I cannot stand them. There’s some pent-up aggression there. I hate to say it, but if Boise State lost each game, as long as they beat the crap out of BYU, I’d be happy. – Boise State defensive tackle Elliot Hoyte
No matter the record or the venue, BYU football can still bring out a lot of emotion from certain opponents. Case in point: Boise State, which will visit the Cougars Friday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
In an interview prior to the game, as reported by the Idaho Statesman, former Boise State defensive tackle Elliot Hoyte described his feelings toward BYU as being, “a hatred. It’s an absolute animosity I have. They pretend they’re high and mighty, but they have some of the most grotesque trash talk I’ve ever heard. There’s an affinity for those types of hits, they try to hit you there when you’re on field-goal block, too.”
Hoyte played for the Broncos from 2012 until 2016 and is originally from England, yet learned to hate BYU after playing several games against the Cougars during his collegiate career.
“I cannot stand them,” Hoyte said. “There’s some pent-up aggression there. I hate to say it, but if Boise State lost each game, as long as they beat the crap out of BYU, I’d be happy.”
Cougar fans are curious as to who exactly will start at quarterback Friday, and so are players for the Broncos. Boise State safety Kekoa Nawahine feels at least three of the possibilities share a certain characteristic.
“There’s film on all three at least... We know they all can run, they all like to move and try to extend plays, so we’ll be ready for whoever it is," Nawahine told the Idaho Statesman.
The Cougars plan to use any of five stated options at quarterback, with uncertainty surrounding the health status of both Tanner Mangum and Beau Hoge.
Although Boise State was humiliated by visiting Virginia 42-23 two weeks prior to Friday's kickoff with the Cougars, at least one writer believes having a bye week going in will work to improve things.
"The Broncos looked colossally unprepared to deal with the Cavaliers two weeks ago, but (Boise State coach Bryan) Harsin does tend to do a bit better with some time to prepare," wrote Drew Roberts of SB Nation's Boise State site. "He's 13-6 with more than a week between contests (bowls included) and considering the offense needed an Extreme Home Makeover-sized rebuild after the UVA debacle, thank God for that."
Friday's game between Boise State and BYU kicks off at 8:15 p.m. MST and will be televised live on ESPN.