Mountain West Vs. Big12 Battle in the Desert

Boise State vs. Baylor

December 27, 2016 at 8:15pm MST in Phoenix, Arizona, Boise State and Baylor will battle in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl. A few Bronco fans are disappointed that the Broncos did not win out for a chance to participate in the Mountain West Championship and qualify for a “New Year 6” Bowl game. Yes, it’s a bummer for Bronco Nation that that did not happen as they thought it would. But look at how well the Broncos actually did this season. Boise State beat two Pac12 teams, back to back. Washington State who, at the time seemed that they weren’t necessarily a good Pac12 team, has actually had a great season. They finished 8-4 and are 2nd place in the North Division of the Pac12. They are headed to the Holiday Bowl to play Minnesota. The Broncos second win of the season against the Pac12 was Oregon State. Oregon State did not have such a great season finishing 4-8, but that should not discredit Boise State’s success this season. Oregon State is still a Power 5 team. My point is that even though Boise lost 2 games this season, both by conference foes, they still have a lot to be happy about. They still earned respect by a lot of people in the league. This post-season proved that the Broncos still get respect by receiving an invite to the Cactus Bowl. The Cactus Bowl is usually a Big12 vs. Big10 matchup. Boise State is taking the place over the Big10. If that doesn’t show respect, I don’t know what else will considering Boise State lost 2 in conference games against Wyoming and Air Force, those being their only losses of the season.

Baylor

Baylor QB Zach Smith #4

Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Baylor had 50% good season. They were off to a great start winning six straight games. They were looking great! It looked like they were going to have an awesome season, but all of a sudden, they slipped when they got to the top of the hill, falling and losing six straight games to finish the season. Some in Bronco Nation may say, “We deserve to play some one better.” or “Baylor isn’t that good.” Are you sure? Does Boise really deserve to play someone better than Baylor? Baylor is actually a pretty good team. Even though their record isn’t all that exciting, you still have to consider the conference they play in. They play in a tough conference. They play quality teams. And not to mention, they are a Power 5 team. If Boise State can pull off a third victory over a Power 5 team in the same year, that would make Boise State appear better than people may think. But back to Baylor. Baylor is currently going through some controversy off the field. The coaching staff is having some major changes. Art Briles was fired and the rest of the coaching staff are currently looking for jobs. Baylor just hired Temple’s Matt Rhule to be the new head coach. Rhule turned down an offer from the University of Oregon. This new hire and the current changes of the coaching staff could not have happened, in my opinion at a more awkward and maybe even an inconvenient time, prepping for the Cactus Bowl against Boise State. But maybe that won’t affect them much. Despite controversy, I am sure they are hungry for one more win this season and will play their hearts out.

Boise State

Boise State RB Jeremy McNichols #13

Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

We know how the season went for Boise State. Had some great wins, even though they won sloppy in some. The key wins are against Power 5 schools and BYU. The losses were unfortunately against in conference foes which cost the Broncos the Mountain West Title. Boise played sloppy in a lot of games, in which games they made mistakes with turnovers and poor field position, and bad play calls. Yet they stepped up when they needed to in the end. If they were on top of their game the whole game, every game the Broncos could have had much more dominant wins. In this year’s bowl game in the Cactus Bowl, Boise State needs to prove something. They need to redeem themselves and show the country and maybe even the world that they are no joke. They need to be focused, play smart, play hard, and execute on all their jobs and have a crisp clean game. Defense needs to make more turnovers, offense needs to block very well, open gaps, No stupid penalties on the line. Jeremy McNichols needs to run hard with a chip on his shoulder. He got screwed out of the MW First Team yet again. He needs to run very angry. Other than running the ball by the McWeapon, we also need to be creative and smart with our play calling. Everybody knows that Boise loves to run the ball, especially with their star Running Back. The Broncos need to open up the pass play. Rypien needs to pass inside and outside and down the field. They need to execute on reverse passes and runs. Whenever the Broncos run the ball, the line needs to build a wall! When the play is pass, Rypien needs to commit to throw the ball when he sees something instead of waiting. He cannot hangout in the backfield and get sacked. He’s been patient and made some good plays, but when he gets too patient for too long he’s sacked like a sack of potatoes. The special teams need to play smarter than they ever have been. I’ve noticed that their returners seem to always want to make a play and catch the ball inside the 10-yardline. That is one cause of our poor field position most of the season. Also, the returners need to keep their eyes on the ball if they do decide to catch the pigskin. Boise State has had a few muffs, and if I’m not mistaken, they lost the ball on a muffed ball. They cannot afford those simple and stupid mistakes in this final battle in the post-season. Crisp, Clean, Focused, Hard play will win Bronco Nation another bowl game as Motel6 Cactus Bowl Champs.

Prediction: If both Boise and Baylor comes prepared to play it will be a fun and hard fought game and I think it will be a close game. My final score prediction is: 38-24 Boise State with the Victory

By: Calvin Marshall