Hurdle a man for TD? Catch a ball with 1 hand, 1 shoe? Spectacular plays lift Boise State

Alexander Mattison went ahead and fooled the Wyoming defense twice.

This time, the Cowboys have nobody to blame but themselves.

For the second year in a row, Boise State’s junior running back had a little fun at Wyoming’s expense, hurdling free safety Marcus Epps en route to a 13-yard touchdown run on the Broncos’ opening drive.

Mattison’s leap was one of five eye-popping offensive plays for the Broncos in the first half of a 34-14 victory over the Cowboys on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo.

“That was unbelievable effort,” Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien said. “I’ve seen him do it before, but I hadn’t seen it in that type of situation where he had to break a tackle really at the line of scrimmage, evade a guy and then he didn’t really have that much momentum going and he was still able to hurdle him to get into the end zone.”

In last year’s win over the Cowboys at Albertsons Stadium, Mattison caught a short pass from Rypien in the fourth quarter, then hurdled a Wyoming defender in stride for a 22-yard gain that led to the Broncos’ final scoring drive of the night.

Mattison said he gets his leaping ability from when he ran the 110-meter hurdles in high school.

Senior receiver A.J. Richardson provided the next big play for the Broncos in the second quarter, going up for a 21-yard reception in the end zone knowing he was going to get clotheslined by Wyoming cornerback Antonio Hull. Richardson caught the pass despite the big hit to assure his third touchdown in as many games and a 14-0 lead.

[Related: Rypien, Boise State replace bad memories; Broncos have a flaw they must fix; scoring summary]

Richardson had four catches for 68 yards on the drive and finished with a game-high 113 yards on six receptions.

Boise State’s third scoring drive of the game included one highlight clip after another. It started with a 46-yard deep ball from Rypien to senior receiver Sean Modster along the left sideline. Rypien’s toss landed perfectly in Modster’s outstretched hands, and he managed to hang onto the ball even as Epps landed right on top of him as the two went rolling out of bounds.

On the following play, junior receiver John Hightower got the Broncos down to the Wyoming 1-yard line with a nearly impossible one-handed catch for 31 yards. Hightower made the grab with his left hand while in the air, pulling the ball to his body as Hull knocked him to the ground. Oh, and he also lost a shoe.

Hightower later added a 41-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

“He just continues to impress me every single week,” Rypien said. “Unbelievable athletic ability. I think that’s the only way to describe John Hightower is just naturally gifted. He reminds me a little bit of (Cedrick Wilson) in that way. He’s good at a lot of things.”

True freshman receiver Khalil Shakir completed the five-play, 92-yard drive by taking the direct snap and leaping head-first into the corner of the end zone for his first career touchdown.

The Broncos’ explosive plays resulted in a 24-0 halftime lead and an eventual win in their Mountain West Conference opener.

“There were some spectacular catches that were made tonight,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “We do not practice those. Those are from those guys just playing with confidence. Sometimes when you play against the type of secondaries we play against, you’re not just getting wide open shots.”

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.

[Related: Sports Pass subscription offers a year of sports coverage for $30; The 208 Podcast features Dave Southorn]

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,” 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.

This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 9:00 PM.