The Aztecs suffered a tough 29-26 loss last weekend to 7-1 Washington State after the Cougars came from behind, down 26-14. Heading into this match-up on a short week of practice this week, the Aztecs will be heading into this game less rested than usual.
Boise State came off a pivotal 29-24 conference win against 6-2 UNLV. The Broncos sit at 6-1 with one of those wins coming against Washington State in a game they won 45-24. Their one loss came against the now No.1 ranked team in the nation, the Oregon Ducks, where they lost to a game-winning field goal.
The Broncos are headlined by Heisman candidate running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty leads the nation in rushing yards with 1,376 on 8.7 yards a carry and 18 rushing touchdowns. Jeanty is a very dangerous back coming out of the backfield who thrives off breaking tackles and yards after contact. The Aztecs are very familiar with him as he ran for over 200 yards and two touchdowns in their meeting at Snapdragon Stadium last year where the Aztecs fell 34-31.
The Aztecs may have their hands full trying to stop Jeanty as they rank eighth in the Mountain West in run defense, however, they were able to hold WSU to 114 team rushing yards on just 2.9 yards a carry. The BSU pass game should not be slept on as well as their quarterback Maddux Madsen has played a clean season with a 13-2 touchdown to interception ratio.
It will be a tough matchup, but the Aztecs’ defense has been stout all year long and should challenge the Broncos. The Aztecs may stack the box against BSU knowing how reliant they are on Jeanty. It will take a group effort by the front seven to stop Jeanty with Tano Letuli leading the charge at linebacker after his impressive outing against WSU, which was his first game back after missing two games with an injury.
Offensively, the Aztecs will see a tough matchup in the run game with BSU having the second-best run defense in the conference and the Aztecs struggling to put together efficient games on the ground as of late.
Most of the Aztecs’ success will likely come from the passing game with their mix of screens and downfield shots as the Broncos rank 10th in the Mountain West in pass defense. However, the offensive line will have a tall task in the trenches with an already banged-up squad as they face a ferocious BSU pass rush that ranks first in the MW in sacks.
Anytime you play a ranked team on the road, many challenges will arise. Jeanty will certainly be the focus of this game and if the Aztecs can contain him like UNLV did last game, they can put themselves in a position to pull off the upset.
After a devastating defeat last week to Washington State, San Diego State (3-4, 2-0 MW) will travel to Boise to play No. 15 Boise State (6-1, 3-0 MW) on Friday, November 1st at 5 pm.
