1980 Boise State Broncos football team
| 1980 Boise State Broncos football | |
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National Champions (Div. I-AA)
Big Sky Champions |
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| Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | #1 |
| 1980 record | 10–3 (6–1 Big Sky) |
| Head coach | Jim Criner |
| Offensive coordinator | Gene Dahlquist |
| Defensive coordinator | Lyle Setencich |
| Home stadium | Bronco Stadium |
| 1980 Big Sky football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #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 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. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Jim Criner. The 1980 "Four Horseman" senior backfield of BSU featured quarterback Joe Aliotti, fullback David Hughes, and halfback Cedric Minter, with halfback Terry Zahner in reserve.
The Broncos finished the regular season at 8–3 and 6–1 in conference to win their fifth Big Sky title in 11 seasons, their first since 1976. BSU defeated their two Division I-A opponents, but lost a road contest in November to Cal Poly-SLO, the 1980 Division II national champions. The Broncos easily defeated rival Idaho 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.[1]
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 and advanced to the I-AA national championship game the following week at Sacramento, California, against defending champion Eastern Kentucky, coached by Roy Kidd. In a back-and-forth contest played in the fog at Hughes Stadium, Boise State won 31–29 to win their only I-AA national title.
The Broncos returned to the I-AA title game in 1994, then moved up to Division I-A in 1996.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6 | at Utah (Div. I-A)* | Rice Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT | W 28–7 | 27,231 | |||||
| Sep 13 | SE Louisiana* | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID | L 13–17 | 21,342 | |||||
| Sep 20 | at Northern Arizona | Walkup Skydome • Flagstaff, AZ | W 20–18 | 10,787 | |||||
| Sep 27 | at Montana State | Reno H. Sales Stadium • Bozeman, MT | L 17–18 | 9,121 | |||||
| Oct 4 | Montana | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID | W 44–10 | 20,453 | |||||
| Oct 11 | Idaho | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID (BSU-UI rivalry) | W 44–21 | 21,812 | |||||
| Oct 18 | Cal State Fullerton (Div. I-A)* | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID | W 26–11 | 17,052 | |||||
| Oct 25 | Weber State | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID | W 24–0 | 18,455 | |||||
| Nov 8 | Nevada | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID | W 14–3 | 20,682 | |||||
| Nov 15 | at Cal Poly (Div. II)* | Mustang Stadium • San Luis Obispo, CA | L 20–23 | 8,330 | |||||
| Nov 22 | at Idaho State | ISU MiniDome • Pocatello, ID | W 22–13 | 13,865 | |||||
| Dec 13 | Grambling State* | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID (Division I-AA Semifinal) | W 14–9 | 17,300 | |||||
| Dec 20 | vs. Eastern Kentucky* | Hughes Stadium • Sacramento, CA (Division I-AA Championship Game Camellia Bowl - ABC-TV) |
W 31–29 | 8,157 | |||||
*Non-conference game.  Homecoming. |
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References
- ↑ BSU Game Day program - 1980-11-08 - p.8
