Final: Boise State 17, Wyoming 9; Broncos prevail in snowy game in Laramie
Boise State only has two quarterbacks in uniform for today’s regular-season finale at Wyoming.
Starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier will be in action. He’ll be backed up by redshirt junior Chase Cord, who has yet to play this season as he continues to rehab from injuries suffered last fall and offseason ankle surgery.
[Related: Instant Analysis — Boise State D leads the way]
Quarterbacks Jack Sears, Cade Fennegan and Andy Peters, tight end John Bates and safety Tyreque Jones were among the 37 players Boise State listed as inactive before the game.
Boise State offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau said Sears was expected to play last week at UNLV, but that game was canceled.
The Broncos were missing 10 players Saturday because of COVID-19. Four were out because of positive tests, and six more didn’t make the trip because they were close contacts of positive cases.
The Broncos did get a couple of players back.
Running back George Holani was active for the first time since suffering an apparent knee injury in the first half of the Broncos’ 49-30 win at Air Force on Oct. 31.
Defensive tackle Jackson Cravens was also active for the first time since the Broncos’ loss to BYU on Nov. 6.
Follow along with our live scoring summary, news and notes, and breaking news:
GAME DETAILS
Win or lose, Boise State is already guaranteed a spot in the Mountain West championship game against San Jose State.
The title game will be played Saturday, Dec. 19.
According to the Mountain West, if Boise State (4-1, 4-0 MW) loses to Wyoming (2-3, 2-3), San Jose State (6-0, 6-0) will host the championship game. But the game won’t be in CEFCU Stadium because of a ban on all contact sports in Santa Clara County, which is scheduled to run through Dec. 21.
The Spartans played their final regular-season home game at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, and a spokesperson for the Mountain West said if San Jose State hosts, the game will likely be held there.
Even if Boise State wins at Wyoming, San Jose State could end up hosting because it has a slight advantage in the computer rankings the conference uses for tie-breakers.
On Saturday, the temperature in Laramie isn’t expected to climb above 25 degrees, with a low of 1 degree, and there’s snow in the forecast. There’s a 60% chance of snow Saturday evening, and wind gusts are expected to reach about 15 mph.
Wyoming’s War Memorial Stadium is at 7,220 feet above sea level, which makes it the highest major college football stadium in the country.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:02 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. That’s channel 139 on Sparklight, 221 on DirecTV and 158 on Dish Network. A radio broadcast of the game can be found on KBOI 670 AM or KTIK 93.1 FM.
[Related: Boise State plays a little snow football to complete sweep of Mountain West schedule]
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
WYO — John Hoyland 42 field goal, 11:03. Key plays: Cornerback C.J. Coldon intercepted BSU QB Hank Bachmeier and returned the ball to the BSU 34-yard line. The Broncos defense held the Cowboys to a field goal. Drive: 5 plays, 9 yards, 2:38. Wyoming 3, Boise State 0
BSU — George Holani 4 pass from Hank Bachmeier (Jonah Dalmas kick), 4:41. Key plays: Khalil Shakir had a first-down run (14 yards) and first-down catch (19 yards) on this drive. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:22. Boise State 7, Wyoming 3
Second quarter
BSU — Dalmas 34 field goal, 7:38. Key plays: A Wyoming personal foul kept this drive going for Boise State on third-and-3. Shakir got the Broncos in the red zone with a 19-yard run. Bachmeier’s pass attempt to Shakir in the end zone on third-and-10 from the Wyoming 17 was a tad too high for Shakir to pull down. Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 2:58. Boise State 10, Wyoming 3
Third quarter
WYO — Hoyland 36 field goal, 6:19. Key plays: Boise State’s Avery Williams lost the football when he attempted to catch a Wyoming punt, and the Cowboys recovered on their own 46-yard line. Their first play was a 29-yard reception by Xazavian Valladay to the BSU 25. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 1:53. Boise State 10, Wyoming 6
BSU — Andrew Van Buren 2 run (Dalmas kick), :57. Key plays: Shakir got his hands on a deep pass from Bachmeier for a 33-yard gain. Wyoming was called for a pass interference penalty that put the ball on the Wyoming 2-yard line. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:22. Boise State 17, Wyoming 6
Fourth quarter
WYO — Hoyland 36 field goal, 4:30. Key plays: Facing fourth-and-11 from the BSU 30-yard line, Wyoming’s drive was extended when BSU safety JL Skinner was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Isaiah Bagnah sacked Wyoming backup Gavin Beerup for a 4-yard loss, then Beerup threw a pair of incomplete passes, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a field goal. Drive: 13 plays, 53 yards, 5:09. Boise State 17, Wyoming 9
[Related: Boise State football faced Wyoming with coaches on the inactive list. ‘That’s not normal.’]
NEWS & NOTES
Holani leaves with injury
Sophomore running back George Holani was playing in his first game for the Broncos since leaving with an injury against Air Force on Oct. 31.
However, Holani left the field at War Memorial Stadium with 11:27 to go in the third quarter after appearing to re-injure his left knee, which was already in a brace. Holani had three carries for 3 yards, plus the game’s first touchdown on a 4-yard pass from Hank Bachmieier on the Broncos’ opening drive.
He spent time in the medical tent and was later offered a crutch by a trainer, but he refused it, according to the CBS Sports Network broadcast.
Quick hits
The Broncos wore white jerseys, orange pants and blue helmets. ... Redshirt senior right guard Jake Stetz served as the Broncos’ honorary fourth game captain. ... Boise State was led onto the field by cornerback Markel Reed, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer. ... Running back Andrew Van Buren carried the American flag and safety Evan Tyler carried the Bleed Blue flag. ... Wyoming won the coin toss but deferred. ... After Dalmas’ 34-yard field goal with 7:38 left in the second quarter, the CBS Sports Network broadcast showed QB Hank Bachmeier on the sideline as trainers attended to his bloody mouth. It was unclear what his exact injury was. ... Tyric LeBeauf blocked a Wyoming punt, which freshman Jaylen Clark returned for a touchdown. But the TD was negated by a block-in-the-back penalty on Boise State. ... The Broncos got the ball back with 53 seconds left in the second quarter but failed to score. It ended a streak of 10 straight conference road games in which the Broncos scored in the final minute of the first half. ... Boise State went into the game a perfect 16-for-16 in the red zone this season. The Broncos extended that streak to 18-for-18 early against Wyoming, but the streak stopped on a field-goal try in the second quarter that ended with a botched hold.
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
Keys to victory, matchups and predictions for Boise State’s road game at Wyoming
Boise State football expects to get one star player back on the field this week
Bryan Harsin wants a better conference — and good for him — but Boise State is in tough spot
Boise State’s Bryan Harsin tells school officials: Let’s leave the Mountain West
Boise State DL confirms he tested positive for COVID-19; Broncos add DB to 2021 class
Boise State coach Harsin is ‘very confident’ Wyoming game will be played; LA Bowl canceled
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 3:34 PM.
