Start of the Snake River Rivalry? Boise State prepares for Wazzu’s ‘Johnny Football’

It’s been awhile since Boise State football had a true rivalry.

There used to be the Boise State-Idaho showdowns, but the teams haven’t played since 2010, and before that, the Broncos won 12 straight contests dating to 1999.

Mountain West foes Fresno State and Nevada could be considered Boise State’s closest in-conference rivals because of the tense games they’ve played over the years. The Broncos have traded blows with both teams in football and basketball, but results still tend to lean the way of the blue and orange.

For a few years it looked like the Boise State-BYU game would become one circled on the schedule, but then scheduling became nearly impossible because of conference realignment.

Now, with that realignment taking Boise State to a reborn Pac-12, it could be the perfect time to spark a new rivalry with this weekend’s opponent: undefeated Washington State.

The No. 25 Broncos host the Cougars at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Albertsons Stadium. Washington State narrowly missed making the AP Top 25, coming in as the 26th team based on voting.

Saturday’s matchup will be the first between the two teams since 2017, and it will come barely two weeks after the announcement that Boise State will leave the Mountain West with a slew of other teams to join Washington State and Oregon State in the Pac-12. The Cougars, from Pullman, Washington — just 7 miles from the Idaho state line on the Palouse — will be one of Boise State’s closest geographical rivals. And both teams are fielding strong teams.

The Snake River Rivalry, anyone?

“It’s going to be huge having a regional rival,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said earlier this week. “We recruit a similar type of kid, that blue-collar kid that loves football, and we know that’s what we’re going to see Saturday night. So it’s going to be awesome for the future.”

Washington State leads the series over Boise State 5-1. The Broncos’ sole victory came in 2016 when they won 31-28 behind a 299-yard throwing night from Brett Rypien.

Redshirt junior tight end Matt Lauter — who’s coming off a career game against Portland State last weekend — knows the importance of Saturday’s game for two teams that will start playing every season the year after next.

“It’s a huge game for us. We’ve really got to come out there, do our job, and show who we are as a program,” Lauter said. “This is going to be a big rivalry game on The Blue, and I think the team’s excited for it.”

Fullback Tyler Crowe, a graduate of Skyview High School in Nampa who grew up a Boise State fan, said Wednesday that he can see the Broncos and Cougars being a “big rivalry in the near future.”

What to expect from Washington State

Boise State has another dual-threat quarterback to contend with this weekend.

Washington State redshirt sophomore John Mateer is the Cougars’ leading passer and rusher through four games. He has 1,102 passing yards (15th best in the nation) and 11 passing touchdowns (tied for 7th), to go along with 425 rushing yards and five rushing TDs.

“What they do offensively puts you in a lot of conflict,” Danielson said. “John Mateer makes that whole thing go. He’s about 220 pounds; he’s one of the fastest players on the field, regardless of what position they play. He’s a matchup issue. He makes all the throws.”

Boise State safeties coach Tyler Stockton nicknamed Mateer “Johnny Football” on Thursday, a nod to former Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

Mateer’s four-game numbers are very similar to Manziel’s 2013 season: Through four games, Manziel had 1,228 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes, and 255 ground yards, good for three rushing touchdowns.

The high-flying Washington State offense averages 46.2 points per game (13th best nationally), including a big 70-30 victory over Portland State and last week’s 54-52 win over San Jose State in double overtime.

The Broncos are in a similar ballpark, averaging 48.7 points per game, the country’s seventh-best mark.

The strong Boise State offensive line and rushing attack will have its hands full with a very good Washington State defensive line that has five sacks this season. The Cougars give up 151.2 rushing yards per game, though, and everyone knows the Broncos love to hand the ball to junior back Ashton Jeanty.

“We’ve been accustomed this year to Ash (Jeanty) doing Ash things,” BSU running backs coach James Montgomery said. “We’ve had a lot of big runs this season, but four to five yards is always the goal, especially on first and 10.”

Boise State vs. Washington State

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,363, Turf)

TV: Fox Sports 1 (Dan Hellie, Petros Papadakis)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 160 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 2-1; Washington State 4-0

Series: Washington State leads the series 5-1

Vegas line: Boise State by 7.5 points

Weather: High of 92 degrees, low of 58 degrees, humidity 34%, few clouds, 0% chance of rain