Boise State vs. New Mexico: Complete Game Preview

Boise State hits the road after a pair of home victories. The Broncos will head to New Mexico to take on a much-improved Lobos team.

Bob Davie is in his first year with New Mexico, and he has his team heading in the right direction. The Lobos are currently 2-2 on the season, but do they have what it takes to upset Boise State?

Coach Chris Petersen is looking for some offense. Against BYU at home in Bronco Stadium, the men in blue and orange could only muster a single touchdown—and that was on defense.

However, the canvas the Broncos will have at their disposal in New Mexico may allow first-year starting quarterback Joe Southwick and first-year offensive coordinator Robert Prince to create an offensive masterpiece.

With the improvements from New Mexico, it won't be as it was last year when Boise State pounded the Lobos at Bronco Stadium. This 2012 New Mexico team is scrappy and plays with heart and passion.

Let's look at the matchup between the Broncos and the Lobos.

Game-Day Information

Game: Boise State vs. New Mexico

When: 4:00 p.m. (MST)

Where: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Stadium: University Stadium Branch Field

TV: KTVB Boise, Idaho.

Radio: Bronco Radio Network, 770 KKOB-AM/Lobo Radio Network

Depth Chart for Boise State

Boise State Offense

QB: Joe Southwick, Grant Hedrick

RB: D.J. Harper, Jay Ajayi 

FB: Dan Paul, Chandler Koch

TE: Gabe Linehan, Chandler Koch, Holden Huff

WX: Matt Miller, Aaron Burks

WZ: Mitch Burroughs, Dallas Burroughs 

HR: Kirby Moore, Chris Potter

RT: Brenel Myers, Jake Broyles

RG: Michael Ames, Brenel Myers

OC: Matt Paradis, Spencer Gerke

LG: Spencer Gerke, Marcus Henry

LT: Charles Leno Jr., Faraji Wright



Defense

DE: Demarcus Lawrence, Tyler Horn

NT: Mike Atkinson, Greg Grimes

DT: Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, Darren Koontz

DE: Sam Ukwuachu, Beau Martin

WB: J.C. Percy, Tyler Gray

MB: Tommy Smith, Blake Renaud

NB: Dextrell Simmons, Corey Bell

CB: Jamar Taylor, Ebo Makinde

CB: Jerrell Gavins, Bryan Douglas

S: Jeremy Ioane, Hazen Moss

S: Lee Hightower, Darian Thompson



Special Teams

P: Trevor Harman, Dan Goodale

K: Michael Frisina, Dan Goodale

KO: Trevor Harman, Dan Goodale

KR: D.J. Harper, Mitch Burroughs

PR: Mitch Burroughs, Chris Potter

LS: Chris Roberson, Kevin Keane

Depth Chart for New Mexico

New Mexico Lobos Offense

QB: B.R. Holbrook, Cole Gautsche

TB: Kasey Carrier, Jhurell Pressley, Demarcus Rogers

WRH: Lamaar Thomas, Carols Wiggins

WRZ: Quintell Solomon, SaQwan Edwards

TEY: Lucas Reed, Chris Biren

WRX: Ty Kirk, Jeric Magnant

LT: Korian Chambers, Johnny Vizcaino

LG: LaMar Bratton, Calvin McDowney

OC: Dillon Farrell, Josh Baggett

RG: Garrett Adcock, Dillon Romine

RT: Darryl Johnson, Jamal Price

New Mexico Lobos Defense

DE: Jacori Greer, Jake Carr

NT: Reggie Ellis, Rod Davis

DT: Ugo Uzodinma, Rod Davis

RushLB: Joseph Harris, Javarie Johnson

MLB: Joe Stoner, Toby Ball

WLB: Dallas Bollema, A.J. Butler

Sam: Rashad Rainey, Tevin Newman

LCB: Destry Berry, Cranston Jones

SS: Jamal Merritt, Matt Raymer

FS: Brandon Branch, Dante Caro

RCB: DeShawn Mills, Tim Foley

Special Teams

FG/PAT: Justus Adams

KO: Greg Rivara

P: Ben Skaer

LS: Evan Jackson

H: Ben Skaer

KOR: Chase Clayton, David Anaya

PR: Ty Kirk, Carlos Wiggins

What Happened to the Broncos Last Week

Boise State faced BYU at home on a wild Thursday night game that was televised on ESPN.

Neither offense could get anything done, and in the end it was a 7-6 victory for the Broncos.

Boise State learned three things from the BYU game.

