Bounce back opportunity for Boise State hosting Wyoming
Bryan Harsin shared almost the same sentiment this week as he did a year ago when Boise State suffered another disappointing and unexpected league loss.
"Am I upset? I'm absolutely upset. I'm upset for our coaches and players more than anything," Harsin said after Boise State tumbled from the AP Top 25 following a 52-26 loss at Utah State. "At the same time, I know that these guys will bounce back and I know that they're going to compete hard and I know they'll get ready for this week of prep and do it the right way, and I'm glad I get to be a part of that."
Boise State (5-2, 2-1 Mountain West) will look to rebound on Saturday night hosting Wyoming and look to follow a similar path from last season.
The Broncos were blown out at Air Force last season, but responded with nine straight wins, including a Fiesta Bowl victory over Arizona.
But there might not be enough time, or enough quality remaining on the Broncos' schedule, to get back into consideration for one of the New Year's bowl games. Utah State would need to lose twice since it now owns the tiebreaker over Boise State. And the Broncos' remaining five opponents are a combined 14-20.
Wyoming (1-6, 1-2) won for the first time in nearly 12 months last week, beating Nevada 28-21. It's been a tough stretch for the Cowboys and second-year coach Craig Bohl, and facing Boise State coming off a loss doesn't make the task of winning consecutive games for the first time since the first two games of the 2014 season any easier.
"Our main concern is our process, our maturation process and taking a step forward in getting us better this week," Bohl said.
Here's what else to watch for as the Broncos try to improve to 10-0 all-time against the Cowboys:
MCNICHOLS RETURN: Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols is expected to return after missing last week's loss due to a concussion suffered in the Broncos' win over Colorado State. Despite missing last week, McNichols is still tied for second in the country with 14 total touchdowns, two behind Baylor's Corey Coleman.
HILL CLIMB: While McNichols has been scoring touchdowns for Boise State, Wyoming's Brian Hill is the top running back in the Mountain West. Hill needs just 15 yards rushing to reach 1,000 for the season. Hill is averaging 140.7 yards per game and is fourth in the country with 985 total yards rushing through seven games. Hill is trying to become the Cowboys' first 1,000-yard rusher since Devin Moore in 2008.
SECONDARY CONCERN: Boise State will be without senior cornerback Donte Deayon for about a month after minor knee surgery. The injury was aggravated two weeks ago against Colorado State and will sideline Deayon until late in the regular season. The Broncos are hopeful he can return for either the Nov. 14 home game against New Mexico or Nov. 20 against Air Force.
Freshman Tyler Horton and Raymond Ford will likely fill in while Deayon is out.
STOP THE SCORING: Wyoming is coming off a season-best 21 points allowed in the win over Nevada but the Cowboys still have one of the worst scoring defenses in the Mountain West. The Cowboys are tied for 95th nationally, giving up 32 points per game. The only team that's worse in the Mountain West is Fresno State.
