SAN JOSE, Calif. – Boise State is coming off a rare loss and the No. 21 Broncos look to bounce back when they visit San Jose State on Saturday night. Boise State's hopes of an unbeaten season were derailed by BYU on Oct. 19 and the Broncos then had a bye week to lick their wounds.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Boise State -17.5
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Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said his team kept its focus on maintaining a positive attitude in the wake of the 28-25 road loss to BYU. "We didn't sulk. We didn't sit there and pout about what happened," Harsin said at a press conference. "We just used the week to our advantage and tried to look at all the things we need to improve at and get better." The Broncos are quite aware of San Jose State's ball-hawking secondary as the club ranks second in the nation with 13 interceptions, trailing only Oregon's 14. The Spartans are much improved from the program that went 3-22 over the past two campaigns and are hoping to win six games in a season for the first time since 2015.
ABOUT BOISE STATE (6-1, 3-0 Mountain West)
It hasn’t yet been decided if freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier (1,547 yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions) will return from a hip injury suffered against Hawaii on Oct. 12 or if sophomore Chase Cord will make his second career start. Cord had an up-and-down performance against BYU by passing for 185 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions as the Broncos scored their second-fewest points of the season. Junior pass rusher Curtis Weaver has 9.5 sacks this season and ranks third in school history with 30, two behind second-place Chris Wing (1994-96).
ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE (4-4, 1-3)
Senior quarterback Josh Love passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday’s 34-29 win over Army and has thrown for 2,355 yards and 15 touchdowns while being intercepted just three times in 293 attempts. “He is just outstanding,” Spartans coach Brent Brennan told reporters of Love. “His ability to distribute the ball to different people on the field makes our offense go.” Sophomore cornerback Nehemiah Shelton, senior cornerback Brandon Ezell and junior safety Bobby Brown II share the team lead of three interceptions for a unit allowing 29.4 points per game.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Boise State is 13-0 all-time against San Jose State.
2. Broncos junior RB Robert Mahone (389 rushing yards, five touchdowns) will miss the game with a lower-leg injury.
3. The Spartans are 4-1 when scoring 30 or more points.
PREDICTION: Boise State 40, San Jose State 23