Game To Watch: Boise State at UCF: September 2, 2021
Boise State and UCF open their season in Orlando on Thursday at 7:00 EST. Both teams will be kicking off a new coaching era and looking to start on the right foot. Boise State hired former assistant Andy Avalos to replace Bryan Harsin who left for Auburn. Meanwhile, UCF replaced Josh Heupel with former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn. Both coaches will look to start 2021 and their tenure with a big win on Thursday night.
Recent History
Boise State and UCF have never played one another in football prior to this season.
Top 25 Players
What To Watch For…
Can Boise State Slow Down Dillon Gabriel?
Andy Avalos has a strong background coaching defense at Boise State and Oregon. He will be called on to help improve a defense that struggled in it’s two biggest games in 2020 against BYU and San Jose State. The defensive staff has been overhauled with the hope of energizing the unit after a sub-par 2020 performance. There is depth on the defensive line and a couple of key starters returning at linebacker and in the secondary, but the Broncos will need new contributors to emerge against UCF and Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel has been one of the most prolific passers in college football over the last two seasons. He has averaged over 314 yards per game and has accounted for 61 touchdown passes against just 11 interceptions. With Gus Malzahn taking over as head coach there is no reason to think the offense will not continue to be as explosive with Gabriel behind center. Boise State will have to prove their defense has improved from 2020, or they will watch Gabriel and UCF light up the scoreboard.
Is Hank Bachmeier On The Verge Of Stardom?
While UCF’s Dillon Gabriel has established himself as a star the past two seasons, Hank Bachmeier has also shown flashes of brilliance for Boise State. As a true freshman in 2019, he missed six games because of injuries, but completed over 62 percent of his passes with 9 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. 2020 was a seven game season for Boise State, but Bachmeier missed two of them. In five games he again completed 61 percent of his passes, but this time had 6 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Over the past two season he has shown glimpses of his ability, but has lacked consistency because of injuries and missed time. With a full off-season to prepare, Bachmeier could be ready to elevate his game to the next level this season, starting against UCF. The Knights had three defensive backs drafted in this past draft, though Tay Gowan had opted out last year as well, so there will be some new starters to target on the backend. UCF allowed over 33 points per game and 299 passing yards per game in 2020, giving Bachmeier the opportunity to get off to a hot start.
Who Creates More Pressure On The Quarterbacks?
The best way to keep a good quarterback from establishing a rhythm is to create pressure and disrupt the pocket. Both UCF and Boise State will look to make the opposing quarterback uncomfortable to derail the opposing offense. There was plenty of turnover on the defensive line for UCF this off-season they lost sack leader Kenny Turnier and Randy Charlton to the transfer portal. Fortunately they were able to replace the duo with Big Kat Bryant from Auburn and Ricky Barber from Western Kentucky. Bryant has plenty of physical tools and showed promise as a pass rusher earlier in his career at Auburn, while Barber was an impact defensive tackle as a redshirt freshman in 2020. For Boise State, their pass rush is led by star defensive end Shane Irwin who tallied six sacks in seven games for the Broncos last season. He will create pressure and create opportunities for his fellow defensive linemen with his play. The team that can impact the opposing quarterback more often will have a decided advantage on Thursday night.
Prediction
Season openers are always tricky, but this one even more so because of the new coaching staffs at both programs. Boise State has an impact pass rusher and their defense should be better overall in 2021. They will keep UCF’s offense off balance early, but Dillon Gabriel is too good to keep wrapped up for the entire game. Bachmeier and Boies State will score as well, but the UCF offense has more potential early in the season and the Knights will outscore the Broncos in a close game. UCF 38 Boise State 34.
For more content like this don’t forget to subscribe to our website.
For the latest content follow us on twitter @saturdayscfb & @cfbsaturdaysC or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CFBSaturday
Memphis at UCF image taken by elisfkc is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
