UVA and Boise State Clash for a Friday Night Tilt

Sept. 18, 2017

Rare Trip West of the Mississippi
– Virginia concludes its non-conference schedule on Friday at Boise State when the Cavaliers hit the road for the first time in 2017.
– This is only the 20th game played west of the Mississippi River in UVA school history. Friday is UVA’s sixth game in eight seasons west of the Mississippi River.
– Virginia is 4-15 in games played west of the Mississippi.
– UVA’s last venture west was a 44-26 loss at then-No. 24 Oregon in 2016; the Cavaliers’ last win west of the Mississippi was a 45-40 win at BYU on Sept. 25, 1999.
– At approximately 2,400 miles from Charlottesville, this game is the fifth-longest trip in school history.
– UVA is making its second apperance at Albertsons Stadium after facing Fresno State in the 2004 MPC Computers Bowl. Fresno State won in overtime, 37-34.

Virginia vs. Boise State
– Virginia and Boise State are meeting for the second time in football and the Broncos lead the series, 1-0.
– UVA and Boise State’s lone meeting in 2015 at Scott Stadium is the Broncos’ only game they have ever played in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
– UVA is one of three Commonwealth opponents the Broncos have faced. The Broncos hosted Liberty University in 1991 and 1994, and then played Virginia Tech at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., in 2010.
– Boise State is 3-2 all-time against current members of the ACC, facing Boston College (0-1), Louisville (1-1) , Virginia (1-0) aand Virginia Tech (1-0).

Five Top Storylines
– Virginia’s game at Boise State is the first of two this season where the Cavaliers will play on a Friday. UVA hosts Virginia Tech on Nov. 24, marking the first time in program history UVA has two Friday games in the same season.
– QB Kurt Benkert has started 13 career games for the Cavaliers and in six of those starts he has thrown for at least three touchdowns.
– Benkert ranks No. 3 in the ACC in passing yards (976) and passing touchdowns (7). His 32 completions per game ranks No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC.
– ILB Micah Kiser has registered 29 combined tackles, four sacks, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup over UVA’s last two games.
– UVA’s defense has limited its first three opponents to a combined 3-of-24 (.125) when it is third-and-five, or longer.

Cavaliers have had a taste of Boise
– While this is the first meeting between the Broncos and Cavaliers in Boise, Virginia is no stranger to Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium.
– Virginia met Fresno State on the blue FieldTurf of Albertsons Stadium in the 2004 MPC Computers Bowl.
– Current UVA wide receivers coach Marques Hagans was 18-of-30 for 162 yards and one touchdown, while rushing seven times for 85 yards and another score in the Cavaliers’ 37-34 overtime loss to the Bulldogs.
– In his final collegiate game, UVA All-American tight end and former Pro Bowl Pittsburgh Steeler, Heath Miller, caught five passes for 66 yards.

Mendenhall Is Familiar with Boise State
– While UVA and Boise State are meeting for only the second time in program history, there is some familiarity between the two staffs.
– UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall has faced the Broncos on four previous occasions, twice at Albertsons Stadium and twice in Provo when he was the head coach at BYU.
– Mendenhall won the home games in 2013 (37-20) and 2015 (35-24) and lost at Albertsons Stadium in 2012 (6-7) and 2014 (30-55).
– Mendenhall and Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin faced off against each other in the 2014 and 2015 meetings.
– UVA’s entire coaching staff, except for wide receivers coach Marques Hagans (UVA alum), were part of those BYU staffs that faced Boise State while at BYU under Mendenhall. Of the eight coaches that followed Mendenhall from BYU, only Vic So’oto (defensive line) was not part of at least three Mendenhall staffs that faced Boise State.

Additional UVA vs. Mountain West History
– Virginia is 2-4 against current members of the Mountain West Conference.
– The 1998 San Jose State game and the 2004 MPC Computers Bowl (Boise, Idaho) against Fresno State were against teams from the WAC at the time of the game.
– UVa’s 1999 and 2000 games against BYU, as well as its 2009 game against TCU were against schools that were members of the Mountain West Conference at the time, but have since moved out of the league.