Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 OCT. 4, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: BOISE STATE BY TYLER HORKA I f you thought Boise State's running game would be feeble as soon as Ashton Jeanty stepped off campus and became a Las Vegas Raider, you were sorely mistaken. It's not like the Broncos have Jeanty 2.0, but they have a darn good runner of the football in sophomore Dylan Riley. Boise State needed him to be very Jeanty-like in an early season game this year for the Broncos to avoid becoming a two-loss team far sooner than most people could have predicted. In a 49-37 shootout on the road at Air Force, Riley ran for 171 yards and reeled in 84 receiving yards to go along with 5 total touchdowns on the same after- noon Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price accounted for 4 scores. Not many players one-upped Price that day. Riley did. "It feels good," Riley said. "It's a blessing. Before I went out, prayed, made sure I didn't get hurt or anything. Made sure I made my right reads and knew every play. Things like that. At that point, I've just got to execute and do what I got to do." Riley's rise has been rapid. He began the year third on the depth chart. He only had 7 carries in Boise State's first game and 6 in the second. The Broncos entrusted him to run 19 times in a game that was often separated by one score and was tied early in the second half. With Jeanty, you knew who was get- ting the ball. With this Boise State team, Riley's Week 4 emergence was a bit of a surprise — one the Broncos will gladly lean into as the season goes along. "I can't say enough good things about Dylan Riley," Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. "Who he is for this team, the stuff he's been through. And continue to watch when Dylan Riley scores. The team erupts because they know how much he cares about them. He's going to do the nitty-gritty." That's in line with the team culture Danielson has implemented in what hasn't even been a full two seasons on the job. He took over as an interim head coach in 2023 and won his first three games. The only loss on his ledger that year was to UCLA in the LA Bowl. Last season, due in large part to Jean- ty's unbelievable 2,601 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns, Boise State went 12-2 and made it to the quarterfi- nal round of the College Football Play- off. What Danielson wants to hammer BOYS IN BLUE The Broncos head to Notre Dame Stadium with eyes on winning a game that'd put them back in the national spotlight 2025 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET)/Result Aug. 31 at Miami L, 27-24 Sept. 13 Texas A&M L, 41-40 Sept. 20 Purdue W, 56-30 Sept. 27 at Arkansas (ABC) W, 56-13 Oct. 4 Boise State (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 11 NC State (Peacock) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 18 Southern Cal (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at Boston College TBA Nov. 8 Navy (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh TBA Nov. 22 Syracuse (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at Stanford TBA 2025 BOISE STATE SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET)/Result Aug. 28 at South Florida L, 34-7 Sept. 5 Eastern Washington W, 51-14 Sept. 20 at Air Force W, 49-37 Sept. 27 Appalachian State W, 47-14 Oct. 4 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 11 New Mexico TBA Oct. 18 UNLV TBA Oct. 24 at Nevada (CBSSN) 10 p.m. Nov. 1 Fresno State TBA Nov. 15 at San Diego State (CBSSN) 10:30 p.m. Nov. 22 Colorado State TBA Nov. 29 at Utah State (CBS) 4 p.m. Sophomore running back Dylan Riley accounted for 255 yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns in the Broncos' win at Air Force in Week 4. PHOTO COURTESY BOISE STATE ATHLETICS