How BYU Stacks Up With Boise State Heading Into Rivalry Matchup

PROVO, Utah – The BYU-Boise State rivalry has become one of the best annual football matchups throughout the intermountain west. However, this year’s game (1:30 p.m., ABC & KSL NewsRadio) has a different look than previous matchups.

Boise State comes into the game with a losing record. The Broncos are 2-3 through the first five games under first-year head coach Andy Avalos.

BYU is experiencing what Boise has grown used to over the years, an undefeated record at 5-0 and a high national ranking. Kalani Sitake’s squad comes into Saturday afternoon ranked No. 10 in both major Top 25 polls.

BYU has some questions coming into today’s game, most notably at quarterback, where it will be either Jaren Hall or Jacob Conover getting the start. Hall is coming back from a ribs injury he suffered against Arizona State and an upper-body setback he’s been working through as well.

#BYU QB Jaren Hall discussed his injury progress heading into this week's game against Boise State with @KSLunrivaled. #BYUFootball #GoCougs https://t.co/tmJ4gPLvtj

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 6, 2021

Boise State is looking to find the winning “standard” they’ve grown accustomed to on the Blue. It will be difficult to reestablish it against a solid BYU team that has won the last two meetings in the series.

Here’s a statistical look at how the two teams stack up against one another to get you ready for the game.

BYU-Boise State Offense

(NCAA rank)

Scoring Offense

45. Boise State 32.6

66. BYU 29.2

Total Offense

62. BYU 402.4

77. Boise State 378.4

Rushing Offense

48. BYU 177.8

127. Boise State 74.6

Passing Offense

74. BYU 224.6

18. Boise State 303.8

Red Zone Offense

13. BYU 94.7%

33. Boise State 91.3%

First Downs Offense

58. BYU 106

58. Boise State 106

Time Of Possession

72. BYU 29:25

78. Boise State 28:52

Defense rankings

Scoring Defense

35. BYU 19.4

56. Boise State 22.8

Total Defense

73. BYU 378.8

94. Boise State 411.8

Rushing Defense

53. BYU 127.4

104. Boise State 191.2

Passing Yards Allowed

62. Boise State 220.6

99. BYU 251.4

Team Passing Efficiency Defense

53. Boise State 125.65

56. BYU 126.74

Red Zone Defense

14. Boise State 68.4%

29. BYU 73.3%

First Downs Defense

80. Boise State 101

92. BYU 107

Individual Leaders for Boise State, BYU Football

Quarterbacks

BYU: Jaren Hall 51-of-85 for 561 yards with 7 TDs and two interceptions, 137.9 QB Rating

Boise State: Hank Bachmeier 120-of-183 for 1,520 yards with 11 TDs and four interceptions, 150.8 QB rating

Running Backs

BYU: Tyler Allgeier 102 carries 569 yards, 7 TDs

Boise State: George Holani 34 carries 123 yards, 1 TD

Receivers

BYU: Neil Pau’u 22 receptions for 281 yards, 4 TDs

Boise State: Khalil Shakir 31 receptions for 518 yards, 4 TDs

Defense

BYU: LB Ben Bywater 35 tackles

Boise State: DB JL Skinner 51 tackles

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.