Boise State Hosts Utah State In Inaugural Conference Game, Celebrates 2007 Fiesta Bowl Team

Utah State will travel to Boise State to face off in what will be both teams’ inaugural Pac-12 game … and what a great game for the Broncos to get their feet wet.

The two programs have shared a history, having followed each other to four different conferences, in what you might call a very loyal rivalry.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, Boise State decided that this would be the week to celebrate 20 years since its infamous upset over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, meaning Utah State has been selected to be sacrificed on national television as the entire ‘07 team, along with the rest of Boise, watches.

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“We stand on the shoulders of what people have done long before we got here, and we do not take that lightly,” head coach Spencer Danielson said Thursday.

It should be a good show.

Boise State vs. Utah State

The 2026 Aggies are having what most football programs would consider to be a down year. This would apply to Utah State as well ; however, their performance this year isn’t necessarily out of the norm.

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Since 1994, the program has one fewer winning season than Tom Brady has Super Bowl rings, with seven. During that span, the program has seen 11 head-coaching changes, amounting to no New Year’s Six bowl game appearances.

Against the Broncos, they have won just five of their 30 total matchups, and currently, Boise State is on a 10-game winning streak over the Aggies.

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As far as this year’s Utah State team goes, it’s looking like more of the same.

The Aggies rank 136 out of 138 teams nationally in scoring offense, only putting up 13 points per game.

Senior quarterback Grady Brosterhous’ numbers this year aren’t in great shape. He’s thrown more interceptions than touchdowns on the year and has been sacked nine times.

“When I think of a team coached by Bronco Mendenhall and his staff, they’re going to be very, very sound, they’re going to play really, really hard,” Danielson said. “And being honest, they’ve turned the ball over at times in games and that’s why they’ve lost a couple of these games.”

What’s worse is that Brosterhous is the team’s leading rusher. In fact, two of the top three rushers for Utah State are quarterbacks, as junior backup quarterback McCae Hillstead’s 43 yards come in right behind senior running back Javen Jacobs’ 192 yards.

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Boise State presents a stark contrast to Utah State in this matchup. 

The Broncos’ leading rusher is indeed a running back, and his name is Dylan Riley.

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Riley, who’s having an outstanding junior season, ranks third nationally with 592 rushing yards and is on pace for a 1,776 yard year.

Senior quarterback Maddux Madsen is having another solid year, compiling 814 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. 

His two favorite targets, freshman receiver Rasean Jones and senior tight end Matt Wagner, account for more than half of Madsen’s production as they combine for 428 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns.

This week is likely to be another multiple-score win for Boise State. Utah State is just not in full form in 2026, while Boise State is the Group of 6 College Football Playoff (CFP) favorite.

At 3-1, the Broncos sit at No. 22 in the AP poll and look to climb the ladder even higher as conference play begins. This week’s game probably won’t move them up or down more than one spot, assuming they win.

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What’s important for Boise State this week is that they show continued improvement. Last week in their win over Western Michigan, the team played the most complete football game they have all season.

If the Broncos want a chance to make some noise in the CFP, they must build on that performance each week. That starts Saturday at Albertsons Stadium against the Aggies.

Final Score: 38-13