McNichols scores 3 times, Boise State routs Huskies 55-7

We are now one week from the San Diego Country Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl when the Boise State Broncos and Northern Illinois Huskies meet at Qualcom Stadium.

Long before it was Houston or Temple or Toledo or Navy or Memphis, Boise State was supposed to be the non-Power 5 team most likely to finish the season undefeated and potentially make a playoff game. The game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Boise State Broncos rank at 16 for scoring 37.8 points where as Northern Illinois Huskies rank at 55 for allowing 25.5 scores. Boise State lose two of its final three games of the season, losing by seven points at home to both New Mexico and Air Force.

Boise State should be in a great position to win 10-plus games in 2016, with Rypien, McNichols and defensive standouts Ben Weaver and Tanner Vallejo, who missed the bowl game, set to return. The Huskies failed to get anything going and was shutout in a half for the first time all season. However, even in a down year in which they lost starting quarterback Drew Hare with a season-ending Achilles injury, the Huskies still went to the MAC Championship for the sixth consecutive season. If there’s any bleed-over into the bowl game, this won’t be pretty for the Huskies. The Broncos were 5-3 in Mountain West Conference play, finishing in a four-way tie for second in its six-team Mountain Division.

That could change against a NIU defense that’s right behind the Broncos nationally with 21 interceptions.

Boise State coach Bryan Harsin describes the character of his school as “the big blue field surrounded by potato fields”. The line movement is rather interesting when you consider that 52% of public bettors are backing Boise State. Georgia Southern threw just 129 passes all season and sophomore Kevin Ellison enters having completed only 44 percent of his 84 passes for 532 yards and three touchdowns against five interceptions.

FACTS & FIGURES BSU is playing in its 14th straight bowl while NIU is playing in its eighth straight….

Graham: After watching NIU in its games without its best quarterback, it’s hard to like the Huskies against this Boise State team.

No matter the result of this game, Northern Illinois was bound to reach fewer than 10 wins for the first time since 2009.

McNichols can be fearsome catching the ball – he had 40 touches in one game – and his five tou8chdown catches give him a total of 23 scores, tying him with Heisman Trophy victor Derrick Henry.

All eyes certainly will be fixed on Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols, who has rushed for 1,244 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per carry.

Each team scored 53 touchdowns this year, with the Broncos averaging four more points per game.