Final: Boise State 21, BYU 16; Bronco defense preserves win with goal-line stand

By Dave Southorn , Chadd Cripe and Rachel Roberts

Updated November 4, 2018 2:45 AM

With 7 seconds left and BYU eying the go-ahead score from the Boise State 2-yard line, Tyson Maeva and Scale Igiehon teamed up to sack BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, preserving Boise State’s 21-16 victory Saturday night at Albertsons Stadium.

The Broncos finished with seven sacks, which is the most for the team since racking up eight in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl.

Junior running back Alexander Mattison scored two of Boise State’s three touchdowns and totaled 89 yards on 25 carries. Mattison’s five receptions for 40 yards also was a team-high.

Senior quarterback Brett Rypien completed 23-of-35 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown. Rypien now has 12,655 career passing yards. He needs just 36 yards to pass San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley for the Mountain West career record.

Boise State (7-2) built a 14-6 halftime lead over BYU (4-5). The Broncos scored touchdowns on their first two drives but a missed field goal and an interception thrown by Rypien changed momentum.

BYU used a safe offensive attack to hold the ball for 16:19 of the first half. The Cougars threatened to score four times but the Broncos defense was stout in the red zone. Those four drives ended with two field goals, a missed field goal and a fumbled snap on a third-and-19.

Boise State outgained BYU 151-121 in the half. BYU had minus-5 rushing yards thanks to four sacks. Boise State only had 15 rushing yards. Rypien was 13-for-18 for 136 yards with one TD. The half ended when, after an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on left tackle Ezra Cleveland, the Broncos didn’t realize the clock was running.

Find the scoring summary and game notes below:

SCORING SUMMARY

FOURTH QUARTER

BYU — Skyler Southam 41 field goal, 6:32. Key plays: On the drive’s third play, QB Zach Wilson had a 23-yard run to get into Boise State territory, and then four plays later converted a fourth-and-3 with a 5-yard pass to WR Talon Shumway. After a penalty and a sack, BYU had a second-and-24, but a 6-yard Matt Hadley run and a 10-yard Wilson run got the Cougars back into field-goal range. Drive: 12 plays, 42 yards, 4:35. Boise State 21, BYU 16

THIRD QUARTER

BSU — Alexander Mattison 3 run (Haden Hoggarth kick), 1:44. Key plays: The Broncos’ marathon drive included four third-down conversions, the second a third-and-7 conversion on a 17-yard pass from Brett Rypien to A.J. Richardson to get into BYU territory. The Broncos’ last was a third-and-3, and Rypien found CT Thomas for 10 to get to the BYU 20. Mattison ran the last four plays of the drive for 15 yards. Drive: 16 plays, 79 yards, 8:02. Boise State 21, BYU 13

BYU — Zach Wilson 4 run (Skyler Southam kick), 9:46. Key plays: Boise State had been driving, but a fumble on the exchange between QB Brett Rypien and RB Alexander Mattison was recovered by the Cougars. Wilson hit WR Talon Shumway for 42 yards to get to the BSU 10 on the drive’s second play. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:00. Boise State 14, BYU 13

SECOND QUARTER

BYU — Skyler Southam 43 field goal, 4:58. Key plays: An ill-advised Brett Rypien pass was intercepted by CB Michael Shelton at midfield and he returned it to the BSU 19. The Cougars got as far as the 5, but Boise State got consecutive sacks, then a 1-yard tackle for loss to prompt the field goal. Drive: 7 plays, minus-7 yards, 3:56. Boise State 14, BYU 6

BYU — Skyler Southam 26 field goal, 9:08. Key plays: QB Zach Wilson, a former Boise State commit, led a solid drive, rushing twice for 11 yards and completing 4-of-5 passes for 46 yards. A 15-yard pass to WR Talon Shumway got BYU inside the Boise State 10, but the Cougars couldn’t find the end zone. Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 5:01. Boise State 14, BYU 3

FIRST QUARTER

BSU — A.J. Richardson 7 pass from Brett Rypien (Haden Hoggarth kick), 0:54. Key plays: A Rypien sneak on third-and-1 at midfield kept the drive alive, and he hit Akilian Butler for 16 and Richardson for 20 on back-to-back plays. On third-and-6, he found Richardson on a slant in the end zone for the TD. Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 4:51. Boise State 14, BYU 0

BSU — Alexander Mattison 1 run (Haden Hoggarth kick), 9:27. Key plays: Boise State forced a three-and-out, and BYU’s first punt covered just 30 yards to give the Broncos great field position. QB Brett Rypien hit WR CT Thomas on third-and-5 for 31 yards. Four plays later, Mattison scored behind six offensive linemen and three tight ends. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 4:04. Boise State 7, BYU 0

NEWS & NOTES

Another defender on the injured list

Boise State played without a handful of players Saturday night against BYU — wide receiver Octavius Evans, guard Eric Quevedo, nose tackle Sonatane Lui and defensive tackle Chase Hatada are not suited up and will not play.

The Broncos were already without starting safety DeAndre Pierce and defensive tackle David Moa, both out for at least the regular season. Lui was out for a third straight game after starting the first five games. Hatada played in the first eight games and has 21 tackles on the year.

Senior quarterback Brett Rypien is 250 yards shy of the Mountain West career passing record, currently held by San Diego State’s Ryan Lindley, who had 12,690 yards from 2008 to 2011.

▪ The Broncos picked up a new quarterback commit Saturday, their second of the 2019 class, in Folsom (Calif.) standout Kaiden Bennett.

▪ Former Boise State offensive lineman Jon Gott went viral with his beer-chugging touchdown celebration in Canada.

Quick hits

Sophomore linebacker Riley Whimpey, who grew up in Utah and came into the game as Boise State’s leading tackler, was the single-game captain. … The Broncos wore blue helmets, blue pants and blue jerseys. … Junior nose tackle Matt Locher carried the Hammer.