UCF opponent previews: Boise State seeks Mountain West redemption behind QB Taylen Green

• Nickname: Broncos

• Location: Boise, Idaho

• Enrollment: 26,162

• Home field: Albertson's Stadium (Capacity: 36,387)

• Conference: Mountain West

• 2022 record: 10-4, 8-0 MWC

• All-time series record vs. UCF: 0-1

• Last meeting: Sept. 2, 2021 (UCF won 36-31)

Editor's note: This is the second installment in a 12-part series highlighting UCF's 2023 football opponents.

Boise State looked well on its way to crashing the party in Gus Malzahn's UCF coaching debut two Septembers ago.

The Broncos buried the host Knights in a 21-0 first-half hole, turning an expected Group of Five Super Bowl of sorts into a blowout. However, UCF rallied after a lightning delay for a dramatic 36-31 win, powered by Dillon Gabriel's four touchdown passes and Isaiah Bowser's bruising game on the ground (33 carries, 172 yards and the go-ahead TD with 4:16 left).

UCF's Week 1 opponent: Kent State undergoes roster overhaul under new coach Kenni Burns

Plenty has changed in the 22 months since those teams took the field. Both starting quarterbacks are enrolled at different Division I schools, for starters — Gabriel at Oklahoma, and Boise's Hank Bachmeier at Louisiana Tech. And, of course, UCF will officially shed the G5 label this week, finalizing its move into the Big 12 on July 1.

Boise State, though, is one of the most consistent teams in college football and a trailblazer as it pertains to defying odds within the sport. No one will ever forget when the Broncos shocked Adrian Peterson and Oklahoma in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, capping a frantic comeback with a 4th-and-18 hook-and-lateral tying touchdown and a Statue-of-Liberty clincher on a two-point conversion in overtime.

Boise State finished that year 13-0, and then ran it back with a 14-0 mark in 2009. On both occasions, the Broncos were not chosen to play in the recognized national championship game.

Sounds familiar, right?

As for this year, Boise could again find itself in the New Year's Six mix. Facing Washington, UCF and Memphis in its non-conference slate would seemingly strengthen a case for College Football Playoff inclusion if it can go unbeaten once more.

Let's take a closer look at Boise State, the Knights' lone road opponent before Big 12 play.

Andy Avalos continues Boise's winning ways

Setting the Group of Five standard of excellence, Boise State has strung together 25 consecutive winning seasons despite four head coaching changes during that period. Dirk Koetter, Dan Hawkins, Chris Petersen and Bryan Harsin all guided the Broncos to success, and Andy Avalos has carried the torch with a 17-9 record the last two seasons.

Boise State came up short in the Mountain West Conference's championship game last December, suffering a 28-16 defeat to Fresno State, but rebounded to beat North Texas in the Frisco Bowl and secure the program's 18^th double-digit winning season since joining Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996.

Albertson's Stadium, and its famed blue "smurf turf," has been a fortress for Boise State this century. Between 2000-19, the Broncos prevailed in 120 of their 129 home games. Their mark the last two seasons is a substantially less dominant 8-5, including defeats at the hands of fellow Big 12 programs Oklahoma State and BYU.

Broncos bring back 3-headed backfield monster

Key returners on Offense: OL Cade Beresford, WR Latrell Caples, QB Taylen Green, RB George Holani, RB Ashton Jeanty

Key returners on Defense: DL Herbert Gums, DB Rodney Robinson, LB DJ Schramm, EDGE Demitri Washington

Similar to UCF, Boise State's offense is predicated upon a powerful, multi-pronged rushing attack. Holani spearheaded the group with 1,157 yards and 10 touchdowns, Jacksonville native Jeanty added 821 yards and seven scores on the ground and Green produced 586 yards (7.2 per carry) and 10 TDs after emerging as the Broncos' starter behind center.

Green, the Mountain West's Freshman of the Year in 2022, set a program record for the longest run from scrimmage with a 91-yard touchdown against Utah State. He can hurt defenses with his arm, too. He completed 61.3% of his passes for 2,042 yards with 14 TDs and six picks.

Boise brings back its top five pass-catchers; Caples led the way with 51 catches for 549 yards and four touchdowns. Second-team All-MWC tackle Beresford anchors the offensive line, and may flip from the right side to the left.

Defensively, the Broncos allowed the seventh-fewest total yards (292.5) and 15th-fewest points (19.5) per game in the nation. Six starters are gone, including some key pieces in the pass rush and the secondary. Schramm collected 107 tackles with 11.5 for loss, and safety Robinson snagged three interceptions.

2 QBs exit via portal, promising pass rusher arrives from BC

Transfer portal additions: DL Howard Brown (Iowa State), OL Nikolai Bujnowski (Virginia Tech), OL Ethan Carde (Texas Tech), OL Tyler Keinath (Western Illinois), DL Sheldon Newton (Northern Arizona), WR Chase Penry (Colorado), DB Titus Toler (Wisconsin), EDGE Tyler Wegis (Utah), EDGE Kivon Wright (Boston College)

Transfer portal departures: OL Joseph Amos, QB Hank Bachmeier (Louisiana Tech), EDGE Isaiah Bagnah (BYU), DB Isaiah Bradford, TE Russell Corrigan, DL Jackson Cravens (BYU), P Will Ferrin, OL Jacob Golden (New Mexico State), TE Tyneil Hopper (Michigan State), WR Jalen Richmond (Northern Arizona), LB Rejhan Tatum, QB Sam Vidlak (Montana), P Gavin Wale

Bachmeier, who had 263 passing yards in the previous meeting with UCF and logged into class via Zoom during a weather delay, began last season as the Broncos' starting QB before making way for Green — and departing for Louisiana Tech. Wright redshirted as a true freshman at Boston College, but could be an important developmental piece on the edge. Bujnowski, Carde and Keinath will be among the many players competing for reps at the open offensive line spots.

Freshmen likely to wait as Boise loads up in Texas and California

Incoming Freshmen: RB Jambres Dubar (Anna, Texas), QB CJ Tiller (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), ATH Ty Benefield (Irvine, Calif.), LB Chase Martin (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), CB Nick Hawthorne (Fort Worth, Texas)

Most of the Broncos' top recruits will likely start in reserve roles, especially given the quality of returning options in the backfield. Avalos signed the No. 74 overall recruiting class in the nation, per 247Sports, with a heavy influence on the pipeline states of Texas and California. Few programs do a better job of polishing hidden gems than Boise State; the Broncos have only landed eight consensus four-star prospects ever, per 247Sports. That could change this winter as they battle Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon and TCU for Burley's blazing wide receivier Gatlin Bair — a rare blue-chipper from Idaho's high school ranks.

2023 UCF football schedule

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Boise State, blue turf and quarterback Taylen Green await UCF in Week 2