broncos have absolutely dominated Fresno State over the past 14 meetings, going 12-2 SU and ATS. One of those non-covers came earlier this year, but you have to go back to 2005 to find the previous time they failed to beat the number against the Bulldogs. Boise has also won its last seven games overall, winning the past two by a combined score of 113-33 and easily covering both.

During their winning streak, the Broncos are averaging nearly 51 points per game, while Fresno has scored more than 35 only twice all season. The over cashed in all of those games for Boise, and if that trend continues, the Bulldogs will struggle to keep up this time in a shootout.

Smart pick

The Broncos seem to have finally found their groove late in the season and should be able to win this rematch by at least three touchdowns.

They have superior talent and will be facing a team that is just happy to be here. Fresno is way too inconsistent to trust in this spot and has not covered two straight in the series over the past 13 years, so why would that change here?

Keep in mind that Boise dominated the Bulldogs in the first meeting earlier this year despite only winning by 10 points, outgaining them 492-313 in total yardage and 24-12 in first downs. If that happens again, the final margin will at least double on the scoreboard, so look for the Broncos to cover at home.

Betting trends 

• The total has gone over in five of Fresno State's last seven games when playing Boise State.
• The total has gone over in five of Boise State's last six games at home.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.

In the middle of the second quarter in Boise State’s game against Wyoming, any viewers still awake saw the Broncos pull off a perfectly executed Statue of Liberty play. Quarterback Grant Hedrick dropped back and faked a pass to the right, but he handed the ball with his off hand to Jay Ajayi, who was running to the left. Ajayi dashed 20 yards to the end zone, and Boise State was able to extend its lead to 28-7.

That type of play brought back memories of what made Boise State famous. Arguably the most memorable play in Boise State football history also came on that Statue of Liberty play. It occurred in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl on the two-point conversion that finished off the incredible upset of Oklahoma.

When Chris Petersen accepted the Washington head coaching position last December, the Boise State program could have easily lost its edge. However, with Bryan Harsin now calling the shots, the opposite has happened.

Harsin, who played quarterback at Boise State from 1995-1999 and was on the Bronco coaching staff from 2001-2010, has reinvigorated a team that seemed to digress toward the end of Petersen’s tenure. The Broncos lost four games in 2013, which amounted to one-third of Petersen’s total losses in his eight seasons at Boise.

This year’s Boise State team looks very formidable—one that a power conference team would not like to face in a bowl game. The Broncos are loaded with weapons on the offensive side of the ball, and Harsin has made sure that creativity and trickery remain BSU staples.

Senior Grant Hedrick has blossomed into a lethal dual-threat quarterback, passing for 20 touchdowns and rushing for six more so far this season. He ranks 10th in the nation in passer rating, according to ESPN.com, and has continued to improve throughout the year.

However, Hedrick has greatly benefited from the presence of Jay Ajayi. Ajayi leads the nation with a whopping 276 carries and forces defenses to put more people in the box to stop the run, allowing Hedrick plenty of space to operate his aerial attack. Ajayi has also been an integral part of the passing game, recording the third-most catches on the team and four touchdowns.

In the third quarter of the Broncos' 63-14 romp of Wyoming on Saturday, Ajayi caught a screen pass and raced 73 yards for a touchdown. With that terrific catch-and-run, Ajayi set the school record for yards from scrimmage in a single season.

A receiving corps consisting of Shane Williams-Rhodes, Thomas Sperbeck and Chaz Anderson has responded admirably since star wide receiver Matt Miller was lost for the season with an ankle injury. Williams-Rhodes leads the team in catches, Sperbeck leads the team in receiving yards and Anderson leads in yards per catch.

The defense has struggled mightily at times, but the offense has been good enough to bail the team out in most games. The Broncos sit at 9-2 on the season and are one win away from the Mountain West Conference championship game. Should they win out, the Broncos have a solid chance of sneaking into a top-tier bowl.

In ESPN.com’s most recent bowl projections, both Mark Schlabach and Brett McMurphy picked Boise State to play UCLA in the VIZIO Fiesta Bowl. Also, the Broncos worked their way into the AP Top 25 for the first time in 2014. It marks the 13th consecutive season that Boise State has been ranked in the AP or coaches poll at least once in a season.

This year’s team is not quite as dominant as the Broncos were in Petersen’s prime—when Kellen Moore was handing off to Doug Martin and throwing to Austin Pettis and Titus Young—but it is playing remarkably better than it did the past two seasons.

And Harsin deserves a ton of credit for the transformation. He has made the offense more efficient and productive while at the same time keeping the Boise State edge that Petersen developed.

The Broncos have not cracked either of the first two of the College Football Playoff rankings, but with their recent impressive play, that may change on Tuesday when the new polls will be released.

BSU lost its season opener to an Ole Miss squad that was in the playoff conversation until this weekend and then got outplayed by Air Force four weeks later, losing 28-14. In that game, the Broncos turned the ball over seven times, including four Hedrick interceptions. Since then, though, they have won six straight games, averaging more than 50 points per game, and Hedrick has thrown only four interceptions.

They are playing their best football in three years, peaking at just the right time, and if they are picked to play in a premier bowl, they will be a tough matchup for whomever they play. They might not be as talented as their opponent, but that has never intimidated them before.

If it’s a close game at the end, the Broncos have shown they have a knack for an exciting finish. Whether it’s the hook-and-ladder, Statue of Liberty or another trick play, Harsin will not be afraid to pull the trigger.

Watch out for the Broncos—not only this year, but in the future—because Bryan Harsin has picked up right where Petersen left off.