1. They have an incredible defense.

2. They need a lot of work on offense.

3. Winning ugly is still winning.

What Happened to New Mexico Last Week

The Lobos of New Mexico took on in-state rival New Mexico State in Las Cruces last Saturday.

It was a game that the Lobos never trailed in and ended up winning, 27-14. It put New Mexico at 2-2, surpassing its win total from a year ago of one.

New head coach Bob Davie seems to have his team on the right track going forward.

In the New Mexico State game, the Lobos had 394 yards of total offense with 302 of that coming by way of the ground attack. The Lobos used their triple-option offense to perfection against the Aggies, but against the Boise State defense it won't be near as easy.

What It Means to Both Teams

For Boise State, the New Mexico game is the first conference game of the season. One of the biggest goals for the Broncos in 2012 is to take home the Mountain West trophy in their last season as a member.

It starts in Albuquerque, and it will be a big first step.

Not only that, but the New Mexico game is a perfect place to work out some offensive issues the Broncos have been having. It will be the perfect environment to get some more players into the game and to allow Joe Southwick some situations to succeed.

In the end, it should be a great confidence booster for the entire Boise State team, but especially the offense.

For New Mexico, a win would be huge—no, enormous.

It would be one of the biggest wins in school history if the Lobos were able to pull it off. It would be the kind of victory that players and coaches would talk about for years to come.

Do the Lobos have it in them to take home the victory? It would take a lot more than them just having a great game.

Key Player for Boise State

Joe Southwick—again. Not because he is the key to winning the game, but because the pressure is on him to perform.

If Joe Southwick goes down to New Mexico and has a great game, it is safe to say the Broncos win. However, Boise State could still win if Southwick is average or even less than average.

Look for this to be a real confidence builder for Southwick. If he plays to his potential, gets in a rhythm, hits the passes he should hit and even lands a deep ball, the Broncos could benefit greatly all season from an Albuquerque showcase.

Key Player for New Mexico

The New Mexico Lobos love to run. They have a triple-option offense that rivals the likes of Air Force, with similar characteristics of the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Last week, Kasey Carrier had 21 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown. His longest was a 29-yard scamper, but the most impressive number was 6.1. That was the yards per carry that Carrier racked up against the Aggies.

It will be important for the Broncos to shut down all of the talented running backs of New Mexico, but Carrier ranks No. 1.

If Boise State can shut him down, there are others who can step up. However, they aren't as talented as Kasey, and stopping him would go a long way in stopping the entire Lobos offense.

Boise State Will Win If...

Boise State will win if they can shut down the New Mexico offense.

New Mexico runs the option, and what a good option offense does is limit the offense of the opposing team. How, you might ask?

If an option offense is successful at moving the ball, it chews up clock. In turn, that could limit the amount of time Boise State has on offense. Instead of getting a dozen opportunities to score some points over the course of the game, an option offense on the opposing team can reduce those chances for the opposing offense by three, four or even five possessions.

That is a lot of opportunity that is taken away from the opposing team.

So, if Boise State is able to create some three-and-outs, it will allow their offense to have more opportunities to score some points.

The Broncos offense will then need to play with consistency and make some things happen. They will certainly need to score some points to win this game.

New Mexico Will Win If...

New Mexico will win if their option is successful and they can step it up on defense.

First, if the option is successful it will limit the opportunities Boise State has on offense. It could also tire out a Bronco defense, and late in the game that could be a factor.

However, the New Mexico defense will have to do some good things as well. Which, won't be easy for a defense that has allowed an average of 32.3 points per game this season.

If the Lobos can step up on defense and hold the Boise State offense to less than 14 points, they may have a real chance at taking home the victory.

Prediction

In the end, Boise State gets it right.

Coach Chris Petersen has had a couple extra days of preparation for this contest, and you know he didn't let those go to waste.

Knowing his history, the Broncos coach has no doubt worked on his offense. Look for Joe Southwick to have the kind of day he had against Miami (Ohio). In fact, look for him to surpass that performance.

Look for D.J. Harper to do what D.J. Harper does and run for over 100 yards. Also, look for Jay Ajayi to have some serious yardage as this game should be the one that announces him to the college football world. Don't be surprised if the Broncos have two backs over 100 yards in this game.

Look for the deep ball. Either Dallas Burroughs or Aaron Burks, or both, will have catches over 45 yards.

Look for the Bronco defense to continue to do what they do, and in the end the triple-option offense will be controlled and limited by a very excellent Boise State D.

Prediction: Boise State 47, New Mexico 13