Boise State has its biggest game of the season Friday. Here’s what makes UNLV dangerous

BOISE — If you spend any time around Boise State coach Spencer Danielson during the week — or any coach, for that matter — you’ll hear an iteration of a favorite quote: “The next game is our biggest of the season, because it’s the next one.”

Danielson didn’t take long to resort to it this week, approximately three minutes into his Monday press conference. But this time, most everyone can tell you, he’s not really exaggerating.

No. 17 Boise State (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) will travel to Las Vegas to take on UNLV (6-1, 2-0) at Allegiant Stadium on Friday night in a conference matchup that could alter the direction of their seasons.

These teams last met in the Mountain West championship game in December, with the Broncos winning 44-20.

They were picked 1-2 in the preseason conference poll, with Boise State getting 38 first-place votes and the Rebels the other four. And they have both been ranked in the Top 25 this season, as well as touted as the two Mountain West teams that could make the expanded College Football Playoff if they win the league title.

Boise State, behind the heroics of Heisman Trophy hopeful Ashton Jeanty, is perhaps the favorite right now to be the Group of Five representative in the playoffs. The highest-ranked champion from a G5 conference — the Mountain West, AAC, Conference USA, MAC and Sun Belt — is guaranteed a spot.

But UNLV could take over the driver’s seat with a victory over the Broncos. It’s quite possible the two teams could wind up meeting again, in the league title game, and the regular season winner gets to host that contest.

The Rebels, like the Broncos, have dropped just one game, and that was a controversial 44-41 overtime decision at the hands of Syracuse, after UNLV was the victim of a questionable roughing-the-passer call.

“On the road (UNLV) beat Houston, beat Kansas, beat Oregon State — those are big,” Danielson said Monday. “I’m shocked they’re not ranked in the (Associated Press) Top 25. They deserve that, for sure.”

The Rebels earned their first-ever AP Top 25 ranking at No. 25 earlier this season — Kansas was in the Top 25 when UNLV beat the Jayhawks — but dropped out after one week because of the loss to Syracuse. They received five points in the latest poll.

WHAT MAKES UNLV SO DANGEROUS?

In a season in which Boise State has won games by an average margin of 25.4 points — the one loss was at now-No. 1 Oregon, which beat the Broncos 37-34 on a walk-off field goal — why is Friday night’s showdown expected to be a thriller?

One of the most significant factors is UNLV’s ability to force turnovers. The Rebels are tied for second in the nation in turnover margin (plus-12) and have senior Jackson Woodard as the only linebacker in the country with four interceptions. He’s joined by senior free safety Jalen Catalon (four interceptions) and senior nickelback Johnathan Baldwin (two interceptions) on what is an opportunistic defense, with 13 interceptions.

“His length, his speed off the edge … they move him around, he’s versatile,” Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said about Woodard. “They use him in different ways; he’s more like an NFL outside linebacker. He’s a dropper. He’s a rusher.”

But it’s not just UNLV’s defense that can cause problems. Even though the Rebels lost starting quarterback Matthew Sluka after three games over an NIL dispute, they have two high-quality wide receivers in seniors Ricky White III and Jacob De Jesus. White has 614 yards (16th in the nation) and nine receiving touchdowns on 46 receptions, while De Jesus has 293 yards and two TDs on 17 receptions.

“I thought (White) was one of the best in our conference last year, and he’s only gotten better,” Danielson said. “He’s one of the smoothest route runners that I’ve seen. He gets in and out of his breaks very well, you can run the whole route tree with him.”

Danielson said he’s been impressed by senior quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, who took over for Sluka. Williams is completing passes at a 70% clip (62-for-88) for 838 yards and 10 touchdowns through four starts. He also has 390 rushing yards and four TDs on the ground, making him yet another dual-threat QB the Broncos will have to battle.

“It’s a nightmare to get him down in the pocket, and when he takes off, it’s not like he’s going to take off and get five or six. He’s taking off for an explosive run,” Danielson said. “They’ve got design runs for him, too. He can make all the RPO throws, he can make the deep throws down the field, and he’s got weapons all over the place.”

Boise State is a slight favorite in the game, at 2.5 points as of Monday afternoon, according to ESPNBet. The game is being played at cavernous Allegiant Stadium, home to the Las Vegas Raiders, so the Rebels’ home-field advantage is a bit negated. The crowd likely will be about half of the stadium’s 65,000 capacity.

UNLV VS. BOISE STATE

When: 8:30 p.m. Mountain time Friday

Where: Allegiant Stadium

TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Robert Turbin, Tiffany Blackmon)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 113 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 5-1, 2-0; UNLV 6-1, 2-0

Series: Boise State leads the series 9-3

Vegas line: Boise State by 2.5 points

Weather: High of 85, low of 61, humidity 21%, a few clouds, 0% chance of rain