After a blip in Week 3, the Boise State Broncos got their season right back on track with a commanding victory over Idaho State this past Sunday. The Virginia Cavaliers, meanwhile, got a close-call win against William & Mary to tally the team’s first and long-awaited ‘W’ for the season.
Which of these two feisty competitors will continue to surge in Week 4? Read on as we tackle this intriguing matchup happening for an exciting “Friday Night Lights” special. For more coverage on the best games this coming weekend, check our previews for Utah vs. Oregon and USC vs. Arizona State right after this.
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Boise State Broncos vs. Virginia Cavaliers Preview
After a hard-fought 35-24 loss to BYU in Week 2 of the college football season, the Boise State Broncos bounced back in emphatic fashion with a 52-0 beat down of the Idaho State Bengals this past Saturday.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]The win over Idaho State should serve as a double-edged sword for the rest of the school’s season. Starting quarterback Ryan Finley had to exit the game in the first quarter due to a right ankle injury, thus making room for two other QBs to take snaps for the Broncos.
While Thomas Stuart (69 passing yards for one TD and 46 rushing yards) played fairly well as the team’s direct backup after Finley went down, it was the third-stringer who stole the show as the game continued to get out of hand for Idaho State. Brett Rypien – son of two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Mark Rypien – was phenomenal in his collegiate debut. The true freshman finished the game by throwing for 126 yards on 8-of-9 passing, with all four of his drives in the game leading to scores.
It wasn’t just Boise State’s aerial craft that passed with flying colors on Saturday, as even the team’s ground game was superb. The Broncos amassed 344 rushing yards on 58 carries against the Bengals, with sophomore back Jeremy McNichols rumbling for 69 yards and three scores.
And not only are the Broncos scorching earth with the run, they’re also preventing their opponents from torching the ground as well. They are allowing an average of 45.7 rushing yards per game so far this season (second-best in the nation), which just goes to prove why they are still the -250 clear-cut favorites to take home the Mountain West crown this 2015.
The total has gone over in Boise State’s last five games on the road, with the team posting an 4-1 record straight-up and 3-2 against the spread in that span.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers
Opening the season with two games against elite clubs was a tall order to begin with for the Virginia Cavaliers, so we won’t bury them too much for the disheartening 34-27 loss to Notre Dame on a Fighting Irish TD with 12 seconds left in the game. However, barely hanging on for the 35-29 win versus the lowly William & Mary Tribe this past Saturday cannot be forgiven.
The Cavaliers had to stave off a furious rally by the Tribe in the second half to finally record their first win of the season in a game that was expected to be all Virginia. Starting quarterback Matt Johns was somewhat efficient in that contest by completing 17 of his 23 passes for 263 yards three touchdowns, but did also throw a couple of picks to keep William & Mary in the game.
At least the downfield chemistry between Johns and running back Taquan Mizzell continues to grow. The junior ball carrier caught five of his QBs passes on Saturday for a solid 123 yards, including an 80-yard catch-and-dash touchdown in the third quarter. Mizzell now has 388 all-purpose yards and two TDs for the season, whereas he had 551 total yards and two scores all of 2014.
But since Mizzell acts like a hybrid back/receiver with his style of play, Virginia’s running game is not one to behold at all as it is ranked 104th in the nation in rushing offense. Maybe rookie running back Jordan Ellis, who had a 39-yard sprint to the end zone for his first-career carry in the collegiate ranks and finished last Saturday’s game with five carries for 50 yards, could put more than just a dent in Boise State’s wall of a front seven this Thursday.
Also, a huge defensive stand against a relatively strong Boise State offense could boost the team’s odds for an upset. The Cavaliers are giving up a whopping 444 yards of offense to the opposition this season, 102nd in the country.
Virginia has gone 4-3 both straight-up and against the spread in its last seven games.
Writer’s Prediction
Boise State makes quick work of Virginia, 35-14.
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