Second-half surge leads Boise State to crucial Mountain West win at Colorado State
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Boise State 28, Colorado State 19
Boise State’s offense made key plays and its defense got stingy at the goal line as the Broncos overcame a slow start and outscored the Rams 21-3 in the second half.
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Second-half surge leads Boise State to crucial Mountain West win at Colorado State
One of Boise State fans’ favorite positions had a breakthrough moment on Saturday night
Instant analysis: No second-half lull as Boise State gets back in the win column
Final: Boise State 28, Colorado State 19; Broncos rally in second half for victory
For the better part of two quarters Saturday, it looked like Boise State’s unbeaten streak against Colorado State was going to come to an end, but the second-half lulls that have haunted the Broncos this season didn’t show up in Fort Collins.
Boise State managed just 33 yards of offense in the first quarter and found itself in an early 13-point hole after Colorado State scored on its first three drives of the game. But the Broncos outscored the Rams 21-3 in the second half and finished with 430 yards of offense in a 28-19 victory.
It was the Broncos’ 11th straight win over Colorado State, dating back to 2011, and it gave Boise State (4-4, 2-2 MW) some momentum heading into the home stretch of its regular-season schedule, which still includes road games at Fresno State and No. 21 San Diego State.
“We started off a little slow, but the guys never wavered today,” Boise State football coach Andy Avalos said. “They knew exactly what we needed to do and how we were going to do it. The way the offense finished the game is the way we’ve practiced for the last two weeks.”
Colorado State (3-5, 2-2) covered 71 yards on its first possession of the game, but the drive stalled at the Broncos’ 4-yard line and the Rams settled for a 22-yard field goal. That was a sign of things to come.
Boise State’s defense couldn’t keep Colorado State from racking up yards Saturday, but the Broncos held the Rams to field-goal attempts in the red zone four times. The Rams even drove inside Boise State’s 5-yard line three times and only came away with three points on each trip.
“It shows the resilience we have as a team, and we talked about finishing the season right,” said safety Tyreque Jones, who led the Broncos with a career-high 10 tackles. “When we get to the red zone, it’s three or nothing. It’s a mentality that we have.”
Colorado State quarterback Todd Centeio gave the Rams a 10-0 lead with a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cam Butler on their second drive of the game. They quickly got the ball back and drove to the Broncos’ 2 before the defense came up with another stand to force kicker Cayden Camper to settle for a 20-yard field goal, which gave Colorado State its 13-0 lead late in the first quarter.
After Boise State got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter, Colorado State answered with another drive that stalled at the Broncos’ 2-yard line, and the Rams went into halftime with a 16-7 lead after another field goal from Camper.
Camper was called on again late in the third quarter after edge Demitri Washington tackled Colorado State running back David Bailey well short of the sticks on third-and-5 at Boise State’s 10-yard line. That kick cut the Broncos’ lead to 21-19, and Camper finished the game 4-for-4 on field goals. But Avalos will take giving up three points instead of six any day.
“Your back is against the wall down there,” Avalos said. “We did a much better job on third downs in the second half, and that showed and we weren’t in the red zone as much.”
Even though Boise State was trailing at halftime, Avalos said the mood in the locker room was calm and confident.
“There was no panic, there was no worry. None at all,” Avalos said.
Some of the Broncos’ confidence probably came after they put together a long scoring drive at the end of the first half. Their final drive of the half began on their own 3-yard line, and it ended with quarterback Hank Bachmeier finding wide receiver Octavius Evans on a 9-yard touchdown pass.
That was the first of two 97-yard scoring drives by the Broncos. The second one was capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Bachmeier to Stefan Cobbs, which gave the Broncos a 21-16 lead with 10:51 left in the third quarter. It was Boise State’s first lead of the game, and they wouldn’t relinquish it.
Avalos said a lot of the Broncos’ success on those long scoring drives was thanks to creative play calls from offensive coordinator Tim Plough.
“There were really good play calls put into that, and the offensive coordinator keeping the offense in rhythm was a big part of that,” Avalos said.
Boise State cut into the Rams’ lead early in the third quarter thanks to Evans’ second touchdown of the night. He took a pitch from Bachmeier and scored on a 13-yard touchdown run, which cut Colorado State’s lead to 16-14. Evans carried the ball twice for 21 yards, and he finished with four catches for 30 yards.
“I’m so proud of him. I love that guy,” said Bachmeier, who completed 21-of-32 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns. “I just think he deserves it all. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve seen since I’ve been here, and for him to finally be able to get a lot of touches and make such a big difference, he deserves it.”
Bachmeier’s third touchdown pass went to tight end Tyneil Hopper, who hauled in a 51-yard pass to put the Broncos up 28-19 with 9:30 to play. It was not only the longest touchdown catch of his career, but the longest by a Boise State tight end since 2001.
Boise State’s offense also benefited from the return of running backs George Holani and Cyrus Habibi-Likio, both of whom missed the Broncos’ loss to Air Force.
Holani was on a snap count, Avalos confirmed after the game, and he finished with 43 yards on the ground. Habibi-Likio led the team with 61 rushing yards, and wide receiver Khalil Shakir was second with 43 yards on seven carries. Shakir also led the team with nine catches for 118 yards. It was his ninth career game with at least 100 receiving yards. The Broncos’ 177 rushing yards are a season high.
This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 11:05 PM.
