How good is Boise State’s opponent this weekend? A receiver is chasing ‘triple crown’

Boise State has faced its fair share of top-level receivers so far this year, but the best of the lot might still be to come — this weekend.

No. 12 Boise State (8-1, 5-0 Mountain West) will travel to the Golden State to take on San Jose State (6-3, 3-2) on Saturday afternoon.

A win for Boise State and a loss for Colorado State, which is 4-0 in conference play, puts the Broncos on the doorstep of the Mountain West regular season title, which would mean they host the league championship game.

But before they start thinking that way, they’ll have to contend with the Spartans, who boast wide receiver Nick Nash on offense and an interception-hungry defense.

Another wide receiver challenge

Nash is chasing the “triple crown” of receiving. The redshirt senior leads the nation in receptions (86), receiving yards (1,156) and receiving touchdowns (13). In last week’s win over Oregon State, Nash had six catches for 161 yards and a TD.

“He’s a big-time football player,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “He makes all the catches, a matchup nightmare for defenses. And I see him being one of the heartbeats of their team.”

With Nash as the star, San Jose State has the fifth-ranked passing offense in the nation, averaging 332.3 yards per game. Meanwhile, Boise State has the 110th-ranked passing defense, allowing 247.1 yards per game.

Boise State might also be without sixth-year safety Alexander Teubner, who exited the Broncos’ 28-21 victory over Nevada last weekend with an injury and emerged from the medical tent on crutches while wearing a leg brace. Teubner, whose value arguably lies more in run defense than stopping the pass, underwent an MRI scan, and as of Monday afternoon, Boise State was waiting on the results.

“In conference, we’ve done a better job of defending the pass,” Boise State defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said. “I would say it’s still a work in progress. I still think that it’s a great group of guys back there. ... Shuffling the lineup a little bit, but they’ve improved every single week.”

Across Boise State’s four nonconference games, the Broncos allowed 255.5 yards per game through the air. In the five conference games, that average is 240.4.

The Broncos have faced a slew of good receivers, including Utah State’s Jalen Royals (15th in receiving yards) and UNLV’s Ricky White (18th). Royals enjoyed a massive day of 211 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos, but White was held to just 57 yards.

“You have to see some of those things early to test yourself,” Chinander said. “Just seeing those things and understanding we can play with these guys.”

A top team for interceptions

Boise State redshirt sophomore quarterback Maddux Madsen didn’t have the best of times against Nevada last weekend. In what Madsen called the “worst game I’ve played,” he threw one interception and had two others overturned, by penalty and replay review. He completed only nine passes, to three receivers, for 119 yards.

That type of performance won’t fly against the Spartans, who have the second-most interceptions in the nation (16).

“That shows the relentlessness with which this defense plays,” Danielson said. “They’ve got one of the better corners on the West Coast; they’ve got a couple of safeties that can make all the tackles and cover. Their linebackers can run sideline to sideline.”

San Jose State senior safety Robert Rahimi has four interceptions (tied fifth in the nation), while junior defensive back DJ Harvey has three. The Spartans have had at least one interception in every game.

Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said Boise State won’t have to change its game plan — it’s a case of trusting the players to go out there and perform.

“They are the biggest drop-eight team that we have played, meaning they rush three and drop eight at a higher rate than other teams, “ Koetter said. “It makes those (throwing) windows a little bit smaller.”

On the flip side, that would be an awful strategy against a team with the nation’s leading rusher. Ashton Jeanty (1,734 yards) has seen nothing but 6-7-man boxes in recent weeks, so he’d welcome that type of San Jose State defensive attack.

Boise State at San Jose State

When: 5 p.m. Mountain time Saturday

Where: CEFCU Stadium (30,456, AstroTurf)

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 162 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 8-1, 5-0; San Jose State 6-3, 3-2

Series: Boise State leads the series 15-1

Vegas line: Boise State by 13.5 points

Weather: High of 64, low of 43, humidity 70%, clear skies, 4% chance of rain