Six Things to Know as Upset-Minded Boise State Comes to Town

Boise State has a ton of momentum as it prepares to face off against No. 24 Oklahoma State on Saturday.

The Broncos bring with them not only a top-shelf offense that ranks No. 4 nationally and just embarrassed UConn, but also a stingy defense led by NFL talent up front.

There are a lot of layers to this team that are still being peeled back. So I took some notes after reading Boise’s game notes for this weekend and ripped some of the most important ones to know.

1. Boise State and Oklahoma State have never played. I don’t know that this is all that surprising, but considering both have been top-25 (top-20?) programs over the last decade-plus, it’s remarkable they haven’t stumbled upon one another in a bowl game. The last time OSU faced a Mountain West team, though, it came in 2003 when OSU thumped Wyoming 48-24 in Stillwater. So Gundy has never served as head coach when OSU was pitted against a Mountain West team.

2. Bryan Harsin is 0-1 against the Big 12. Maybe more relevant: Boise State is 2-1 against current Big 12 member schools. But Bryan Harsin, Boise’s coach, is 0-1. Harsin took over as head coach in 2014. His only game against the Big 12 came in 2016 when Baylor took them out 31-12.

3. The OSU defense has been stout. Through two games, the Jim Knowles-coached defensive unit has forced 18 total three-and-outs. And its third-down defense, once a liability, has been a strength: Teams are converting on only 24.2 percent of opportunities, which ranks 17th nationally going into Week 3 of the season.

4. Boise is … purdy good. Against ranked opponents, the Broncos are 13-16 all time, and are 3-1 in its four most recent contests. Howevah … Boise is 3-11 all time when playing a road game against a ranked team.

5. Mike Gundy is … purdy great. The Broncos are nothing if not consistently really good, but let’s not forget that Mike Gundy’s track record is far more impressive — especially in non-league play. According to OSU’s game notes, Gundy is 47-11 in non-conference games as head coach, and his teams are riding a nine-game winning streak in non-conference games.

 Also, this is good: 

A very impressive stat from @OSUAthletics game notes headed into Boise State: Oklahoma State is 15-2 (!) in its last 17 when the game is decided by fewer than 10 points. Could be a factor Saturday; OSU now only a 2.5 point favorite.

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) September 12, 2018

6. Quick hitters. There are tons of interesting factoids I learned from Boise and OSU’s game notes this week, so here’s the nuggets I found especially relevant. 

• OSU has won 17 straight games when leading at halftime, a streak that began on Sept. 17, 2016.

• OSU has won three straight overtime games.

• Dating back to 2008, the Cowboys have won 57 of their last 62 games when winning the turnover battle.

• Boise is seeking its 200th win since the start of the 2000 season on Saturday. They are the winningest team in college football with 199 wins since that time period, two ahead of OU (which is at 197 entering this weekend) and four ahead of Ohio State (which is at 195 entering this weekend).

DID YOU KNOW? BOISE BEAT OU

BONUS. Boise State once beat OU in one of the more epic finishes of a college football game I can remember. If you want the good stuff, scroll over to the 16:40 mark to watch the magic.