What threat does UNLV bring? Speedy, dual-threat QB could cause Boise State a headache

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — The first time Boise State faced UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams this season, the Broncos thought they had a decent idea of what to expect and how to attack it.

But on UNLV’s second play of the game, he kept the ball on a run-pass option, escaped around the left edge and sped off on a 71-yard run. Williams finished the game with 105 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, 179 passing yards and two passing TDs.

“I think we were kind of prepared for (Williams), but we didn’t expect (his running) as much as it really ended up,” redshirt sophomore edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan told the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday.

Boise State earned a 29-24 win in Las Vegas thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown from junior running back Ashton Jeanty and good defensive stops down the stretch.

The two teams meet again Friday night at Albertsons Stadium in the Mountain West championship game, and there’s never been more at stake for a pair of Group of Five conference schools. The winner will grab the Group of Five leagues’ automatic berth to the College Football Playoff, for being one of the five highest-ranked conference champs.

A victory for Boise State, ranked No. 10 in the CFP committee rankings, also could mean a first-round bye as one of the four highest-ranked champions.

Before all of that, the Broncos will have to deal with Williams again, who’s only looked more comfortable as the season has progressed. The senior spent five years at FCS school Campbell in North Carolina before transferring to UNLV to back up Matthew Sluka. But after Sluka left UNLV following a Name, Image and Likeness dispute, Williams found himself in the starting role.

“You look at all the Mountain West quarterbacks, (Williams) is playing at one of the highest levels of all of them,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said Monday. “From where he didn’t start the year, whatever goes down, and he steps in and just continues to put the team on his back.”

Williams earned All-Mountain West second-team honors on Tuesday. The Broncos know much more about Williams this time around, with so much more game film readily available in addition to what the defense saw in late October.

Freshman cornerback Franklyn Johnson has been playing as the scout team quarterback this week to mimic Williams’ speed and elusiveness. Virgin-Morgan described Johnson as “super quick” and “super agile.” Williams can take off on option plays or even call his own number straight up, but that means he also has the ability to scramble for significant gains when a play looks dead.

“The design runs and the play actions are a lot different compared to him scrambling,” Virgin-Morgan said.

The Broncos did sack Williams six times in the regular season game, with Virgin-Morgan accounting for 1.5 of those. Several came because Boise State’s pressure was just too much and defenders were able to drag Williams down as he scrambled in the backfield.

Virgin-Morgan said the Broncos are “going to stay aggressive.” However, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander acknowledged that both teams must mix things up because of the familiarity and what’s at stake.

“When you play a team twice, you’ve got to have new wrinkles, you’ve got to have new things that you can show them. They’ll have new things they’re going to show us,” Chinander said. “This is obviously a conference championship game, so there’s nothing to hold inside the coat pocket for later on down the road. I think we’re going to see their best, and they’re going to see ours.”

Boise State vs. UNLV

When: 6 p.m. Mountain time Friday

Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,363, turf)

TV: Fox (Jason Benetti, Brock Huard)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 162 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 11-1, 7-0; UNLV 10-2, 6-1

Series: Boise State leads the series 10-3, defeated the Rebels 29-24 in Las Vegas in regular season

Vegas line: Boise State by 4 points

Weather: High of 41, low of 29, humidity 91%, mostly cloudy, 6% chance of rain or snow