Final: Boise State 34, Wyoming 14; Broncos open conference play with win
The Boise State football team opened Mountain West play with a 34-14 win Saturday night at Wyoming.
Senior quarterback Brett Rypien threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, wide receiver A.J. Richardson contributed 113 receiving yards and a TD and wide receiver John Hightower added 79 yards, a TD and a blocked punt.
Boise State outgained Wyoming 506-295, and the difference would be far greater if not for two long touchdown plays by the Cowboys in the second half.
Boise State rushed for 161 yards and recorded five sacks as it controlled both lines of scrimmage much of the night.
“Our focus throughout the week and last week was we’ve got to be more physical up front,” Rypien said on CBS Sports Network. “I thought our O-line did a great job tonight. ... To have that balance helps out a lot.”
Boise State is 3-1. Wyoming is 2-3.
[Related: Rypien, Boise State replace bad memories; Broncos have a flaw they must fix; first-half offense was fun to watch]
SCORING SUMMARY
FOURTH QUARTER
UW — James Price 72 pass from Tyler Vander Waal (Cooper Rothe kick), 5:47. Key plays: Price was open on a deep route, and Vander Waal, rolling out, hit him in stride as Boise State CB Jalen Walker missed the tackle, letting Price scoot alone to the end zone. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:42. Boise State 34, Wyoming 14
BSU — John Hightower 41 pass from Brett Rypien (Haden Hoggarth kick), 6:29. Key plays: RB Alexander Mattison had three rushes for 10 yards, then Rypien found Hightower down the sideline wide open on a deep ball for the score. Drive: 4 plays, 51 yards, 1:44. Boise State 34, Wyoming 7
THIRD QUARTER
BSU — Haden Hoggarth 33 field goal, 9:23. Key plays: As they have done most of the night, the Broncos were sharp on third down, converting to-gos of 7, 1, 10 and 8. The most impressive was a sideline grab by A.J. Richardson on a Brett Rypien pass for 25 yards on a third-and-10 to get to the Wyoming 35. Rypien found Sean Modster for 10 yards on third-and-8 to get to the Cowboys’ 23 and in field-goal range. Drive: 16 plays, 66 yards, 5:26. Boise State 27, Wyoming 7
UW — Nico Evans 75 run (Cooper Rothe kick), 14:49. Key plays: Evans found a lane in the middle of the Boise State defense and went untouched past the line of scrimmage for the long TD. The Cowboys had minus-15 rushing yards in the first half. Evans, who missed the last two and a half games, was still the team’s leading rusher coming into Saturday. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11. Boise State 24, Wyoming 7
SECOND QUARTER
BSU — Haden Hoggarth 30 field goal, 0:35. Key plays: Boise State got prime field position thanks to playmaking WR John Hightower, who blocked a Wyoming punt. Backup QB Chase Cord had a 7-yard run and a 3-yard completion to Hightower. Hoggarth made his first road field goal of the season on his fourth try. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 2:37. Boise State 24, Wyoming 0
BSU — Khalil Shakir 2 run (Haden Hoggarth kick), 5:42. Key plays: Deep in his own territory, Boise State QB Brett Rypien hit Sean Modster for a 46-yard deep gain, then got a pass interference call. The following play, WR John Hightower made an incredible one-handed catch for 31 yards to the 1, losing a shoe in the process. On third down, Shakir, a true freshman receiver, took the direct snap, leaping into the end zone for his first career TD. Drive: 5 plays, 92 yards, 2:05. Boise State 21, Wyoming 0
BSU — A.J. Richardson 21 pass from Brett Rypien (Haden Hoggarth kick), 11:02. Key plays: From his own 13, Rypien hit RB Robert Mahone for 10 yards on a third-and-10, and also had two first-down runs, the second on fourth down the play before his scoring strike to Richardson. He found Richardson in the end zone, and despite being hit hard by Wyoming CB Antonio Hull as he caught it, the senior scored a touchdown for the third straight week. Richardson had four catches for 68 yards on the drive. Drive: 15 plays, 87 yards, 6:21. Boise State 14, Wyoming 0
FIRST QUARTER
BSU — Alexander Mattison 13 run (Haden Hoggarth kick), 9:39. Key plays: The Broncos converted two third downs on the drive, and the only one that failed was aided by a Wyoming penalty. WR Khalil Shakir was stopped to force fourth down, but the Cowboys’ Logan Wilson was called for taunting and gave the Broncos a first down at the Wyoming 35. QB Brett Rypien was 6-of-7 on the drive, and Mattison hurdled Wyoming’s Marcus Epps on the TD run. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:21. Boise State 7, Wyoming 0
NEWS & NOTES
Wildfire smoke invades stadium
Wildfires around the Laramie, Wyo., area created a smoky atmosphere at War Memorial Stadium, enough to prompt officials to discuss the air quality and the safety of players. It bordered on unsafe leading up to kickoff, but the air was deemed safe and the game started on time.
Boise State played under similar circumstances last season at Washington State.
CBS Sports Network reported that the fires were 125 miles away along the Wyoming-Colorado border, with a wind shift Saturday bringing smoke to town. Small amounts of ash fell throughout the evening, prompting Boise State to cover its cups of water for players on the sideline with a towel.
Horton, Moa out again
Senior cornerback Tyler Horton, who did not play Sept. 15 at Oklahoma State, did not play Saturday for injury reasons. Sophomore safety Jordan Happle, who had a minor surgery following the season opener, did not make the trip. Senior STUD end Jabril Frazier, who had a sack to end the first half, appeared to hit his head on the turf on the play and did not return, spending the second half on the sidelines in street clothes.
Senior defensive tackle David Moa didn’t play, though he was suited up. A calf injury has slowed him down this season, limiting him to three series Sept. 15 at Oklahoma State in his only action.
“Just wasn’t feeling it tonight,” coach Bryan Harsin said. “... he practiced all week, we’re not trying to hide anything, it was a game-time decision.”
Field-goal problem persists
Boise State senior kicker Haden Hoggarth missed another field-goal attempt in the first quarter but made two later in the game. Hoggarth is 4-for-7 on the season and 2-for-5 on the road. He was 18-for-23 last year but missed a field goal in each of the final three games. He has missed a field-goal attempt in each of the past five games played away from home and is 7-for-13 in the past seven games.
Hoggarth also was shaken up on his second-quarter field goal. He was kicked in the right arm as two Wyoming players collided in front of him, but made his next attempt.
Quick hits
Boise State wore white helmets, white jerseys and orange pants. … Senior running back Skyler Seibold carried the Hammer, while sophomore nickel Kekaula Kaniho was the honorary captain. … Boise State CB Jalen Walker recovered a botched punt snap, and on the Turnover Throne also had a new prop: a turnover crown. ... Sophomore receiver Octavius Evans had his first catch of the season, an 11-yarder in the third quarter. ... Junior middle linebacker Tyson Maeva led the Broncos with 10 tackles, including a sack. ... Including Saturday’s game, Wyoming has scored more than 17 points just once in 13 games against Boise State.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
How life-changing event affected Kekoa Nawahine
A.J. Richardson’s persistence pays off
Prediction: Three experts pick a score for Boise State-Wyoming
David Moa’s return provides a spark
Acupuncture helps Broncos’ bodies
Week off came at good time for both teams
What went wrong on blocked punts
Boise State gets an afternoon home game
This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 4:36 PM.