Final: San Jose State 34, Boise State 20; Spartans claim first Mountain West title
The San Jose State football team continued its historic season Saturday with a 34-20 win over Boise State in the Mountain West championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium.
It’s the Spartans’ first conference title in program history and the first game the Broncos have lost to a conference opponent since they fell to Fresno State in the 2018 Mountain West title game.
Boise State (5-2) is still expected to play in a bowl game, but where the Broncos are headed isn’t clear. They could end up in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix if the Big Ten or Big 12 can’t fill their spots, and the First Responder Bowl in Frisco, Texas, is also a possibility. The Broncos’ destination is expected to be announced Sunday.
San Jose State (7-0) struck first Saturday on a 55-yard touchdown catch by Tre Walker. It was his longest reception this season, and he finished the game with seven catches for 137 yards. It was his 12th career 100-yard receiving game.
Boise State cornerback Jalen Walker was called offside on the play as he tried to get a head start on a blitz, and safety JL Skinner missed a tackle, leaving the Spartans’ Walker a clear path down the sideline to the end zone.
San Jose State quarterback Nick Starkel finished the game 32-for-52 for 453 yards and three touchdowns, including a 30-yard scoring strike to Isaiah Hamilton, which put the Spartans up 27-13 early in the fourth quarter.
On the Broncos’ first drive, freshman kicker Jonah Dalmas missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt. It was his first miss of the season, but he made up for it on the next drive with a career-long 51-yard kick, which cut the Spartans’ lead to 7-3.
San Jose State’s final drive of the opening quarter covered 68 yards in 13 plays and was kept alive by two pass interference penalties by the Broncos. Boise State’s defense held inside its own 10-yard line, though, and the Spartans went up 10-3 with a 24-yard field goal.
Back-to-back 20-yard completions from Starkel to his tight ends set up a 36-yard field goal by Matt Mecurio, which gave the Spartans a 13-3 lead with 6:40 left in the first half. Mecurio tied his career high for field goals in the game on the ensuing drive with a 32-yard field goal, which sent the Spartans into halftime with a 19-3 lead.
Dalmas ended the first half with a 50-yard field goal to send the Broncos into halftime trailing 19-6, and Avery Williams cut the Spartans’ lead to 19-13 with a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Bachmeier answered Starkel’s next touchdown pass with a 2-yard touchdown run, which cut the Spartans’ lead to 27-20 with 10:51 to play, but Starkel put the game out of reach with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Derrick Deese Jr. with 3:48 to play.
Holani, Sears out
The Boise State football team will be without starting running back George Holani and No. 2 quarterback Jack Sears for today’s Mountain West championship game against San Jose State (2:40 p.m. MT, Fox) at Sam Boyd Stadium.
After suffering an apparent knee injury Oct. 31 at Air Force, Holani made his return to the field last weekend at Wyoming, but it was short-lived. He left the game early in the third quarter and did not return.
Junior Andrew Van Buren will carry the load again after posting 79 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries at Wyoming.
Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said Holani was held out for precautionary reasons.
Sears suffered an apparent head injury Nov. 6 against BYU and hasn’t played since. He was expected to return for the UNLV game, according to Broncos offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau, but the game was canceled.
Sears was one of three quarterbacks who were inactive at Wyoming, joining freshmen Cade Fennegan and Andy Peters.
Peters and Fennegan are both active today. Quarterback Chase Cord and tight end John Bates are both on the active list, too, but they were in street clothes during pregame warmups. Cord was active last week for the first time this season.
The Broncos (5-1, 5-0 Mountain West) are without just two players because of COVID-19, and only one of them is out because of a positive test, the team announced about 45 minutes before kickoff.
Boise State listed 30 players as inactive Saturday. Wide receiver Octavius Evans and tight end Austin Bolt both remain on the inactive list.
San Jose State is not missing any players today because of positive tests or contact tracing, a team spokesperson confirmed.
Follow along with our live scoring summary, news and notes, and breaking news:
GAME DETAILS
When Boise State and No. 25 San Jose State meet Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, the Spartans will be trying for their first Mountain West championship and first victory over the Broncos.
Meanwhile, the Broncos will be playing for their fourth victory in five Mountain West title game appearances.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:40 p.m. MT, and the game will be televised on Fox. A radio broadcast is available on KBOI 670 AM and KTIK 93.1 FM.
Boise State (5-1, 5-0 MW) leads the all-time series 14-0. The two teams were supposed to play Nov. 28 in Boise. The Spartans (6-0, 6-0) made the trip, but the game was canceled less than 5 hours before kickoff.
Boise State is 7-1 at Sam Boyd Stadium, and the Broncos have played in five Las Vegas Bowls there, going 4-1 in them. Their lone loss was a 38-7 setback against Washington last December in former Boise State coach Chris Petersen’s final game with the Huskies.
At Sam Boyd, the Broncos own four wins over Power Five programs — Utah (2010), Arizona State (2011), Washington (2012) and Oregon (2017) — and three over UNLV.
