1976 Boise State Broncos football team

1976 Boise State Broncos football
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
Record5–5–1 (2–4 Big Sky)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorRod Dowhower (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorBill Dutton (1st season)
Home stadiumBronco Stadium
Seasons
← 1975
1977 →
1976 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Montana State $^ 6 – 0 – 0 12 – 1 – 0
Idaho 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Northern Arizona 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Montana 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Boise State 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 1
Weber State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Idaho State 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll

The 1976 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games on campus at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Led by first-year head coach Jim Criner, the Broncos were 5–5–1 overall and 2–4 in conference.

Boise State entered the season as three-time defending Big Sky champions, but under a new head coach. After leading the Broncos for eight seasons, 61-year-old Tony Knap moved south to Nevada-Las Vegas in late January to replace Ron Meyer, who went to SMU in Dallas.[1][2] Hired two weeks later in mid-February, Criner was previously the linebackers coach at UCLA under head coach Dick Vermeil; the Bruins were Pac-8 champions in 1975 and won the Rose Bowl,[3][4][5] a 23–10 upset of undefeated and top-ranked Ohio State.[6]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 117:30 pmIdaho
L 9–1620,549[7][8][9][10]
September 18Augustana (SD)*
  • Bronco Stadium
  • Boise, ID
W 42–1418,057
September 25Humboldt State*
  • Bronco Stadium
  • Boise, ID
W 33–017,837
October 2at Montana State
L 20–247,800[11][12]
October 9at Cal Poly*
T 14–147,050
October 16Montana
  • Bronco Stadium
  • Boise, ID
L 14–1718,472[13]
October 23Nevada*
W 26–816,587
October 30at No. 10 Northern Arizona
L 7–429,060[14]
November 6at UNLV*
L 26–3114,066
November 13at Idaho State
W 36–0  9,227
November 20Weber State
  • Bronco Stadium
  • Boise, ID
W 56–3116,224[15]

[16]

References

  1. ^ "Knap leaves Boise State for Las Vegas". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. January 30, 1976. p. 1B.
  2. ^ "Boise's Knap off to Vegas". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 30, 1976. p. 17.
  3. ^ "Boise St. hires UCLA grid assistant". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. February 14, 1976. p. 4B.
  4. ^ "Boise selects Criner; ISU elevates aide". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. February 14, 1976. p. 16.
  5. ^ "BSU's Criner names aides". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. February 17, 1976. p. 2B.
  6. ^ "Dynamite Bruins stagger Ohio St". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 2, 1976. p. 16.
  7. ^ "Idaho team underdog against Boise squad". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. September 10, 1976. p. 23.
  8. ^ "Defense rated key for Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. September 11, 1976. p. 11.
  9. ^ Payne, Bob (September 12, 1976). "Vandals win opener". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. D1.
  10. ^ English, Sue (September 13, 1976). "Vandals tame Broncos". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 17.
  11. ^ "Boise St. faces Bobcats in biggie". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. October 2, 1976. p. 13.
  12. ^ "Bobcats hold off Broncos". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. October 3, 1976. p. D3.
  13. ^ Payne, Bob (October 18, 1976). "Vandals already looking at MSU". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 17.
  14. ^ "Lumberjacks bomb Broncos". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. October 31, 1976. p. D11.
  15. ^ "Broncos explode in third quarter". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 21, 1976. p. D2.
  16. ^ "Record book (football)" (PDF). Boise State University Athletics. 2016. p. 71. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2016.