Three things to know about Boise State’s opponent in the Mountain West title game

Boise State is back in the Mountain West championship game after missing it last season.

The Broncos host Fresno State on Saturday (2 p.m., Fox) in a rematch of a regular-season game the Broncos won with ease in October. It’s the first time Boise State has hosted the title game since 2019, which also happens to have been the last time the Broncos won it. They lost to San Jose State in the 2020 final at the end of a COVID-shortened season.

Boise State (9-3, 8-0 Mountain West) will be playing for its conference-leading fifth Mountain West championship. Here are three things to know about Fresno State (8-4, 7-1) heading into the title game.

The Broncos are in for a fight

Boise State had little trouble dispatching the Bulldogs when they came to Albertsons Stadium on Oct. 8. Running backs George Holani and Ashton Jeanty each posted more than 100 rushing yards, and the Broncos outscored Fresno 20-3 in the second half of a 40-20 victory. It was a second straight win for the Broncos in a rivalry series that dates back to 1977.

That Fresno State team was a shell of the squad coming to town on Saturday, though. Star quarterback Jake Haener and safety Evan Williams were among a long list of starters who were out. Both are back on the field, and the Bulldogs have reeled off seven straight wins since the loss at Boise State, including a 30-0 victory over Wyoming on Friday.

Haener, who started his college career at Washington and almost rejoined the Huskies after last season, is a three-year starter at Fresno State. He was an honorable mention All-Mountain West pick in 2020 and earned second-team honors last season after throwing for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns. His 162.2 efficiency rating leads the conference this year, and he has posted 2,432 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions in eight games.

Boise State football coach Andy Avalos raved about Haener on Monday.

“Jake is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation,” Avalos said. “To play that position, you’ve got to be mentally strong. Your football IQ obviously has to be through the roof, and you have to have a certain skill set.”

Fresno State is averaging 39 points per game since Haener returned to the starting lineup for the Bulldogs’ 32-28 win over San Diego State on Oct. 29.

Williams is a two-time All-Mountain West pick. He earned honorable mention honors in 2020 and was a first-team pick last season after leading the Bulldogs with 93 tackles. The senior blocked a punt and posted six tackles against Wyoming last week.

“He’s a huge part of their defense and what they’ve done for a couple years now,” Avalos said. “He’s a very instinctual, very smart, very disciplined player.”

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The offense is full of weapons

Fresno State leads the Mountain West in scoring (30.9 points a game), total offense (407.6 yards a game) and passing (277 ypg) this season.

Haener has plenty of targets to choose from in the passing game, including wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper, who leads the Bulldogs with 74 catches for 984 yards and five touchdowns.

Moreno-Cropper is one of three Fresno State players with at least 500 receiving yards this season. Nikko Remigio is second on the team with 64 catches for 700 yards and also has five touchdowns. Zane Pope, a sixth-year senior, has 42 catches for 510 yards and two touchdowns.

Haener also shares the backfield with a dangerous running back. Sixth-year senior Jordan Mims ranks No. 2 in the Mountain West with 1,078 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. He has cracked 100 rushing yards in five games, including 165 against New Mexico and 156 against Nevada. He posted 122 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon State and 114 rushing yards against USC.

“Not only can he pound it between the tackles, they split him out it empty (sets), he’s a great route runner, he can catch the ball out of the backfield on wheel and option routes, and he’s a really good pass protector,” Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said of Mims.

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The Bulldogs have played some head-scratchers

Fresno State has tested itself against Power Five teams this season with mixed results.

Oregon State had to put together a late drive that was capped by a touchdown run from Jack Colletto as time expired to beat the Bulldogs 35-32 on Sept. 10. Fresno State was crushed 45-17 by USC the following week, but the Trojans have lost just one game all year — and that was by one point to Utah.

The Bulldogs have also been in some games that should not have been as close as they were. Haener was on the sideline for Fresno State’s 19-14 loss to UConn and its 17-10 win over San Jose State.

Some of the Bulldogs’ inconsistency can be explained by a defense that has been far from dominant. Fresno State is giving up 159.7 rushing yards a game, which ranks No. 8 in the Mountain West, and it’s surrendering 20.8 points a game, which ranks No. 5 in the conference.

Fresno State may be without one of its top defenders on Saturday. Defensive end David Perales, who leads the team with 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, suffered an ankle injury against Wyoming and was on crutches after the game. Bulldogs coach Jeff Tedford said Monday that Perales is “day-to-day” heading into the championship game.

FRESNO STATE AT BOISE STATE

When: 2 p.m., Saturday

Where: Albertsons Stadium

TV: Fox (Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Petros Papadakis)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 9-3, 8-0 MW; Fresno State 8-4, 7-1 MW

Series: Boise State is 17-7 all-time against Fresno State, including a 40-20 victory at home earlier this season.

Vegas line: Boise State by 3

Weather: High of 38 degrees, 24% chance of rain, 10 mph wind