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
SJSU — Tre Walker 55 pass from Nick Starkel (Matt Mercurio kick), 8:36. Key plays: Aside from a holding penalty, the Spartans made three plays of 12 or more yards on this drive. Running back Tyler Nevens cleared the path for Walker’s TD reception with a key block. Drive: 3 plays, 71 yards, 1:48. San Jose State 7, Boise State 0
BSU — Jonah Dalmas 51 field goal, 3:31. Key plays: San Jose State DL Cade Hall kept Boise State out of the end zone with back-to-back sacks of Hank Bachmeier for losses of 11 and 1 yard. The field goal was Dalmas’ career long. Drive: 11 plays, 44 yards, 5:00. San Jose State 7, Boise State 3
Second quarter
SJSU — Mercurio 24 field goal, 14:46. Key plays: Boise State’s defense held the Spartans on three tries in the red zone, stuffing Starkel for a 2-yard loss and a pair of incomplete passes. The Spartans settled for a field goal. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 3:45. San Jose State 10, Boise State 3
SJSU — Mercurio 36 field goal, 6:40. Key plays: The Broncos gave up a pair of 20-yard passes on the first two plays of this drive. Jalen Walker nearly had an interception on Starkel’s pass attempt on third-and-11 from the 19. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 1:56. San Jose State 13, Boise State 3
SJSU — Mercurio 26 field goal, 2:31. Key plays: Boise State once again gave up a few big plays at the start of the drive, this time a 36-yard pass to Bailey Gaither and a 20-yarder to Kairee Robinson. The drive stalled at the BSU 9-yard line, however, with a Kekaula Kaniho pass breakup, an SJSU illegal touching penalty and an incomplete pass. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 3:27. San Jose State 16, Boise State 3
SJSU — Mercurio 32 field goal, :50. Key plays: The Broncos went three-and-out on offense for the third time in the second quarter, forcing the BSU defense back on the field. The Spartans took advantage of a BSU personal foul on the end of a 12-yard pass to reach the BSU 24. Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 1:05. San Jose State 19, Boise State 3
BSU — Dalmas 50 field goal, :00. Key plays: The Broncos moved the ball efficiently on this drive as Bachmeier connected on passes of 9, 6, 16 and 8 yards to get Dalmas in field-goal range. Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, :43. San Jose State 19, Boise State 6
Third quarter
BSU — Avery Williams 69 punt return (Dalmas kick), 2:48. Key plays: BSU safety Kekaula Kaniho broke up a Spartans reception on third-and-7, forcing SJSU to punt. Williams ties the NCAA record for career return TDs with nine. San Jose State 19, Boise State 13
Fourth quarter
SJSU — Isaiah Hamilton 30 pass from Starkel (Sam Olson pass from Starkel), 14:17. Key plays: Starkel found Bailey Gaither on third-and-5 from the BSU 36 to extend this drive. Starkel then made a flawless pass to Hamilton for the TD, squashing BSU’s momentum after a special teams score. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:31. San Jose State 27, Boise State 13
BSU — Hank Bachmeier 2 run (Dalmas kick), 10:51. Key plays: Bachmeier hit TE Riley Smith with a 40-yard pass to get the Broncos in the red zone. Two plays later, an Andrew Van Buren fumble was overturned after a review. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:18. San Jose State 27, Boise State 20
SJSU — Derrick Deese Jr. 1 pass from Starkel (Mercurio kick), 3:48. Key plays: Tyler Nevens converted his eighth carry of the game into a 15-yard run — the Spartans’ longest of the night — and a first down on the BSU 5. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 4:30. San Jose State 34, Boise State 20
NEWS & NOTES
Bowl options?
The Arizona Bowl announced Monday on Twitter that it will host the Mountain West champion, but where the loser is headed isn’t quite clear.
Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said Saturday at halftime of the title game that the conference is a backup in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix if the Big 10 and Big 12 can’t fill it.
Thompson also said there are still several bowl options for the loser of the Mountain West championship, but that won’t be decided until Sunday.
Quick hits
The Broncos wore white jerseys, white pants and white helmets. ... Redshirt senior cornerback Jalen Walker served as the Broncos’ honorary fourth game captain. ... Boise State was led onto the field by middle linebacker DJ Schramm, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer, but as is MW championship game tradition, each member of the team ran onto the field with a hammer. ... Right tackle Nick Crabtree carried the American flag and long snapper Daniel Cantrell carried the Bleed Blue flag. ... The last time Boise State didn’t score a TD in the first half was in the Broncos’ 51-17 loss to BYU on Nov. 6. ... San Jose State kicker Matt Mercurio tied an NCAA record with four field goals in the second quarter. ... Wide receiver Khalil Shakir limped off the field holding his left hamstring late in the third quarter, and he was taken to the medical tent. ... Avery Williams tied the NCAA record for career return TDs with his ninth on a 69-yard punt return in the third quarter. He is tied with Washington returner Dante Pettis. ... SJSU QB Nick Starkel set a Mountain West championship game record with 453 passing yards, besting Derek Carr’s 404 yards in 2013 for Fresno State. .. Boise State safety Tyreque Jones was helped off the field in the fourth quarter.
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
San Jose State ‘climbed the mountain’ all the way to the Mountain West title game
Keys to victory, matchups and predictions for the Mountain West championship in Las Vegas
COVID-19 complicated recruiting, but Boise State adds offensive firepower in 2021 class
Boise State has the Mountain West’s top specialist again; Broncos add 2021 D-lineman
Boise State football recruit Dudley turns tragedy into motivation. ‘I’ll run for us both.’
Boise State, San Jose State ride streaks into title game. Broncos expect reinforcements
Signing Day: Boise State inks 15 recruits on early signing day, including QB Taylen Green
Boise State football will play for Mountain West title away from home, on network TV
After weighing legal options, Boise State says pastor still will travel with football team
Team chaplaincy forces Boise State to set ‘appropriate constitutional boundaries’
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 2:09 PM.
