UNLV-Boise State matchup: Quarterbacks take center stage

UNLV-BOISE STATE MATCHUP

Who: UNLV (10-2) vs. Boise State (8-4)

What: Mountain West football championship game

When: 5 p.m. Friday

Where: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho

TV: Fox

Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)

Line: Boise State -4½; total 58½

Outlook: This is the third straight year the Rebels and Broncos will meet for the conference title, the first time in league history such has occurred. Boise State has won the previous two and is appearing in the championship for the fourth straight year and ninth time overall. It’s seeking the first three-peat in league history. The Broncos are 5-3 in the title game. UNLV is trying to become the sixth Mountain West team to win the championship since the game was introduced in 2013. This has been a tale of conference dominance by the Broncos. Since 2014, Boise State’s nine appearances in the league championship game are the most of any Football Bowl Subdivision team. Alabama, Clemson and Georgia are tied for second with eight each. The preseason media poll sure worked out. Boise State was picked to win the conference, and UNLV was selected second. The Rebels have reached 10 wins for the fourth time in program history and in consecutive seasons for the first time. Expect a packed house in Boise — the Broncos have recorded 14 straight sellouts at Albertsons Stadium and last year against the Rebels set a conference championship record with an attendance of 36,663. Over the past 26 seasons, Boise State has won 90.1 percent of its home games on the blue turf. But since 2024, UNLV leads the FBS with 11 road wins, just ahead of BYU and Oregon. Boise State has beaten the Rebels 10 straight times.

When the Rebels have the ball: Everything revolves around junior quarterback and conference Offensive Player of the Year Anthony Colandrea. He is one of two FBS players this season to have 3,000 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, a 68.0 completion percentage and eight rushing touchdowns. The other is Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. The most impressive thing about Colandrea is his ability to spread the ball around. Eleven players have at least 100 yards receiving, and eight have caught touchdowns. When the ball isn’t being put in the air, it is being run with great efficiency. Junior back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas leads the nation with four games of at least 100 yards on fewer than 15 carries. He also leads the country with a 7.43 yards per carry average and is 66 yards short of a 1,000-yard season. Something must give here: UNLV ranks 33rd nationally in passing offense with a 258.6 average, while Boise State is 11th in the FBS in allowing 167.1 passing yards per game. Boise State’s A’Marion McCoy is one of three conference players (UNLV’s Aamaris Brown is another) with multiple pick-6s this season. Edge: UNLV

When the Broncos have the ball: Boise State coach Spencer Danielson didn’t want to be asked the same question all week, so he announced Monday that junior Maddux Madsen would start at quarterback after missing a month with a lower leg injury. Good news for the Broncos if Madsen can play as he did against UNLV in October. That’s when he matched a career high with four passing touchdowns while completing 14 of 23 for 253 yards in a 56-31 Boise State rout. The Broncos have a seriously good power run game, with Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley the only FBS duo to have 700 rushing yards apiece, seven rushing scores and 10 receptions. Boise State is stout up front with all-conference linemen Kage Casey (one of the nation’s best tackles) and Mason Randolph. Madsen is like Colandrea in that he hasn’t focused on just one receiver. Leading the way for the Broncos is Latrell Caples (43 catches, 515 yards, three scores). The Rebels better find a way to pressure the pocket and not allow Madsen to sit back and scan the field. That means UNLV needs players such as end Chief Borders to cause havoc. UNLV was far too confused on countless plays during the first matchup against Boise State, but has seemed to solve some of those issues on the back end. Brown and teammate Laterrance Welch are tied for 25th nationally with four interceptions apiece. Edge: Boise State

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.