2020 Boise State
5–2 (5–0 Mountain West Conference), coached by Bryan Harsin. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Colorado State 52–21Nov 12
By 31 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Hawai’i 40–32Nov 21
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24 | vs Utah State | W 42–13 | 73% |
| Oct 31 | at Air Force | W 49–30 | 49% |
| Nov 6 | vs 9BYU | L 17–51 | 58% |
| Nov 12 | vs Colorado State | W 52–21 | 81% |
| Nov 21 | at Hawai’i | W 40–32 | 61% |
| Dec 12 | at Wyoming | W 17–9 | 61% |
| Dec 19 | vs 25San José StateMountain West Championship Game | L 20–34 | 66% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to San José State 34–20 in the Mountain West Championship Game; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for first in the Mountain West Conference.
In program history: The 20th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 56 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 9: 25
- Wk 10: 21
- Record
- 5–2
- Conference
- 5–0 shared first in Mountain West Conference
- AP final
- Unranked peak No. 21
- Points
- 237–190
- Coach
- Bryan Harsin
- Elo
- 1644 +13 this season
- SP+ rating
- 6.7 No. 36 of 130; offense No. 33, defense No. 54
- SRS
- 7.7 No. 21 of 77 in FBS
- Returning
- 69% of last season’s EPA, No. 54 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 65 roster talent No. 67 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Eric Kiesau
- Defensive coordinators
- Spencer Danielson and Jeff Schmedding
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- Multiple
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.14 | 44% | 1.15 | 50th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.15 | 36% | 1.43 | 75th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.14 off 0.13 def | 44% off 37% def | — | 46th off 74th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.0 | own 32 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 4.1 | own 29 | 16% caused |
CORE rating 4.1, 52nd of 127 (offense 2.5, defense -1.6).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Hank Bachmeier QB | 1,150 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Hank Bachmeier QB | 6 TD |
| Rushing yards | Andrew Van Buren RB | 382 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Andrew Van Buren RB | 8 TD |
| Receiving yards | Khalil Shakir WR | 719 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Khalil Shakir WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Riley Whimpey LB | 61 tkl |
| Sacks | Shane Irwin DE | 6 sacks |
| Interceptions | Evan Tyler S | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Latrell Caples WR | ★★★ | No. 647 |
| Semaj Verner S | ★★★ | No. 708 |
| Herbert Gums DT | ★★★ | No. 753 |
| Brandon Hernandez OT | ★★★ | No. 995 |
| Donovan Clark CB | ★★★ | No. 995 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.846 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.846 |
| Defensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.854 |
| Defensive backs | 5 | 3.0 | 0.851 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 3.0 | 0.843 |
| Whole class | 16 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 4 | John Bates TE | Washington Football Team |
| Rd 5 | Avery Williams CB | Atlanta Falcons |
Roster 108
The 2020 roster108 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 62 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Mountain West Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| San José State | 6–0 | 7–1 | 24 |
 Boise State | 5–0 | 5–2 | |
 Nevada | 6–2 | 7–2 | |
 San Diego State | 4–2 | 4–4 | |
| Hawai’i | 4–4 | 5–4 | |
 Fresno State | 3–3 | 3–3 | |
| Air Force | 2–2 | 3–3 | |
| Wyoming | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 New Mexico | 2–5 | 2–5 | |
| Colorado State | 1–3 | 1–3 | |
| Utah State | 1–5 | 1–5 | |
 UNLV | 0–6 | 0–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.