Boise State will be without a pair of starters tonight against Oklahoma State (7 p.m., FS1) in wide receiver Stefan Cobbs and center Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez.
The Broncos also have two players out because they’re in COVID-19 protocol, which could mean a positive test or contact tracing.
Cobbs exited last week’s win over UTEP late in the second quarter and didn’t return. He was seen on the bench with a boot on his left foot in the second half. The redshirt junior scored on an 81-yard punt return and a 61-yard catch in the Broncos’ 54-13 win over the Miners.
Holomalia-Gonzalez has missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury. Sixth-year senior Donte Harrington will start his third straight game at center. CT Thomas will replace Cobbs in the lineup.
Right guard Jake Stetz is back in the starting lineup after suffering an injury in the second quarter of the Broncos’ season opener at UCF and missing last week’s game.
Boise State will also be without redshirt senior linebacker Riley Whimpey in the first half tonight after he was called for a targeting penalty in the second half last week. Whimpey has led the Broncos in tackles in each of the past two seasons, racking up 83 in 2019 and 72 last fall.
Redshirt junior Brandon Hawkins will start for Whimpey, Boise State co-defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said earlier this week.
Oklahoma State will be without two of its top receivers and a starting safety — all of whom were late scratches because of injuries.
Senior wide receiver Tay Martin and true freshman Jaden Bray are both out. Bray is tied for the team lead with six receptions and leads the Cowboys with 136 receiving yards. Safety Tre Sterling is also out, as is tight end Logan Carter and running back Dezmon Jackson.
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The Boise State football team has faced a Big 12 opponent just four times in program history. And Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State at Albertsons Stadium marks the first time the Broncos will host a team from that Power 5 conference in the regular season.
The Cowboys are ranked No. 22 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll and are receiving votes in The Associated Press poll.
The Broncos beat Iowa State 34-16 in the 2002 Humanitarian Bowl; beat Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl; lost to Baylor 31-12 in the 2016 Cactus Bowl; and lost to Oklahoma State 44-21 during a regular-season nonconference matchup in 2018 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Follow along with our live scoring summary, news and notes, and breaking news:
WHERE TO FIND THE TV BROADCAST
Boise State is on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) this week. That’s channel 146 on Sparklight, 219 on DirecTV and 150 on Dish Network.
OKLAHOMA STATE AT BOISE STATE
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,387, turf), Boise
TV: FS1 (Aaron Goldsmith, Mark Helfrich)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State is 1-1; Oklahoma State is 2-0
Series: This is the second meeting between the programs. Oklahoma State won the first, 44-21, in Stillwater in 2018.
Vegas line: Boise State by 3.5
Weather: 62 degrees at kickoff, 15% chance of rain, 16 mph winds
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
BSU — Jonah Dalmas 40 field goal, 10:41. Key plays: Quarterback Hank Bachmeier twice converted on third-and-long with a pair of 16-yard passes to Khalil Shakir and then Latrell Caples. But Bachmeier’s pass to Davis Koetter on third-and-7 from the OSU 28 only went for 5 yards, forcing the Broncos to settle for a field goal. Drive: 12 plays, 52 yards, 4:19. Boise State 3, Oklahoma State 0
BSU — Davis Koetter 28 pass from Hank Bachmeier (Dalmas kick), 5:10. Key plays: Bachmeier discovered the deep ball was open after nearly completing a TD pass to Khalil Shakir four plays earlier. This was the first TD for Koetter as a Bronco. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 3:33. Boise State 10, Oklahoma State 0
OSU — Jaylen Warren 75 run (Alex Hale kick), 4:59. Key play: On the first play of the drive, Warren took the handoff from QB Spencer Sanders, plowed through a huge hole and ran the rest of the way untouched down the OSU sideline for the score. BSU CB Markel Reed gave chase, but Warren turned up the jets. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11. Boise State 10, Oklahoma State 7
Second quarter
BSU — Cyrus Habibi-Likio 5 run (Dalmas kick), 10:07. Key play: Bachmeier extended this drive when he scrambled on fourth-and-2 from the OSU 35-yard line and got the first down. Drive: 9 plays, 43 yards, 3:22. Boise State 17, Oklahoma State 7
BSU — Dalmas 36 field goal, 6:26. Key plays: The BSU defense forced another three-and-out for good field position, putting the Broncos on their own 46 to start. Bachmeier completed a 20-yard pass to Habibi-Likio on the first play, and the QB later added a 12-yard scramble to get to the OSU 27. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 2:32. Boise State 20, Oklahoma State 7
OSU — Warren 6 run (Hale kick), 2:10. Key plays: Warren had five carries for 48 yards on this drive, including a 27-yard carry on the first play. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:16. Boise State 20, Oklahoma State 14
OSU — Spencer Sanders 1 run (Hale kick), 0:06. Key play: The Cowboys started this drive on the BSU 21 after LB Malcolmb Rodriguez forced a fumble by BSU’s George Holani, and OSU LB Devin Harper recovered it. Warren nearly scored on a 14-yard run that put OSU on the BSU 1 on the second play of this drive. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 1:52. Oklahoma State 21, Boise State 20
NEWS & NOTES
Quick hits
The Broncos wore blue jerseys, blue pants and blue helmets. … Team captains Khalil Shakir and Kekaula Kaniho were joined by Scott Matlock and John Ojukwu as game captains. … Oklahoma State won the coin toss and deferred. … Boise State was led onto the field by linebacker DJ Schramm, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer. … Tyreque Jones carried the American flag and Tyler Crowe carried the Bleed Blue flag.
A Twitter List by ByRachelRoberts
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
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Idaho ties in the NFL: Former Vandal recovers a fumble, 2 Boise State alums make debuts
Thinking about getting COVID-19 vaccine? Boise State will reward football fans who do
Ask an Oklahoma State writer: Cowboys hope healthy QB helps running game at Boise State
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Keys to victory, betting line and prediction for Boise State’s home game vs. Oklahoma St.
Boise State’s message to unvaccinated, untested football fans: Stay home