Utah State vs. Boise State: How to watch, listen to or stream the game

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Utah State vs. Boise State: How to watch, listen to or stream the game

Utah State (6-5, 4-3) vs. Boise State (7-4, 5-2)

Kickoff: Friday, 2:00 p.m. MDT
Venue: Maverik Stadium
TV: CBS
Radio: Aggie Sports Network (KZNS 1280 The Zone)/Sirius XM Ch. 382
Series: Boise State has historically dominated the matchup with Utah State 24-5. The Aggies’ home record against the Broncos hasn’t been much better at 3-11. Utah State has lost nine consecutive games to Boise State, with its last win coming in 2015.

The trends

For Utah State: The Aggies finally ended their road win streak, but the question for Friday is whether they can stay undefeated at home.

It’s no secret that Utah State has played much better at home than it has on the road this year, and it has the chance to go undefeated at home for the first time since 2018.

The most significant trend in Utah State’s favor is the way the defense has played the past three weeks. They handed Nevada a beatdown, effectively not allowing them to score until coach Bronco Mendenhall pulled much of the starters. UNLV had its a season-low against the Aggies, despite a double-overtime game.

Last week’s win may have been the most impressive of all. The defense completely shut out Fresno State in the second half for a come-from-behind victory.

The biggest thing standing in the Aggies’ way is the offensive line, which has been an issue all year and was a big reason why the offense couldn’t get going in the first half against Fresno State. Quarterback Bryson Barnes has been sacked a conference-high 35 times this year.

With Friday’s game being the season closer, it’s clear that completely fixing the offensive line is out of the question. However, Bryson Barnes’ ability to bail out the offense isn’t.

Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) runs away from Nevada defensive tackle Logologo Va’A (10) during the first half Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Logan. | Eli Lucero/Herald Journal

For Boise State: The Aggies can expect an extremely tough game from the Broncos, who have everything to play for. Boise State absolutely needs to win Friday’s game because a loss would bar them from a title game appearance, while a win gives them solid odds to get in.

Boise State fans will also be San Diego State fans because if both the Aztecs and Broncos win, they’ll be headed to San Diego for the Mountain West title game. If New Mexico beats San Diego State, things will start to get dicey for Boise State’s hopes.

Boise State will roll out backup quarterback Max Cutforth for the fourth week in a row. Regular starting QB, American Fork alum Maddux Madsen, suffered a leg injury against Fresno State on Nov. 1.

After Madsen went down, the Broncos suffered back-to-back losses to Fresno State and San Diego State. They got a revenge win last week against Colorado State. All three of Boise State’s losses have been on the road, while Utah State is undefeated at home.

What to watch for

Boise State’s pass-first QB: As mentioned, Cutforth will start for the Broncos on Friday. He was thrust into their matchup with Fresno State and initially struggled with two interceptions and a 48% completion percentage.

But in the past two games, he’s been much more efficient. He threw a combined 65.7% in the San Diego State and Colorado State games.

However, his run game has been almost nonexistent. He’s been sacked five times in the past three games, and has -60 rushing yards on 12 carries. He’s scored one touchdown in the air and none on the ground.

In general, the offense struggled without Madsen, but it got back on track last week against Colorado State. It put up 279 rushing yards, 254 passing yards and scored all six touchdowns via the run.

Boise State’s running back core of Dylan Riley, Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod are a strong scoring trio who have a combined 20 touchdowns on the year. All three average more than five yards per carry.

The Broncos’ sticky and slippery fingers: Boise State’s defense ties Fresno State at the top of the Mountain West in overall interceptions at 14. Luckily for Utah State, Barnes hasn’t been a turnover-prone quarterback. He’s taken care of the football and thrown only four interceptions this season.

Though an interesting way the Aggies could win the turnover battle is on fumble recoveries.

The Broncos haven’t done a great job at keeping the ball in their hands. In the past three games, Boise State has dropped the ball six times, though only two of them caused changes of possession.

Quotable

“They’re tough, they’re physical, they’re hard to tackle, they’re explosive, they keep them fresh. Their run game, their offensive front is very physical and really, really tough. The running backs are as well. So, that combination has allowed the quarterback some time to develop before they’ve given him too much. I like the running backs a lot, I like their offensive front a lot. Our week against Fresno will help us because of their approach. So, while it’s not identical, we’re not coming off of playing a style like Hawaii or San Jose. There’s a closer reference point than not in terms of our preparation.” —Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall

“They play very, very hard and they’re really physical. It doesn’t matter what position you play on at Utah State, you’re going to be a physical football team and they do that. Offensively, talk about their quarterback to start, Bryson Barnes … (My wife) and I were watching the Utah State, Fresno State game. A couple plays in that game, she looks at me and she says, ‘That quarterback is so good.’ … He’ll take hits and he’s an absolute elite competitor … He’s probably going to be the offensive player of the year in our conference, and he’s absolutely deserving of that.” —Boise State coach Spencer Danielson

Next up

Utah State: Undetermined bowl game opponent
Boise State: Bowl-eligible. Guaranteed to play in the Mountain West title game if they beat Utah State and San Diego State beats New Mexico.