Boise State braces for GameDay, Oregon State
<p>A worker paints an Oregon State football practice field blue on Monday in Corvallis, Ore. No. 24 Oregon State plays at No. 3 Boise State and its blue turf on Saturday. Oregon State Diluted 70 gallons of white grass paint as a base under 280 watered-down gallons of blue grass paint. The paint was donated.</p>
BOISE — Boise State is staying home this week — at last.
After two long road trips and an extended break in between, the No. 3 Broncos finally get a chance to break in their new blue field turf when they host No. 24 Oregon State on Saturday in front of another national television audience.
The Broncos (2-0) traveled to the East Coast to open their season, beating then-No. 10 Virginia Tech 33-30 on Labor Day. After a 12-day layoff, Boise State packed its bags again and traveled to Wyoming, where the Broncos routed the Cowboys 51-6.
Perhaps even bigger news in Boise is the fact that College GameDay, ESPN’s college football pregame show on Saturday mornings and featuring Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, will visit Boise this Saturday.
The show will be televised Saturday from 6-7 a.m. on ESPNU and from 7-9 on ESPN.
There’s no doubt Bronco Stadium will look a little different this year.
The stadium’s iconic synthetic blue field was replaced this summer amid complaints about the glare and uneven shading that irritated fans and television viewers and confounded coaches studying video of Bronco games and practices.
Not to be outdone or unprepared, crews at Oregon State on Monday painted one of their practice fields blue to help players accustomed to playing on lush green grass or synthetic surfaces adjust to the change.
Who knows, maybe it’s just the psychological edge the Beavers (1-1), who are coming off a 35-28 win over Louisville, need to snap the Broncos’ 16-game winning streak and run of 56 straight regular-season victories at home.
“It’s just really something fun for the players, something to talk about it, and a chance for them to get used to the blue field at Bronco Stadium,” said Steve Fenk, OSU’s sports information director. “Our scout team is going to wear blue tops this week, too. It’s going to be a unique experience for some of these guys who have never been on a field other than a green one.”
After learning about Oregon State’s landscaping project, Boise State coach Chris Petersen chuckled.
“We’ve got them right where we want them if they’re painting their field,” Petersen said.
The Broncos may have to adjust this week to the absence of two key players.
Wide receiver and punt returner Mitch Burroughs is recovering from a high ankle sprain and could miss several games. Burroughs is averaging 11 yards per return, but has also had two long returns called back because of penalties.
Petersen also said starting defensive end Shea McClellin is day-to-day after suffering from a concussion against Wyoming. McClellin has a team-best 2½ sacks, six tackles and has recovered a fumble.