BOISE - It's game day. The Boise State football team has been waiting 254 days to re-take the field. That last game, a 41-38 setback to East Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl, ended the season with a loss and a two-game losing streak. It was the last time BSU lost two games in a row since the opening of the 2005 season with losses against Georgia and Oregon State.

Idaho State comes to Bronco Stadium tonight (6 p.m., KTFT) riding a four-game losing streak of its own. The Bengals, who play in the Big Sky Conference, finished 3-8 last season, losing all three of their non-conference games.

These two team renew a rivalry today that harkens back 15 years ago when both teams played in the Big Sky. BSU has dominated the series (23-6 all time). The Broncos won the last meeting 62-0 in 2005. In that game, little-known backup quarterback Jared Zabransky went 3-for-6 for 40 yards as Ryan Dinwiddie's backup.

This is the earliest ever meeting between these two teams. BSU head coach Chris Petersen and his team are ready to get out there, but are also cognizant of a possible upset.

"There's just so many unknowns," Petersen said. "You don't know what the opponent is going to break out at you. You don't know how certain guys are gonna respond, even guys that have been here in the past. It's been a long time since we played a game."

Some guys to watch out for today are redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Moore and senior running back Ian Johnson. Neither is expected to play the whole game - if things go right for the Broncos - but the quarterback is trying to prove his worth and the tailback is trying to improve upon an already spectacular career.

The backup tailbacks and the corps of wide receivers at BSU should also have a whale of a game. The skill positions at BSU appear too good, too fast and too well-coached to be surprised or dominated by Idaho State. But there are possible weaknesses for the 2008 Broncos. A young offensive line and secondary will finally be tested tonight.

"So many new guys are going to get a taste of college football," Petersen said. "I'm just anxious to see how they go play. They practice hard. We've been at it for a long time. It started back in winter. They worked their tails off. Now they need to go play."

Matt Slater will make his career debut at left tackle in front of a record crowd. He said his particular unit, which is yet untested, will figure some things out tonight, but still has room to get better and better.

"It won't even be ready after the Idaho State game," Slater said of the O-line. "That's going to be a trial of how well we do. It's going to be great for us to show what we got. Idaho State is just going to reinforce those things and give a great look of what we are going to be like."

It's hard not calling this a warm-up game for BSU. But for Petersen, it's just important to get an early win.

"Every week is so important," Petersen said. "You're trying to build momentum. Out of the gate you always get everyone's best shot. There's so much optimism on both sides that you're going to have a strong opponent."

This would be a huge upset should ISU win. To do it, Russell Hill will have to have a huge game at quarterback for the Bengals. The Boise native threw 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season, completing 58.7 percent of his passes. His main target, receiver Eddie Thompson, caught a team-high 83 balls last season for six touchdowns. Odds are Thompson will see lots of blanket coverage courtesy BSU's Kyle Wilson. Hill will have to take what he can from this defense, which might not be much.

"He can throw," Petersen said. "He played in an offense over there at Timberline (High School) where they throw the ball all over the place. When they played him later in the year they kept him in there the whole time and he got into a rhythm."

This is a rivalry that died when the Broncos graduated to Division I-A (now the Football Bowl Subdivision). Nevertheless, this is a state with only three college football teams and these two former foes will surely be ready to make a statement.

"They're hard-nosed players," BSU senior guard Andrew Woodruff said. "They're a good team. We can't overlook anybody. We're definitely not overlooking them. They're coming up here with a bulls-eye on our chest. Like any other team, any other day, they will be looking to take us out. We're going to be extremely prepared for them."

The Broncos have been making a game plan for ISU for more than a week. In a three-hour span this evening, they will try to prove their worth on a brand-new turf, in a sky-high stadium and before 32,000 screaming fans.