On Thursday Ole Miss will face a Boise State team hungry to prove 2013 was a blip.
From 2006 to 2012 the Broncos were nothing short of a BCS-busting juggernaut under head coach Chris Petersen, annually winning 10 games or more, including trips to the Fiesta Bowl in 2006 and 2009, and playing spoiler to BCS Conference foes like Oregon, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Georgia. But in 2013 the Broncos finished an uncharacteristic 8-5 (6-2 Mountain West), after which Petersen accepted the head coaching job at Washington.
Boise State went to NCAA coaching incubator Arkansas State to pick Bryan Harsin, who followed the one and done footsteps of Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn in accepting the job in Boise.
This is the first year since 2008 that Boise State isn't preseason ranked in either the AP Poll or the Amway Coaches Poll. Harsin was a member of the Boise State coaching staff from 2001-2010 and a part of the teams that took residency in the Top 10. He has seen the recipe for success in Idaho firsthand and is eager to lead the Broncos back to its role as a thorn in the side of the Power Five.
A nationally televised win over upstart and 18th ranked Ole Miss would be a great first step.
The Broncos aren't strangers to nationally televised season openers or the Georgia Dome. Thursday marks Boise State's 6th straight season opening marquee game. The Broncos beat Oregon in 2009, Virginia Tech in 2010 and Georgia in Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game in 2011. Since then the Broncos have lost consecutive openers to Michigan State and Washington. Those losses were the beginnings of Boise State's recent setback. A win against the Rebels would send the signal that the Broncos are back.
Offensive Leaders
Senior quarterback Grant Hedrick started five of 13 games in 2013, throwing for 1,825 yards and 16 touchdowns, including a 382-yard performance against Oregon State in the 2013 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.
Running back Jay Ajayi (6-0, 216 pounds) rushed for 1,425 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2013. Ajayi averages 5.96 yards per carry in his two years at Boise State.
Wide receiver Matt Miller (6-3, 225 pounds) is one of the nation's stop receivers statistically. He has 2,588 yards and 26 touchdowns in his previous three seasons, including at least one catch in 39 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the country. Miller had a season-high 206 yards receiving in the 2013 Hawai'i Bowl.
Defensive Leaders
Cornerback Donte Deayon (5-9, 152 pounds) led the Broncos with 6 interceptions and 9 pass breakups in 2013.
Senior Jeremy Ioane (5-10, 192 pounds) is a Jim Thorpe Award candidate, and started against Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in 2011 as a true freshman.
Comparing the 2013 Numbers
Boise State averaged 476 yards per game in 2013. Ole Miss averaged 473 yards per game.
The Broncos rushed for 198 yards per game. Ole Miss averaged 190 yards per game.
Boise State passed for 277 yards per game. The Rebels averaged 283 yards per game.
Boise State's defense allowed 413 yards per game. Ole Miss allowed 370.
Possible Weakness?
Boise State returns just two starters on its offensive line, which should create an opportunity for the Ole Miss defensive line to create pressure on the quarterback and control the line of scrimmage.
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