EL PASO – UTEP and Boise State have entered into an agreement to renew an old Western Athletic Conference football rivalry. The Miners and the Broncos will square off twice, once each during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
The first matchup is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2021 in Boise, with the rematch slated for Sept. 24, 2022 in the Sun Bowl.
“We are pleased to re-establish our rivalry with former WAC champion Boise State,” said UTEP Director of Athletics Bob Stull. “I think our fans will be excited to see the Broncos back in the Sun Bowl.”
“We’re excited to play a storied program that I have a lot of respect for,” said UTEP coach Sean Kugler.
The Miners and the Broncos met in five consecutive seasons from 2000-04. The first meeting was in the Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 28, 2000 at Bronco Stadium. Boise State joined the WAC in 2001 and faced UTEP annually until 2005 when the Miners jumped to Conference USA.
Kugler has ties to Boise State. He was the Broncos’ assistant head coach during the 2006 season when they finished 13-0 and beat Oklahoma 43-42 in the Fiesta Bowl, unanimously viewed as one of the greatest postseason games in college football history.
Boise State has ended the season ranked in both national top-25 polls 10 times in the last 13 seasons, averaging 11.5 victories during that span.
