Final: San Diego State 19, Boise State 13; Broncos never find rhythm offensively
Senior quarterback Brett Rypien and the Boise State offense struggled mightily in a 19-13 loss to San Diego State on Saturday afternoon at Albertsons Stadium.
Rypien threw two interceptions in the first quarter — his first picks of the year — and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season in a battle of the Mountain West’s top two programs.
The Broncos (3-2, 1-1 MW) finished with just 229 total yards as the Aztecs (4-1, 1-0) earned their second win on the Blue and evened the all-time series at 3-3.
[Related: Boise State offense wilts in the daylight; Rocky Long makes himself at home on Blue; Analysis: Boise State, Rypien flop in big game]
Saturday’s announced crowd of 36,679 for the ESPNU-televised matchup was the fourth largest in program history.
Boise State led 7-3 after the first quarter despite two interceptions, a fumbled punt snap and just 2 yards of offense in the quarter. The Broncos scored after a muffed punt by San Diego State put them on the Aztecs’ 4-yard line.
San Diego State pulled ahead 13-7 by halftime. The Aztecs kicked a field goal after the fumbled punt snap and scored a touchdown after backup quarterback Chase Cord was intercepted on a play that was supposed to surprise the defense. Rypien was 8-for-18 for 51 yards in the first half. San Diego State outgained Boise State 131-72. Each team had six first downs.
Find the scoring summary and game notes below:
SCORING SUMMARY
FOURTH QUARTER
BSU — Alexander Mattison 1 run (Joel Velazquez kick failed), 3:05. Key plays: By far the most efficient drive of the game, the Broncos converted a third-and-7 on an 8-yard pass from Brett Rypien to A.J. Richardson to get into SDSU territory. Rypien had a 10-yard run on a second-and-10 to get to the 24, then hit CT Thomas for 23 yards to get to the 1. Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 2:02. SDSU 19, Boise State 13
SDSU — Jordan Byrd 72 run (Ryan Agnew pass failed), 10:10. Key plays: Boise State had the Aztecs with their backs to the wall on a solid punt, but appearing stuck on second-and-9, RB Chase Jasmin used a second effort to turn a no gain into 14 yards. On third-and-2 following the first down, Byrd took his third career carry off the right and outran the BSU defense for his first TD. Drive: 5 plays, 95 yards, 2:57. SDSU 19, Boise State 7
SECOND QUARTER
SDSU — Chase Jasmin 2 run (John Baron II kick), 4:36. Key plays: Once again, San Diego State found itself with a short field courtesy of a Ronley Lakalaka interception of Boise State backup Chase Cord. Boise State’s Tyler Horton was called for pass interference in the end zone the play before Jasmin’s TD plunge. Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards, 0:52. SDSU 13, Boise State 7
SDSU — John Baron II 41 field goal, 13:09. Key plays: The Aztecs again got good field position after Boise State punter Quinn Skillin fumbled the snap, and fell on it at the BSU 31. RB Chase Jasmin scored on a 5-yard TD run, but a holding call brought it back, then the Aztecs had a false start, then were sacked on third down. Drive: 6 plays, 7 yards, 1:51. Boise State 7, SDSU 6
FIRST QUARTER
BSU — Alexander Mattison 1 run (Joel Velazquez kick), 6:48. Key plays: Boise State’s Quinn Skillin uncorked a massive 57-yard punt that San Diego State’s Ethan Dedeaux couldn’t corral. Boise State LB Riley Whimpey recovered at the 4 for the outstanding field position. Drive: 3 plays, 4 yards, 1:06. Boise State 7, SDSU 3
SDSU — John Baron II 36 field goal, 9:14. Key plays: The Aztecs got the ball in excellent field position after CB Darren Hall intercepted Boise State’s Brett Rypien and had a short 5-yard return. The Broncos’ defense was stout, forcing the field goal shortly after. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:29. SDSU 3, Boise State 0
NEWS & NOTES
Boise State leading tackler out
Boise State junior safety DeAndre Pierce, the Broncos’ leading tackler, missed Saturday’s game against San Diego State. Pierce has 23 tackles this season. Coach Bryan Harsin said he would provide an update on Pierce on Monday.
Senior defensive tackle David Moa also was out. He has been limited all season and missed three of the first four games.
Cornerback Tyler Horton, who missed the previous two games, started. STUD end Jabril Frazier, who missed the Wyoming game, played. Horton led the team with eight tackles and recovered a fumble.
“It felt good to be back out there with my boys,” Horton said. “Getting the news that I was cleared this week, emotions were everywhere.”
Broncos switch kickers
Sophomore Joel Velazquez replaced senior Haden Hoggarth as the kicker for PATs against San Diego State. Velazquez was 1-for-2, making the first PAT of his career. The Broncos didn’t try a field goal.
Velazquez’s miss ended a streak of 157 consecutive made PATs for the Broncos, dating to 2015.
Quick hits
Boise State wore white pants, blue jerseys and blue helmets. The last time Boise State wore white pants and blue jerseys at home was Nov. 26, 2011, against Wyoming. The Broncos won 36-14. ... Running back Skyler Seibold carried the Hammer for Boise State. ... Wide receiver A.J. Richardson was the single-game captain. ... Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien passed BYU QB Max Hall (2007-09) for second on the Mountain West all-time passing yards list. Rypien has 11,435 career passing yards.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
Matchup: Where Boise State, San Diego State get the advantage
Prediction: Something weird always happens in this matchup
Boise State offense faces mental test vs. San Diego State
Boise State seeks spark in run game
Want more Boise State injury info? Maybe next year.
San Diego State offense has pieces missing
Boise State gets big recruiting commit
This story was originally published October 6, 2018 at 12:50 PM.