Boise State guide: How to watch Utah State game, what to watch for after Avalos firing

After the firing of head coach Andy Avalos, the Boise State football team will try to leave the chaos behind in its final Mountain West road game of the regular season.

The Broncos will take on Utah State at 5 p.m. Saturday at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Both teams enter with five wins — one victory away from becoming bowl eligible.

“Boise comes to town, senior night, last home game of the year, trying to fight to get to number six. We’ve lost seven in a row to these guys and 19 of the last 20,” Utah State coach Blake Anderson said during a Monday news conference. “This is a huge game for us. It will really tell us a lot about who we are.”

The Aggies (5-5, 3-3) have won two in a row and have one of the Mountain West’s top offenses.

Utah State is second in the Mountain West and 20th in the nation in scoring offense at 35.5 points per game. The Aggies are also first in the conference and 22nd in the nation in total offense (448.3 yards), and third in the league and 33rd in the nation in passing offense (271.0).

The Aggies do the majority of their damage through the air and are the only team in the nation that has three players with at least six touchdown catches. Junior wide receiver Jalen Royals is tied for third in the nation with 11 TDs, senior Terrell Vaughn is tied for seventh with 10 TDs and junior Micah Davis is tied for 46th with six TDs. Collectively, those three have caught 157 passes for 2,177 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Utah State’s 30 touchdown passes are tied with USC for No. 3 in the nation, trailing only Oregon (32) and LSU (31), while its 46 total touchdowns are tied for 18th most in the nation. The Aggies also challenge defenses with their pace of play, running a play every 21.3 seconds, which is tied for the fourth-fastest tempo in the nation, according to information provided by Utah State.

“I have always had a lot of respect for what they do offensively,” said Boise State interim head coach Spencer Danielson, who will continue to run the team’s defense. “This year they’ve been able to put a ton of points on the board and a ton of yards, and they keep a lot of defenses on their heels.”

Defensively, Utah State has not fared as well. The Aggies rank eighth in the Mountain West in total defense (400.3 yards) and ninth in scoring defense (32 ppg). But takeaways are another story. Utah State is third in the Mountain West and 11th in the nation with 19 forced turnovers.

“It’s not one of those games where you blow somebody out,” Anderson said. “This is gonna be a 60-minute battle, physical, hit people in the mouth, get hit in the mouth kind of battle. And it’s gonna come down to that moment where we have a chance to win it. And are we mature enough? Physical enough? Can we execute well enough to get it done?”

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Well, obviously, how does the team respond to such a drastic in-season decision?

There always will be way more questions than answers when it comes to the firing of Avalos so late in the regular season. Playing their first game without him, the Broncos will either be galvanized or they will look a little lost.

There are things we do know, though. Avalos wasn’t out there throwing interceptions and fumbling. He wasn’t out there giving up huge passing plays with alarming regularity. He was, however, in support of the odd two-quarterback system, and there must have been some sort of disconnect with the staff and players he was leading.

Chances are, there will be an incredibly emotional, inspired football team wearing some combination of orange, blue and white this week. That won’t be a reflection of the coach and person that Avalos is. It will be a reflection of Boise State simply wanting to prove itself.

And this is a team that — thanks to the mediocre Mountain West — still has something to play for, too. The conference title game is probably going to come down to tiebreakers, and if the Broncos win out, they will be part of those tiebreakers. That is big motivation.

How well does Taylen Green play?

The two-QB system has been taken care of for now via Maddux Madsen’s knee injury. But while it was employed, the staff seemed to be setting Madsen up to succeed, giving him the wealth of opportunities.

Now Taylen Green, who had seen his snap count dwindle, is back in there for every-down play, and he needs to find a good offensive rhythm and confidence throwing the ball when it’s needed.

Utah State’s defense, as noted above, is a sieve. The Broncos don’t need to overthink this and do anything fancy. Protect the ball. Give the offensive line a chance to dominate. Let Green make plays with his legs, and use George Holani and Ashton Jeanty (if he’s back) to gash the Aggies to set up play-action passes.

A whole lot of offense and scoring

Statistically speaking, Utah State is No. 1 and Boise State No. 2 in total offense in the Mountain West. They both average more than 31 points per game. Utah State has played two QBs as well this year — Cooper Legas and McCae Hillstead have both started games — and its passing attack still averages 271 yards per game. That’s the same amount Boise State’s leaky pass defense has surrendered per game.

The Broncos have scored at least 30 points in eight straight games, which is an amazing run. Only problem is, they’ve lost three of those games by giving up 35, 31 and 37 points. They also gave up 31 in one of the wins.

In other words, betting the over would be logical.

BOISE STATE AT UTAH STATE

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Maverik Stadium (25,100, FieldTurf), Logan, Utah

TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Brandon Baylor)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 5-5, 4-2 MW; Utah State 5-5, 3-3 MW

Series: Boise State leads the all-time series 22-5, and the Broncos have won seven straight games against the Aggies.

Vegas line: Boise State by 3

Weather: High of 53 degrees, 31% chance of rain, 3 mph wind

THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE

Boise State makes coaching change, firing Andy Avalos with two games remaining

Here’s how much it will cost Boise State to part ways with its football coach

After ‘tough day,’ Boise State AD searches for a football coach; defensive analyst promoted

Is Boise State’s leading receiver interested in rejoining the team after coaching change?

Boise State’s highest-rated recruit ‘evaluating options’ after coaching change

Did Boise State approve its Dollar Loan Center sponsorship? That’s in dispute

‘He’s a great leader.’ Is Boise State’s next head football coach already on staff?

Broncos in the NFL: Former Boise State star’s career in jeopardy after neck injury