Instant analysis: Resurgent running game, resilient defense lead Boise State past BYU
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Boise State 26, BYU 17
Boise State turned two BYU fumbles into 14 points late in the first half and never looked back, beating the No. 10-ranked Cougars on their home field in Provo, Utah. Read all our coverage here.
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Final score: Boise State 26, No. 10 BYU 17
Records: Boise State 3-3. BYU 5-1.
Why the Broncos won: Boise State turned two BYU fumbles into 14 points late in the first half, and the Broncos finally got their running game going despite starting running back George Holani missing his second game of the season. Cyrus Habibi-Likio and Andrew Van Buren scored touchdowns on the ground, and the Broncos racked up 140 rushing yards as a team. It was Boise State’s second-best rushing performance of the season, behind only 149 yards in its win at Utah State.
Main takeaway: All is not lost for Boise State this season. The Broncos are just eight points from being 5-1 after falling 36-31 in the season opener at UCF and 21-20 against Oklahoma State. Now they have a win over No. 10 BYU, marking Boise State’s first regular-season win as an unranked team over a Top 10 opponent since a 2001 win over Fresno State. BYU was not only undefeated coming into the game, but the Cougars hadn’t even trailed in a game this year until the Broncos took a 17-10 lead late in the second quarter. The offensive line played what may be its best game of the season, which opened the running game, and the defense held BYU in check despite missing both starting cornerbacks for undisclosed reasons and safety JL Skinner, who was ejected in the second quarter on a targeting penalty.
Player of the game: Boise State running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio. The transfer from Oregon led the Broncos with 75 yards and a touchdown on the ground and tied wide receiver Khalil Shakir with a team-high five catches for 32 yards. And he did pretty much all of his damage in the first half. He was on the field for Boise State’s first drive of the second half, but that was the last time he played, and he wasn’t on the sideline for the rest of the game. It was unclear why.
Stat of the game: Boise State forced four turnovers on Saturday, marking the fourth time this season that the Broncos have forced at least two in a game and the third time they’ve forced at least three. Boise State forced a season-high six turnovers in a win over UTEP, and the Broncos have racked up 16 total turnovers this season.
Play of the game: BYU was driving deep in Boise State territory late in the third quarter and running back Lopini Katoa looked like he was going to put the Cougars in position to score with a long run, but Boise State safety Tyreque Jones delivered a hit that dislodged the ball and fellow safety Alexander Teubner recovered the fumble on the Broncos’ 10-yard line. A BYU touchdown would have cut Boise State’s lead to six points with plenty of time left. Instead, the Cougars didn’t get on the scoreboard in the second half until Tyler Allgeier scored from 1 yard out with 7:27 to play.
What’s next: Boise State is back in action at home next Saturday against Air Force. Kickoff time and broadcast details have yet to be announced. The Broncos are 6-4 all-time against the Falcons, and Boise State has won four in a row.
This story was originally published October 9, 2021 at 5:26 PM.
