broncos trap game? boise state at colorado state game preview

Entering Week 9 action in the Pac-12, the Boise St Broncos head to Fort Collins to play the Colorado St Rams. Entering this matchup, the Broncos lead the Pac-12 and look to move to 8-1 (5-0 Pac-12) while the Rams, sitting at the bottom of the conference, want to regain some momentum to get out of last place, and a win knocking off the 25th-ranked team in the country would do just the thing. Colorado State enters this game with a middling 3-5 record hoping to keep bowl hopes alive. For the Rams, this is a perfect upset opportunity.

For the Broncos, their offense is ranked 21st in points per game with 35.88, and they have the 11th-ranked rushing offense with 222.8 yards per game. That offense is led by star QB Maddux Madsen, who, this season, is 148/222 for 1,681 yards, 15 TDs, and an INT.

For the Broncos' run game, RB Dylan Riley leads the team with 1,049 yards on 165 carries, which is 6.4 yards per carry, along with 9 TDs. Their receiving leader, WR Rasean Jones, has 38 receptions for 554 yards and 4 TDs. Boise State has been on a tear since their shootout loss against Oregon in Week 1, and the offense has played at an elite level.

Since they played Oregon in Week 1, they have not scored fewer than 30 points, with their lowest-scoring game being 31 points back against Washington State. Madsen has had a great passing season, averaging more than 150 passing yards per game.

While the passing numbers won't wow you, Madsen has been one of the country's smartest and most efficient signal callers all year long. Madsen has simply given the Broncos an opportunity to win. Even with how run-heavy the Broncos are, they still will beat you on both facets of offense. 

On the defensive side of the ball for the Broncos, their defense allows 350.2 yards per game. They are led by LB Jayden Virgin-Morgan, who leads the team with 3.5 sacks this year, and LB Boen Phelps, who leads the team in tackles with 49 so far.

The Rams, on the other hand, have yet to have similar success. Coming out of the gate hot, beating Wyoming in week 1 and Southern Utah in week 2, the Rams went on a 4-game losing streak, during which they lost by an average of 55.5 points. However, amongst those losses, through 8 games, they’ve averaged 243.6 passing yards; so QB play for the Rams has not actually been that bad. Hauss Hejny has emerged as the Rams' starting QB in replacement of Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi from a year ago and has done a great job since doing so. Expect multiple power four programs to try to poach Hejny over the offseason. Hejny tallied 300+ yards against San Diego State just two weeks ago.

For the Rams, their offense is ranked 25th in points per game with 35.5. Their passing offense is ranked 26th with 270.9 yards per game, and they are ranked 16th in rushing yards per attempt with 5.3. The offense is led by QB Hauss Hejny, who is 90/134 for 1,138 yards, 14 TDs, and 2 INTs. Leading the charge for the ground game is RB Mel Brown, who, on 52 carries, has 454 yards, rushing for 8.7 per game and 3 TDs. 

Colorado State's receiver room has quietly been elite all year. The group's leading WR, RJ Vick, has 425 yards on 29 receptions and 4 TDs, while Tennessee transfer Travis Smith trails closely behind with 369 yards on 28 receptions. Smith has been the Rams' best big-play threat offensively. Against an elite Boise State secondary that has ranked top 20 in most defensive categories, Smith and Vick will have their work cut out for them in a big way.

For the Rams defense, they’ve allowed 42.4 points per game, which ranks 138th in the FBS, which is not a good look for this Week 9 matchup against this powerful Boise State run offense. Colorado State HC Jim Mora made headlines earlier in the year for firing the groups DC in the middle of a game, but the numbers would tell you that the sacking was quite deserved. This Rams defense has almost no bright spots and has ruined an offense that surprised many preseason.

Two weeks ago against San Diego State, this is a defense that allowed an abysmal 49 points despite coming away with the victory thanks to offensive firepower. Some leaders for the Rams are DL Brandon Kelley, who has 1.5 sacks this season, which leads the team. On top of that, LB Oumar Diomande leads the team in tackles with 76. Any team where the sack leader has just 1.5 sacks through eight games simply does not have a good defense.

A key matchup to look out for in this game is the high-powered offense of the Rams, which has the potential to match the Broncos, who are fighting for a chance to get back into the CFB. An additional matchup to look for is the Rams' defense against the best RB in college football (Dylan Riley) and how they plan to game plan against him. 

This game looks to be a blowout for Boise with them being favorited with a 91% chance to win but if Colorado State’s defense can hold down the electric Broncos run game, it has a possibility to be a great PAC-12 matchup. For a Rams offense that scored 56 points just two weeks ago, do not count out Colorado State, even against a ranked Boise State team.

CFB Weekly Prediction: CSU keeps it close, but Boise State escapes late.