Boise State, used to having target on its back, wants to ‘be the hunters’

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — For as long as Spencer Danielson has been at Boise State, he’s believed that the Broncos always get an opponent’s best shot. And he said that phenomenon, of Boise State having a target on its back, predates him by years, even before the likes of Kellen Moore and Ryan Clady stepped on The Blue.

Ever since the Broncos stunned Oklahoma in that famous Fiesta Bowl to complete an undefeated 2006 season, they’ve been a hunted program. They have won the Mountain West six times; boast one of the best home-field advantages in the country; captured two more Fiesta Bowl titles; consistently have been included in the Top 25 polls; have 19 seasons of double-digit wins since 1999; and became the first Group of Five team to qualify for the College Football Playoff last year.

With the Broncos once again considered the favorite from a Group of Five league — the Mountain West, Sun Belt, American Athletic and Mid-American conferences, and Conference USA — to qualify for the playoffs, the target has never appeared larger.

“What we are privy to now is built on years and years of success, years and years of blue-collar players and coaches to set this stage for us to perform in now,” Danielson said Tuesday. “So every team we played last year, every team we play this year, this game is circled, highlighted and starred to go beat Boise State.”

Danielson and his players are accustomed to it. Redshirt junior quarterback Maddux Madsen said he doesn’t necessarily believe the target is any larger this season, but redshirt junior edge Jayden Virgin-Morgan acknowledged its significance — and said it’s important to turn the tables.

“One thing that Coach D always says is be the hunters, not the hunted,” Virgin-Morgan said. “So I think just being able to continue to have that mindset, no matter what it is, whether we have a target on our back or not, just continuing to hunt down every team.”

The first team in Boise State’s scope is South Florida on Thursday afternoon in Tampa.

The Broncos kick off their season against a Bulls team that finished 7-6 but gets back quarterback Byrum Brown, who missed most of last season with a broken leg.

Opening games feel even more crucial these days because of playoff implications. In past years, being upset in a nonconference game meant, at worst, a possible red X when it came to bowl selections.

Now? An early loss could make a big dent in CFP aspirations, because everything comes down to playoff committee rankings.

Danielson is taking his typical approach, though: This week’s game is the most important one on the schedule, and no others matter yet — not the conference opener at Air Force, not the huge road game at Notre Dame in October.

“I don’t look at it from the standpoint of where we need to get to, or how big of a moment this is, because that’s not what you want to feel like as a competitor, and that’s not what I want players to feel,” Danielson said. “I want them to cut it loose, play together, play for each other, and however the game goes, we’ll clean it up.”

Madsen said he’s trying to stay confident and not look far ahead.

“In terms of not wanting to lose, having the fear of failure is a bad thing,” Madsen said Monday. “And so just going out and playing our ball, our brand of football, hard-nose, blue-collar football, week by week, and that starting on Thursday is going to be important.”