Washington State 2024 Opponent Scouting Report: Boise State

The Broncos host the Cougars for a Week 5 showdown in Boise.

Nov 24, 2023; Boise, Idaho, USA; Boise State Broncos take to the field prior to the first half against the Air Force Falcons at Albertsons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

Who/When/Where: The final weekend of September will send Washington State to Albertson's Stadium for a date with the Broncos. Boise State, last year's Mountain West champions, will present a tall order for WSU but, as is the case with most everyone, the Broncos have thier own fair share of questions they'll need answered. An exciting QB transfer and a really good returning running back might have BSU flying high and September 28 might see a heck of a battle on the blue turf.

Offensive Players to Watch: Malachi Nelson (QB), Ashton Jeanty (RB), Ben Dooley (LG)

Defensive Players to Watch: Ahmed Hassanein (DE), Alexander Teubner (S), A'Marion McCoy (CB)

RELATED: The Top 5 Defensive Players WSU Football Faces in 2024

The story of the offseason for Boise State was the acquisition of former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson (#7). Nelson, of course, did not see a lot of action as a freshman last year behind Caleb Williams but his resume is still an impressive one. The unanimous five-star recruit coming out of high school will surely be the Broncos starter when the season kicks off.

Nelson is a good decision maker and has a heck of an arm as was evident by his senior season at Los Alimitos High School when he threw for nearly 3,000 yards, 35 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has it all from mobility to strength and, by Week 5, could really be finding his stride when the Cougars come to town. His ability to make defenders miss in space when he tucks it is fantastic as is his passing accuracy on both deep and shallow passes. Nelson shapes up to be an all around headache not only for Washington State's defense but for most defenses he'll see this year.

Also a tremendous boost to the BSU offense will be the return of star running back Ashton Jeanty (#2). Jeanty was one of the best backs in the nation in 2023, rushing for 1,347 yards and averaging well over 150 scrimmage yards per contest. Jeanty is as dangerous catching the ball as he is running it meaning that the WSU defense will be on double-duty every time the ball comes his way.

Jeanty can beat defenders side-to-side and straight up with his stellar athletecism and upper body strength. He will hardly ever go down upon first contact and does not shy away from collisions. With a head of steam there may be no back more difficult to stop in all of college football right now.

Part of what makes Jeanty and the offense so potent is the stout offensive line. Guard Ben Dooley (#66) will be the only senior starter on that line when the season begins. Dooley has been a mainstay on a unit that was excellent against the pass rush in 2023, allowing just 1.1 sacks per game (13th best in the country). He's big, tough and plays with a tenacity that can eat defenders up if they aren't ready and he comes in with a lot of experience to boot.

It won't be just the Broncos O line, however, that'll have WSU on red alert. The defensive front is just as scary thanks in large part to defensive end Ahmed Hassanein (#91). Hassanein has been a terror off the edge for a while now but last year he really exploded onto the scene, posting 12.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. Double teaming Hassanein might be the best game plan but even that has proven to be largely ineffective at times. He's strong, fast and times his jump at the snap as good as anyone out there.

While that'll be the main concern up front, the back end for Boise State is no slouch either. Both safety Alexander Teubner (#34) and corner A'Marion McCoy (#7) are excellent secondary pieces that can change the course of a game quickly. McCoy led the team with three interceptions last year while Teubner was tops in tackles with 85. The duo hits hard and reads plays extremely well. They both can close in quickly on ball carriers and adjust in stride to stay with their assigned wideouts.

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Final Analysis: There's going to be no easy yards or points in this one. The Cougars defense will need to be up to snuff if they want any chance of getting by the Broncos because there's far too many weapons on that side that can hurt WSU. Nelson could be the best QB the WSU defense sees all year and Jeanty might very well be the best back also. Washington State needs to limit the damage from these two and win the battle through the air. On the other side, managing Hassanein is a must. Everything the Cougs want to do on offense will all be null if they don't have an answer for him.