Boise State Coach Bryan Harsin Previews OSU Matchup, Praises Cornelius

Saturday won’t be the first time Bryan Harsin has coached against Oklahoma State. In fact, Harsin saw the Cowboys at arguably their best.

Harsin, Boise State’s coach, was Texas’ co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, meaning he was there in Austin when Brandon Weeden led OSU to a 38-26 victory in a season where the Cowboys would go on to win the Fiesta Bowl.

“We caught one of the best teams that I’ve ever seen when Brandon Weeden was there,” Harsin said in a teleconference Monday. “Playing against those guys, it was impressive. I’ve always respected Coach Gundy and what he’s done offensively and the way he’s gone about coaching that football team, not knowing we were gonna be here playing them this many years down the road.”

Harsin has also experienced winning in Stillwater, something he and the Broncos will look to do Satuday. In 2012, Harsin and the Longhorns beat the Pokes by 5 in Boone Pickens Stadium.

Since Harsin took over at Boise State in 2014, the Broncos are 6-4 against Power Five opponents. Boise State’s only meeting with a Big 12 team during that time was against Baylor in the 2016 Cactus Bowl, where the Broncos lost 31-12. In his teleconference, Harsin said his team’s mindset doesn’t change when the Broncos play a bigger, Power Five school.

“It’s Boise State vs. Oklahoma State,” Harsin said. “The Group of Five/Power Five, I don’t pay attention to that. There’s power programs. That’s how I look at it. Our mentality is, regardless of the logo they have on the side of their helmet, we’ve gotta go figure out a way to play to the best of our ability.”

OSU quarterback Taylor Cornelius’ scouting library isn’t too expansive, given he has only started two games and played about six quarters in those two games, but Harsin said he knows Cornelius is good because of OSU’s track record at producing top quarterbacks.

“To me, it’s not a tough scout,” Harsin said. “He’s a good player. The quarterbacks that have played for Oklahoma State are good players. They always have been, so I know he’s good. I know he’s good, I know he can make plays and I know this guy is going to be dialed in.

“From our defensive standpoint, check that box right there and get yourself ready to play because you’re going to go against one of the better quarterbacks in the country.”

The game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in BPS will be both teams’ first big test of the season. It’s the Cowboys biggest nonconference game since they went to Dallas in 2014 and fell to Jameis Winston and Florida State. For Boise State, it’s another chance to prove the stability a team from the Mountain West can have, stability dating to the Broncos 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory against Oklahoma.

“This is not a common matchup: Boise State vs. Oklahoma State,” Harsin said. “I think it’s exciting. I think if anybody wants to watch a really good football game with two really good football teams, they need to be watching this game because, if anything, this is what college football is really all about. It’s one of those you kind of look at and go, ‘Boise State is playing Oklahoma State, I’m gonna watch that game.’”