1980 Boise State Broncos football team
American college football season
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The 1980 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. They were led by fifth-year head coach Jim Criner and the "Four Horseman" senior backfield: quarterback Joe Aliotti, fullback David Hughes, halfback Cedric Minter, with halfback Terry Zahner in reserve.[1]
- Jim Criner (5th season)
| 1980 Boise State Broncos football | |
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NCAA Division I-AA national champion Big Sky champion | |
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, W 31–29 vs. Eastern Kentucky | |
| Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 7 (November 26) |
| Record | 10–3 (6–1 Big Sky) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Gene Dahlquist (4th season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Lyle Setencich (1st season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Bronco Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Boise State $^ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nevada | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho State* | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weber State* | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Arizona | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The previous season, the Broncos had a 10–1 record and were undefeated in the Big Sky,[2][3][4] but were on probation for a scouting violation in November 1978, making them ineligible for the conference title or the 1979 I-AA playoffs.[5][6][7]
Regular season
The Broncos finished the regular season in 1980 at 8–3 and 6–1 in conference to win their fifth Big Sky title in eleven seasons, their first since 1977. BSU defeated their two Division I-A opponents, but lost a road contest in November to Cal Poly-SLO, the eventual Division II national champions, whom they had routed at the end of the previous season.[2][3]
The Broncos easily defeated rival Idaho, then ranked ninth, for the fourth consecutive year in mid-October in Boise. During halftime of the Nevada-Reno game on November 8, BSU dedicated the playing field at Bronco Stadium to athletic director and former head coach Lyle Smith.[8] The only conference setback was a one-point loss in late September at Montana State, the difference was a last-minute two-point conversion.[9]
Division I-AA playoffs
The Broncos were invited to the four-team I-AA playoffs. As Big Sky champions with a substantial stadium and fan base, BSU was chosen to host in the first round, a national semifinal on December 13, three weeks after the completion of the regular season. The opponent was Grambling State, coached by legend Eddie Robinson. The Broncos won 14–9 in sub-freezing fog and advanced to the championship game the following week in California against defending champion Eastern Kentucky, coached by Roy Kidd.[10][11][12] In a back-and-forth contest played in the fog at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, Boise State won 31–29 to win their only I-AA national title.[13][14]
The Broncos returned to the I-AA semifinals the following season and 1990, and the title game in 1994; they moved up to Division I-A in 1996.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 6 | 7:30 pm | at Utah* | W 28–7 | 27,231 | [1][15] | |||
| September 13 | 7:30 pm | Southeastern Louisiana* | L 13–17 | 21,342 | [16] | |||
| September 20 | 8:00 pm | at Northern Arizona | W 20–18 | 10,787 | [17] | |||
| September 27 | 1:30 pm | at Montana State | No. 10 | L 17–18 | 9,121 | [18] | ||
| October 4 | 7:30 pm | Montana |
| W 44–10 | 20,453 | [19] | ||
| October 11 | 7:30 pm | No. 9 Idaho |
| W 44–21 | 21,812 | [20] | ||
| October 18 | 7:30 pm | Cal State Fullerton* | No. 9 |
| W 26–11 | 17,052 | [21] | |
| October 25 | 7:30 pm | Weber State | No. 7 |
| W 24–0 | 18,455 | [22] | |
| November 8 | 1:30 pm | Nevada | No. 7 |
| W 14–3 | 20,682 | [23] | |
| November 15 | 8:30 pm | at No. 4 (D-II) Cal Poly* | No. 5 | L 20–23 | 8,330 | [24] | ||
| November 22 | 7:30 pm | at Idaho State | No. 9 | W 22–13 | 13,865 | [25] | ||
| December 13 | 11:30 am | No. 2 Grambling State* | No. 7 |
| W 14–9 | 17,300 | [26] | |
| December 20 | 12:30 pm | vs. No. 3 Eastern Kentucky* | No. 7 | ABC | W 31–29 | 8,157 | [27] | |
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Roster
| 1980 Boise State Broncos football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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- Source:[28]
NFL draft
One Bronco senior was selected in the 1981 NFL draft, which lasted 12 rounds (332 selections).
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
| David Hughes | FB | 2nd | 31 | Seattle Seahawks |