Kohl the Tee Dog was bound to take center stage when the Boise State football team was routing Colorado State on Friday night in a game broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

If the action on the field is boring, you always can entertain viewers by talking about a dog.

But ESPN color announcer Kelly Stouffer — a former NFL quarterback — took that conversation in a bizarre direction Friday night in the closing minutes of the Broncos’ 56-28 win. Stouffer apparently was interested in pairing Kohl with his own dog with visions of well-trained puppies dancing in his head.

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“Can we go back to Cowboy Kohl for a minute?” Stouffer asked his broadcast partners with less than 4 minutes to play. “... I have a white Lab.”

“No, no,” sideline reporter Olivia Dekker said, apparently realizing the turn Stouffer was about to take. “Here we go.”

[Related: Boise State continues dominance of Colorado State; Analysis: We didn’t learn much from blowout win; scoring summary]

“She is beautiful,” Stouffer said.

“Kelly, let’s keep it clean,” Dekker said.

“I think we can get something going here,” Stouffer said, continuing his thought. “That would be a beautiful combination if indeed it could happen. ... My dog retrieves, too.”

Replied play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti: “Your dog needs to come retrieve its father out of the booth and take the headset from him.”

But Stouffer wasn’t done.

“Cowboy Kohl would, I think, really enjoy my dog Bear,” he said.

It’s unclear whether the dogs were as interested in the potential union.

TIGHT ENDS GET THEIR FIRSTS

Not utilized much the first half of the season, the Broncos’ tight ends saw some solid work Friday.

The group came into the game with 15 receptions all season, and just five outside of Sept. 15’s game at Oklahoma State. Tight ends had six catches against Colorado State, led by senior Chase Blakley’s three.

Junior Garrett Collingham, who also has played quarterback, linebacker and wide receiver, scored his first career touchdown on a 4-yard end-around with 3:09 left in the third quarter and also had two catches for 27 yards. Junior Matt Pistone had his first career catch, a 4-yarder, in the first quarter.

BOWENS MAKES HIS DEBUT

Wide receiver Billy Bowens checked into the game during the second quarter, making him the fourth true freshman to appear in a game this season.

The 6-foot-1, 183-pound Bowens hails from Redlands, Calif., and was part of a signing class that included four receivers.

“He’s going to grow up to be a great player, I love his energy. … He hasn’t played all year, but Billy has the attitude like he’s a starter,” senior receiver A.J. Richardson said.

Receiver Khalil Shakir, running back Andrew Van Buren and nose tackle Scale Igiehon also have played as true freshmen.

MOVEMENT ON RIGHT SIDE

The Broncos’ much-maligned right side of the offensive line got a new look Friday as the team saw a new starting five for the first time this year.

Sophomore Donte Harrington got the start at right guard as junior Eric Quevedo was out with an injury, and redshirt freshman John Ojukwu (Boise High) started at right tackle after senior Andres Preciado had done so the first six games.

Boise State yielded three sacks in the win and had 150 yards rushing, 109 from running backs.

Quick hits

Boise State defensive tackle Sonatane Lui missed the game with an injury. ... Boise State wore all-orange uniforms, including orange facemasks. ... Cornerback Avery Williams was the Broncos’ single-game captain. ... Safety Kekoa Nawahine carried the Hammer. ... Punter Quinn Skillin handled kickoff duties. Kickoff specialist Joel Velazquez was injured last week against Nevada. ... The attendance was 32,299.