How to watch Boise State vs. Nevada: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds

Nevada has not defeated Boise State since Colin Kaepernick was the school’s quarterback. That could change Saturday night, when the Wolf Pack host a struggling Broncos squad.

Boise State opened the year with a 35-13 loss to Ole Miss, hanging with the Rebels for three quarters before giving up 28 points in the fourth quarter. The Broncos responded with three strong weeks, beating what looks to be a good Colorado State team before blowing out Connecticut and Louisiana-Lafayette, but lost by two touchdowns in a stunning defeat to Air Force last week. Starting quarterback Grant Hedrick has played poorly enough that there are rumblings of a quarterback controversy, but OBNUG’s Drew Roberts argues the Broncos aren’t quite there yet.

After a win over FCS Southern Utah, Nevada came through with a fairly shocking 24-13 victory over Washington State in Week 2. It couldn’t complete the Pac-12 sweep, however, losing to Arizona 35-28. The Wolf Pack opened their Mountain West schedule with a 21-10 win against San Jose State, and have one of the conference’s most impressive resumes to date.

Game time: 10:30 p.m. ET

TV: CBS Sports Network, with Rich Waltz, Adam Archuleta and Cassie Gallo on the broadcast.

Radio: Here’s a list for Boise State. Here’s one for Nevada.

Online streaming: N/A

Rankings and records: Neither team is ranked in either poll. Boise State is 3-2, with a 1-1 conference record placing it third in the Mountain Division. Nevada is 3-1, with a 1-0 conference record putting it on top of the West Division. The Broncos hold a 27-13 lead in the all-time series, and have won the last three games between the two schools.

Vegas: Boise State opened as a 1.5-point favorite and is now a 3.5-point favorite. The over/under is 51.5.

Weather forecast: Upper 60s and clear.

Boise State needs to get back on track after the loss to Air Force -- a loss here would put the Broncos in a difficult position in the conference standings.

A win for Nevada would cement its place as a serious Mountain West contender.

Jay Ajayi vs. Brock Hekking. Ajayi has been inconsistent this season, alternating between games with fewer than 5.0 yards per carry and games with more than 5.0 yards per carry. If that trend holds, this will be one of the latter performances. At 6’0 and 216 pounds, Ajayi is a bruising back, and he ran for 219 yards and two touchdowns against Colorado State earlier this year.

Hekking may be best known for his excellent platinum blond mullet, but he’s also one of the better defensive linemen in the conference. He has 18 tackles so far this season with 1.5 for a loss and one sack, and last season recorded 48, 13.5 and eight in those categories, respectively. If these two meet, expect fireworks.

For more on Boise State, check out One Bronco Nation Under God. For coverage of Nevada and the rest of the Mountain West, head over to Mountain West Connection.