BOISE, Idaho — Two programs synonymous with signature moments and championship-level success will finally meet as FBS counterparts.
App State (2-1) is heading west from the Blue Ridge Mountains to face Boise State (2-1) on "The Blue" of Albertsons Stadium. FS1 will air the nonconference game, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. MT) on Saturday.
"They're well-coached, and it will be an awesome challenge to travel a long way to go play a really good opponent," first-year App State head coach
Dowell Loggains said.
The Mountaineers and Broncos have played one previous time, with Boise State earning a 17-14 home win in the quarterfinal round of the 1994 FCS playoffs. The Broncos made their FBS debut two seasons later and were a top-10 team when they pulled out one of the most exciting victories in college football history by converting a long hook-and-lateral play into a touchdown and adding two go-ahead points on a "Statue of Liberty" handoff to stun No. 7 Oklahoma 43-42.
That Fiesta Bowl thriller was played on Jan. 1, 2007. Exactly eight months later, Corey Lynch blocked a game-ending field goal from No. 5 Michigan to cap App State's 34-32 upset in The Big House.
The Mountaineers departed the FCS ranks for the Sun Belt Conference in 2014 and became a postseason-eligible FBS member in 2015. Over the last decade, Boise State leads all Group of Six schools with 96 wins, followed by App State's 95. They accounted for four conference titles apiece in the previous 10 seasons.
That's a lot of similarities between programs that haven't crossed paths in more than 30 years.
"Really impressed with their program and have been for a long, long time," Loggains said. "Even in the NFL, when we were evaluating players, they've always done a really good job in the evaluation process find the two and three stars that turn out to be really good players."
The Mountaineers don't head west all that often, as this will mark their 11th game outside the Eastern or Central time zones, with six of the first 10 being either FCS playoff games (three times) or Sun Belt Conference games against now-departed league members Idaho and New Mexico State. App State's 1-4 record against current Mountain West members includes a 22-19 loss at Wyoming in 2023.
Boise State opened league play last weekend with a 49-37 win at Air Force, an impressive result that followed a 34-7 loss at USF to open the season and a 51-14 victory against Eastern Washington the next week.
Dylan Riley, who made a bigger impact last year as a kick returner (237 yards) than a running back (135 yards) with Ashton Jeanty rushing for 2,601 yards, has emerged since being held to 20 yards on seven carries as the team's No. 3 back against USF. He totaled 123 rushing yards on just six carries against Eastern Washington and scored four rushing touchdowns in a 171-yard performance while also adding a 75-yard touchdown reception against Air Force. Sire Gaines led the team in rushing against USF, had 14 carries for 98 yards against Eastern Washington and could be in line for a bigger workload after being limited to three carries against Air Force.
Maddux Madsen (5-foot-10, 207 pounds) returned at quarterback after helping lead the Broncos to the College Football Playoff last season, and he's thrown for 225, 307 and 276 yards in Boise State's three games. The Broncos' offense will be the toughest test to date for an App State defense that ranks fifth nationally in tackles for loss per game (9.3), eighth in rushing defense (61.7 yards allowed per game) and tied for 15th in sacks per game (3.0) following games against Charlotte, Lindenwood and Southern Miss.
Giveaways via three interceptions on first-half plays inside the Southern Miss 10 were the biggest separator as App State dropped its league opener on Sept. 13, in advance of a Sept. 20 bye weekend.
The Mountaineers, who used three quarterbacks in Hattiesburg, Miss., after a second-quarter injury prevented
AJ Swann from returning, rank No. 3 nationally by averaging 357.7 passing yards per game. App State quarterbacks have enjoyed great success targeting receiver
Jaden Barnes (T-No. 4 FBS at 8.0 catches per game, No. 5 at 112.3 yards per game), receiver
Dalton Stroman (No. 12 FBS at 98.3 yards per game) and tight end
Izayah Cummings (No. 4 among FBS tight ends at 5.3 catches per game, No. 8 among FBS tight ends at 57.3 yards per game).
Rashod Dubinion has provided offensive balance by rushing for 133.3 yards per game, an average that ranks fifth nationally. Boise State has allowed 393.0 yards per game so far this season, including 167.3 per game on the ground, and two of the Broncos' three defensive takeaways occurred in the win against Eastern Washington, so protecting the ball will again be important to the outcome.
Saturday's game will be played on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene's devastating arrival in western North Carolina, with rebuilding efforts ongoing in the High Country, and it will also be the program's first game since the tragic passing of App State alumnus, football All-American and former head coach Shawn Clark.
He started at left guard as a true freshman in the 1994 playoff game at Boise State, and 65 players on App State's current roster were either members of Clark-coached teams in Boone or recruits who committed prior to Loggains' arrival.
"You can see it in their faces what Coach meant to these guys," Loggains said. "From his community, his old teammates, the people that he's coached, you can see how much he meant and the impact that he's made on people. You get into coaching to impact young people, and Coach accomplished that mission."
