Boise State favored by 6 TDs in home opener. Who is Portland State? What can fans expect?

Saturday evening may present a chance for Boise State football fans to take it easy in the second half.

The Broncos enter the game at Albertsons Stadium against Portland State as six-touchdown favorites, a margin so wide that ESPN Bet won’t even provide a line for the game.

This will be Boise State’s first home game of the season, slated for a 7:55 p.m. kickoff. The Broncos are the only team at the FBS level to have not played a home game, after opening the season with two road games and a bye week.

So who is Portland State, and why is Boise State so heavily favored?

Portland State at a glance

Portland State, an FCS team and member of the Big Sky Conference, enters the game 0-2. The Vikings’ game last weekend was canceled after a member of the team tested positive for whooping cough and several other team members were exposed.

There were initial concerns that this weekend’s game at Albertsons Stadium would be in jeopardy, but on Monday, both schools agreed to go ahead with the game, with Portland State’s traveling staff and players having undergone a five-day antibiotic regimen.

The Vikings started the season with two heavy losses: 70-30 at Washington State and 43-16 at home to Weber State. Last season, Portland State finished eighth in the Big Sky and had an overall record of 5-6, including a 38-24 loss to Idaho State.

Boise State has played Portland State on eight occasions, with the Broncos winning seven. The two teams last met in 2019 at Albertsons Stadium, with BSU winning 45-10. Portland State’s victory came in a 51-26 blowout in Boise way back in 1992.

The Vikings are led by 10th-year head coach Bruce Barnum, who has led them to FBS upsets over Washington State (24-17) in 2015 and North Texas (66-7) later that season.

What is expected from the Vikings offense?

Portland State enters with a balanced offense in terms of average yardage, which means it relies on its rushing attack: 180.5 yards on the ground and 167 in the air through two games.

The Vikings’ major threat comes through senior quarterback Dante Chachere, who poses a similar challenge to what the Broncos saw against Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel two weeks ago.

“They’ve got a quarterback that can run all over the place,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “He’s been a matchup issue in every game last year and even these couple games they’ve had. I mean, it’s tough to get third-and-10. If everybody’s covered, he’s not, and he’s out of there and can run to get a first down.”

Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said he expects Portland State’s offense to play to the perimeter early in the game before forcing the game back inside. If that’s the case, Boise State must keep an eye on sophomore running back Quincy Craig.

Craig has done much of his damage on the ground this year, rushing for 125 yards on 24 attempts. But he’s also made nine catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.

“I think they’ve got a nice package … where they put some stress on the defense in certain spots,” Chinander said. “You’re going to see a lot of different things.”

Junior receiver Brandon Alvarez will have the secondary’s attention when the ball isn’t in Craig’s hands. Alvarez, a transfer from San Jose State, has 51 yards and two touchdowns on just four receptions.

Will the Vikings be able to stop Boise State’s offense?

The 41.5-point spread suggests that Portland State won’t have much hope slowing Ashton Jeanty and the Broncos’ offense.

Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter expects Portland State to involve its safeties in stopping the run game. Doing so could be of extra importance to the Vikings, who’ll be looking for a way to slow down Jeanty, who has 459 rushing yards and nine touchdowns through two games.

Portland State safety Tyreese Shakir is the younger brother of former BSU receiver Khalil Shakir, who’s now a starter for the Buffalo Bills.

The Boise State offensive line, which has allowed just one sack this season, will have to keep an especially close watch on Portland State middle linebacker Michael Montgomery, who has 19 tackles and one sack this season.

“They’re not going to be afraid of coming in and playing on The Blue against Boise State,” Danielson said. “They played at Wazzu ... this is not going to wow them. We’ve got to be ready to play.”

Boise State vs. Portland State

When: 7:55 p.m. Saturday

Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,363, Turf)

TV: Fox Sports 1 (Eric Collins, Spencer Tillman)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 390 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 1-1; Portland State 0-2

Series: Boise State leads the series 7-1

Vegas line: Boise State by 41.5 points

Weather: High of 73 degrees, low of 50 degrees, humidity 45%, sunny skies, 3% chance of rain