How fitting it is for Colorado State to be traveling to Boise this weekend with Halloween less than three weeks away? In college football, there’s not a better haunted house than Albertsons Stadium, home of the Broncos.
It starts with the blue turf, a unique stadium feature in the country.
“I don’t like watching film of the blue turf and trying to see the numbers,” joked Rams head coach Mike Bobo as he spoke during his weekly presser with the media. “It’s really a pain in the you-know-what. But I’ve talked to coaches that have been there and they say it’s not an issue when you’re there playing.”
The Rams’ head coach continued, saying his team can’t afford to make it a distraction Saturday night.
“They’re a good football team,” said Bobo. “Whether it (the turf) is blue, green, red, we’ve got to go play and play well to have a chance.”
That’s enough about the field, though. The reality is that CSU, along with countless other FBS schools, struggle mightily against the Broncos in Boise.
Since 2000, Boise State ranks first in the nation in home winning percentage, going 98-6 (better than 94 percent). What’s maybe just as impressive is that the Broncos have yet to be behind in a game in 2016.
A lot of that can be attested to Boise State making a habit of jumping out to early leads.
Said Bobo: “Nobody’s really stopped these guys. They’re very successful and they’re very, very successful early in games. They jump on people. We’ve got to do a good job of keeping things in front of us early on, not giving up a big play.”
The Broncos have a number of weapons on offense, especially their quarterback Brett Rypien. The sophomore was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week on Monday and ranks first in the conference in passing efficiency, touchdowns, and yards.
“He doesn’t seem to be phased by much,” said Bobo. “He understands where he’s going and he understands coverages.”
Rypien’s got “a lot of answers,” as Bobo put it, referring to the number of playmakers on the Broncos’ offense.
Some of those featured skill players include running back Jeremy McNichols, whose 112 rushing yards per game rank 17th in the country. And when Rypien decides to put the ball in the air, he has the conference’s two top receivers to go to in Thomas Sperbeck and Cedrick Wilson.
Of all those guys, Sperbeck might be the one that gives the Rams the most trouble.
“He’s a great route-runner,” said Bobo. “He understands man and zone. He understands the leverages guys are playing. He’s a very smart football player. He’s got exceptional hands and he can stretch the field and make plays on the deep ball.”
Whether it’s Sperbeck, Wilson, McNichols or someone else, Boise State boasts one of the most prolific offenses in the country.
“They pick their poison at how they’re going to attack you,” said Bobo. “All of those guys can hurt you.”
The history of this brief series leans heavily toward the Broncos. In five all-time meetings, the Broncos have outscored the Rams 225-91. In two games in Idaho, they have a 79-38 edge.
So does intimidation come into play for this game?
“I don’t want to ever say that we’re intimidated by anybody,” emphasized Bobo. “We’re going to respect them and they’re very good and they could hit us in the mouth and it could get ugly, but we’re not intimidated.”
Just like every other week, Bobo and the coaching staff will put together a gameplan that gives CSU the best chance to win. But whether or not the Rams believe they can hang with the 15th-ranked team in the nation, in one of the most difficult venues to play no less, will be seen Saturday.
“If you’ve got any doubt about what you’re doing or whether you can play, this team will eat us alive,” said Bobo.
