Boise State coach Spencer Danielson knows his team might need some time to absorb its first trip to Notre Dame Stadium.
Danielson feels the same way as his players. That is why he is going to lead a tour of the stadium one day before Boise State (3-1) kicks off against No. 21 Notre Dame (2-2) on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.
“As a football fan, which we all are, and even me growing up in Southern California, Notre Dame’s a team that you watch consistently year in and year out,” Danielson said. “I mean, from ‘Rudy’ to South Bend to Touchdown Jesus, there’s so much amazing history tied to Notre Dame. And I’ve never been there. I’m fired up as a coach. …
“And so, we’re going to be able to see the stadium the day before and go through it. Because I want, by the time we get to kickoff, it’s time to go play football. They’ve got really good players. I believe in our players, too.”
The Broncos will look for the upset win after tallying three wins in a row against Eastern Washington, Air Force and Appalachian State. Boise State’s lone loss so far this season was on Aug. 28 at South Florida.
Notre Dame is seeking its third win in a row after knocking off Purdue and Arkansas in back-to-back weeks. The Fighting Irish scored 56 points in each of the past two games.
A big reason for the offensive surge is the performance of redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr. He has passed for 1,091 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions through his first four starts.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman praised Carr for playing so well so early in his career.
“It’s rare to be a second-year college football player playing in your fifth (career) game and performing at a level he’s performing at,” Freeman said. “It’s rare. But I think CJ Carr is rare.
“He has this unique trait that very few people have. He is … a competitive, selfless individual. It’s not about CJ Carr. He’s not so competitive that, ‘I want to be able to throw for this amount.’ It’s like, ‘Whatever we’ve got to do to win.'”
Carr is helped by the potent one-two rushing attack of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Love has rushed for 341 yards and five touchdowns, and Price has produced 273 yards and six TDs on the ground.
Boise State also has thrived on offense, as it has scored 47-plus points in its last three games.
Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen has passed for 1,129 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. His top receiver, Latrell Caples, has 240 receiving yards and two scores.
Boise State also leans heavily on the run. Three players have figured prominently into the rushing attack, including Dylan Riley (360 yards, 5 TDs), Sire Gaines (245 yards, 1 TD) and Malik Sherrod (198 yards, 2 TDs).
Freeman acknowledged it will be a challenge to slow Boise State’s ground game.
“They’re going to keep fresh guys in there and make you stop the run,” he said. “We have to understand that. … We’ve got to be aggressive, and we’ve got to tackle well because those running backs, if you miss them, they’ll go the distance.”
