Kings stay kings: Boise State rides Mattison’s monster effort to repeat as division champs
With the game on the line Saturday, Boise State put on its big-boy pants — and they fit Alexander Mattison better than anyone.
The Broncos, the neighborhood tough in the Mountain Division, were given a mighty challenge from Utah State’s band of upstarts. Already in uncharted program territory, the visiting Aggies nearly had Boise State on the ropes.
But Mattison, his jersey torn, cuts dotting his body and with a helmet that looked like it was used for target practice, was the Broncos’ heavyweight muscle.
Holding a two-point lead, Mattison rushed the ball on all six plays and picked up all 75 yards on the offense’s final drive, scoring from 1 yard out with 4 seconds left for a 33-24 win at Albertsons Stadium.
As he dove into the end zone, he sealed Boise State’s seventh straight win and punched the Broncos’ ticket to host the Mountain West championship against Fresno State next Saturday.
“In times like that you dig deep and you think about why you do this,” Mattison said. “That’s what kind of helps me. I do it for my brothers, to my right and my left. ... That’s what we live for, we live for those moments, those big situations where you have to get it and it’s a must, and we got it done.”
Mattison had two 100-yard games the first nine weeks, but Saturday was the third consecutive game he has run for at least 144 yards. His 37-carry, 200-yard, three-touchdown performance against Utah State was the sort of monster performance that left teammates amazed.
“His helmet’s all beat up, his jersey’s ripped, that’s how he’s been all year, though — he hasn’t gotten any easy yards, he’s battled for every yard that he’s gotten,” senior quarterback Brett Rypien said.
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Boise State led 20-14 after three quarters and made it 113 straight home wins when leading going into the final frame with the team on Mattison’s back. The junior had the ball in his hands for 18 of the offense’s 23 plays in the fourth quarter, responsible for 109 of its 137 yards.
“He was tired. ... In situations like that, we usually take him out, spell him, but we’re not going to do that in that moment — no one else is going in,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said.
Offensive coordinator Zak Hill said at halftime, he addressed the offensive line, and Mattison specifically, saying, “Hey, it’s time, we’ve got to control this game with the run game.”
Mattison has established himself among the finest running backs in school history with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and he’s eager to continue to put up legendary performances like the one he had Saturday.
“It’s a challenge to us to make sure that we don’t just keep up a tradition but that we try to surpass that and try to make our own last names a legacy,” Mattison said.
Saturday’s victory made it a 16th 10-win season in the last 20 years for Boise State (10-2 overall, 7-1 Mountain West). It also was the Broncos’ second win over a ranked team in three weeks — Utah State (10-2, 7-1) came into the game the highest-ranked opponent to ever visit Albertsons Stadium, at No. 14 in the AP Top 25.
“Tonight, nobody flinched,” Harsin said. “Our defense had their backs against the wall. Offense was out there with them, supporting them. Offense has a chance to drive it and end the game, which they did. Defense was out there supporting them. To me, that’s what this team is all about. We just have a lot of heart. These guys found a way to get it done. ... We have something special with this group.”
Boise State weathered an inspired Aggies offense, which came into the game No. 2 in the nation scoring 49.3 points per game. They scored on their first drive for a 7-0 lead, but sophomore defensive back Kekaula Kaniho intercepted quarterback Jordan Love later in the first quarter.
That set up a short drive that Mattison capped off with a 2-yard touchdown run, and kicker Haden Hoggarth’s field goal the next drive 15 seconds into the second quarter made it 10-7 for a lead Boise State never relinquished. The Aggies had trailed for only 12:37 during its 10-game winning streak.
Utah State tied for its season low in scoring, and never got a chance to go for the win after running back Gerold Bright’s 83-yard touchdown on a screen with 3:12 to play, thanks to Mattison’s workhorse effort that ate up all but the last 4 seconds.
“I thought we stopped the run well at times, and then it’s right through the heart of your defense,” Utah State coach Matt Wells said.
The homefield advantage of 35,960, loud-as-can-be, blue-and-orange-clad faithful made a difference, well aware of what was riding on the game. Harsin said it was “one of the best atmospheres” he’s been around, and the volume was cranked to 11 when Utah State had back-to-back false starts on a fourth-quarter drive that resulted in a punt.
But that crowd also got to test how loud it could boo as the Broncos were called for five first-half penalties for 64 yards. Rypien responded to a pair of personal fouls on a second-quarter drive with a 17-yard pass on a third-and-12 and a 30-yarder on second-and-24 to set up Mattison’s second score and a 17-7 lead. The senior had 308 yards on 23-of-32 passing and a touchdown without a turnover.
“We overcame a lot tonight. ... I’ve never really been a part of something like that,” Harsin said. “There’s probably things that are questionable that we’ll review. ... For a while it was like WWE, it was meant to be close.”
Even as 18 seniors were honored before the game, it did not feel like the end of something. With how confident this team has been during its win streak, needing to win each conference game to get to play for a second straight Mountain West crown, it was a step toward a big finish.
“That’s kind of the mentality that I took into it, the senior night, that was awesome, the ceremony was great there, but I knew we were going to be playing one more time on the Blue,” Rypien said.
This story was originally published November 25, 2018 at 3:31 AM.