What Boise State Fixed During Their Bye Week Break

Broncos off the Bye

Long time no see for the No. 21 Boise State Broncos, who are fresh off of a bye and preparing for another road game up in Pullman, Washington.

Since we last saw Boise State play, the college football world has imploded.

Five of the AP Poll's top 10 teams lost, the Big 12 has three undefeated teams — the most of any conference — and a 24-team playoff seems all but guaranteed.

Meanwhile, Boise State used its bye week to regroup. The Broncos held just two practices and team meetings as they prepared for the final six weeks of the regular season.

So, what has Boise State been working on? The coaching staff has prioritized self-scouting, looking for ways to fix the defense's issues and potentially get new players on the field.

“There are some guys that have done a really good job that we have to find more ways to get on defense, get on special teams,” Danielson said. “We have to find the 11 guys that are going to compete at a high level and be more consistent.”

Head Coach Spencer Danielson said that the explosive play issue was at the front of his mind over the bye week.

“We have to find ways to be more disciplined with [our] fundamentals and technique every snap,” Danielson said. “It’s not a scheme issue … there’s no magic scheme out there to stop everything an offense does. The magic is brought to life by your effort, your fundamentals and technique.”

Boise State defensive coordinator Erik Chinander echoed that message, emphasizing technique and fundamentals in the secondary.

“I don’t necessarily look at calls, for me, it’s more about techniques,” Chinander said. “How many techniques are the DBs executing, what techniques are they good at, what techniques are they not good at.”

That could mean eliminating coverages the secondary struggles to execute and incorporating more schemes that play to its strengths.

Boise State travels to Washington State

Boise State is 6-0 in games following a regular-season bye since 2020.

Boise State last faced Washington State in 2024, routing the Cougars 45-24 at Albertsons Stadium in front of a record-setting crowd of 37,711.

This time, Boise State travels to Pullman, where Washington State has historically given the Broncos trouble. The Cougars lead the all-time series 5-2, and Boise State has yet to win at Martin Stadium in three attempts.

As far as the current state of affairs at Wazzu, it seems there have been some cataclysmic changes on the offensive side of the ball.

Through six weeks, sophomore quarterback Caden Pinnick had been lackluster to say the least, throwing just three touchdowns to five interceptions, and was sacked 21 times, second most in the nation. This amounted to an offense that has produced just 20.1 points and 307.6 yards of total offense per game.

Last week against Oregon State, the Cougars made a couple of key changes, starting with the quarterback as freshman quarterback Owen Eshelman made his collegiate debut.

In his collegiate debut, Eshelman posted 389 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. It is expected that the freshman will make his second start this week.

The Cougars also made a change at offensive playcaller. Head coach and former Boise State receiver Kirby Moore took over playcalling duties from another former Bronco, Matt Miller, against Oregon State.

This week, Moore is expected to call the game.

“One game is not a lot to go off of,” Chinander said. “Coach Moore is calling it now … it’s always different with a different play caller and different with a new quarterback.

Through seven games, Washington State has endured a difficult start to the 2026 season. The Cougars are 1-6 and rank near the bottom of the Pac-12 in several major offensive categories.

Washington State's struggles give Boise State an opportunity to shake off the rust and build momentum heading into the final stretch of the season. But with the Cougars introducing a new quarterback and playcaller, the Broncos will have to prepare for an offense that could look different from the one they've studied on film.

Final Score: 43-23