College Sports

No. 24 Boise State returns home to host Marshall

Posted September 04, 2019 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

Marshall (1-0) at No. 24 Boise State (1-0), Friday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

Line: Boise State by 12.

Series record: Boise State leads 1-0.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Back in the AP Top 25, the Broncos return home and unveil freshman QB Hank Bachmeier on the blue field against the Thundering Herd. Bachmeier made a sterling debut leading the Broncos back from an 18-point deficit to beat Florida State 36-31 in the season opener on the road. Trailing 31-13, Boise State outscored the Seminoles 23-0 over the final 34 minutes to pull off the victory. Marshall opened with a 56-17 romp over VMI. The 56 points were its most since a 62-0 win over Morgan State in 2016.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marshall: QB Isaiah Green. He will need to be great against the Broncos if Marshall is going to hang around. He had a pretty good start to the season last week throwing for a career-high four touchdowns. The Broncos defense also gave up two touchdowns of 50 or more yards in the opener so there could be chances for big plays.

Boise State: RB Robert Mahone. He rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Florida State, and averaged nearly 6 yards per carry. It's a pretty good start for a program trying to continue a 10-year streak of having a 1,000-yard rusher. He'll be challenged by a Marshall defense that has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in the past 15 games.

FACTS & FIGURES

The only other series meeting was in the 1994 FCS national semifinals, won by the Broncos 28-24. ... Marshall has lost 15 straight games against ranked opponents, with its last win coming in 2003 over then-No. 6 Kansas State. Marshall had a close call in 2010, losing 24-21 against then-No. 22 West Virginia. ... Boise State ran 108 offensive plays in the opener against Florida State. ... The teams will complete the two-game series next year with a return game at Marshall. ... It will be the first game on a new version of Boise's blue turf.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier (19) rolls out to pass in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser) The Associated Press

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