Final: Boise State 28, Colorado State 19; Broncos rally in second half for victory
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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
The Boise State football team overcame a sluggish start to beat Colorado State 28-19 on Saturday night in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The Broncos trailed 13-0 in the first quarter and 16-7 at halftime.
[Second-half surge leads Boise State to crucial win; Fan favorite position has breakthrough moment; Instant Analysis: Broncos avoid second-half lull]
But the offense came alive in the second half, with wide receiver Octavius Evans scoring on a 13-yard touchdown run, wide receiver Stefan Cobbs scoring on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Hank Bachmeier and tight end Tyneil Hopper scoring on a 51-yard connection with Bachmeier.
Bachmeier was 21-for-32 for 253 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos rushed for 177 yards, including 70 yards from wide receivers. Running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio led the Broncos with 61 rushing yards.
Boise State improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the Mountain West. Colorado State is 3-5, 2-2.
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
CSU — Cayden Camper 22 field goal, 9:48. Key plays: Tight end Trey McBride caught three passes for 26 yards on this drive, but cornerback Caleb Biggers broke up a potential TD toss to McBride, forcing the Rams to settle for the field goal. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 5:12. Colorado State 3, Boise State 0
CSU — Cam Butler 30 pass from Todd Centeio (Camper kick), 6:31. Key plays: BSU’s shanked punt gave the Rams good field position at their own 35. Centeio broke free for a 22-yard scramble and threw the TD pass on the ensuing play. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 1:59. Colorado State 10, Boise State 0
CSU — Camper 20 field goal, 0:52. Key plays: Another short punt and 11-yard return put CSU on the BSU 49. McBride made a 34-yard catch on the first play to get to the 15-yard line. The Broncos held on third-and-goal to force the field goal. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:25. Colorado State 13, Boise State 0
Second quarter
BSU — Octavius Evans 9 pass from Hank Bachmeier (Jonah Dalmas kick), 1:50. Key plays: BSU made five plays of 10 or more yards on this drive, including a 10-yarder from Bachmeier to Khalil Shakir on fourth-and-4 from the CSU 39. The Rams were flagged for a face mask penalty and pass interference. Drive: 13 plays, 97 yards, 6:09. Colorado State 13, Boise State 7
CSU — Camper 20 field goal, 0:11. Key plays: The Rams connected on pass plays of 29 and 19 yards, and benefited from an unnecessary roughness penalty on BSU. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 1:31. Colorado State 16, Boise State 7
Third quarter
BSU — Octavius Evans 13 run (Dalmas kick), 10:51. Key plays: Khalil Shakir returned a CSU punt 30 yards to the Rams’ 38, then Stefan Cobbs caught a 14-yard pass on the first play of the drive. Holani added two carries for 11 yards. Drive: 4 plays, 38 yards, 1:04. Colorado State 16, Boise State 14
BSU — Cobbs 11 pass from Hank Bachmeier (Dalmas kick), 4:01. Key plays: Khalil Shakir caught a 31-yard pass from Bachmeier as the QB was getting hit. Two plays later, the pair connected on a 12-yarder. Drive: 13 plays, 97 yards, 4:08. Boise State 21, Colorado State 16
CSU — Camper 28 field goal, 0:44. Key plays: The Rams’ first two plays of the drive were passing plays of 19 and 14 yards, then the Broncos were flagged for a 15-yard personal foul, putting the Rams on the BSU 15. Edge Demitri Washington made a big stop on third-and-5 from the 10 to force the field goal. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:17. Boise State 21, Colorado State 19
Fourth quarter
BSU — Tyneil Hopper 51 pass from Bachmeier (Dalmas kick), 9:30. Key play: Brandon Hawkins partially blocked CSU’s punt to give BSU the ball on its own 38-yard line. Drive: 4 plays, 62 yards, 1:53. Boise State 28, Colorado State 19
NEWS & NOTES
Broncos start a new center
The Boise State football team will start its third different center this season in Saturday’s game at Colorado State.
Texas Tech transfer Will Farrar — who started the past three games at center — is one of four Boise State players who will miss Saturday’s game for undisclosed reasons. Farrar replaced sixth-year senior Donte Harrington at center in the Broncos’ loss to Nevada.
Sixth-year senior Jake Stetz will start at center against the Rams. He opened the season at right guard and has played left guard the past three games.
Redshirt junior Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez was expected to start at center this season, but he hasn’t played a single snap.
Boise State is also without cornerbacks Damon Cole and Tyric LeBeauf, and defensive lineman Michael Callahan.
The Broncos do return their top two running backs for Saturday’s game. George Holani missed the past two games after aggravating the same soft tissue leg injury that kept him out of the season opener at UCF.
Oregon transfer Cyrus Habibi-Likio missed Boise State’s loss to Air Force two weeks ago after suffering an injury early in the second half of the Broncos’ win over then-No. 10 BYU.
A Boise State spokesperson said no players will miss the game because of COVID-19 protocols.
Skinner ejected for targeting
The Broncos lost their leading tackler to a targeting call during Colorado State’s second drive of the second quarter.
After a video review, safety JL Skinner was flagged for an illegal hit while tackling Colorado State’s Dante Wright.
Skinner, a 6-foot-4, 218-pound junior, had a team-best 62 tackles going into Saturday’s game. He exited the game having made three total tackles against the Rams. Skinner was also called for targeting against BYU.
Broncos honor shooting victims with helmet sticker
Boise State will honor the victims of Monday’s shooting at Boise Towne Square Mall for the rest of the season.
The Broncos debuted a new helmet sticker Saturday at Colorado State. The sticker includes a red outline of the state of Idaho with the words “City of Boise” and a heart where Boise is located.
The shooting left three people dead, including the shooter, and four others wounded.
“We always play for our city, but this week it means more,” Boise State said in a Tweet earlier this week.
CSU coach moves to press box
Colorado State head coach Steve Addazio will be coaching Saturday’s game against the Broncos from the press box at Canvas Stadium, according to a Twitter post from Colorado State shortly before kickoff.
The Rams said Addazio is dealing with a lower-leg injury that is limiting his mobility.
Senior associate head coach Brian White will handle timeout duties on the field, CSU said.
After coaching from the box the first three quarters, Addazio moved down to the field for the fourth quarter.
Quick hits
The Broncos wore white jerseys, white pants and white helmets. ... Team captains Khalil Shakir and Kekaula Kaniho were joined by left tackle John Ojukwu and linebacker Riley Whimpey as game captains. ... Boise State won the coin toss and deferred. ... Boise State was led onto the field by running back Andrew Van Buren, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer.
WHERE TO FIND THE TV BROADCAST
Boise State will be on CBS Sports Network this week. That’s channel 139 on Sparklight, 221 on DirecTV and 158 on Dish Network.
BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Canvas Stadium (41,000, turf), Fort Collins, Colorado
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Jenny Dell)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 3-4, 1-2 MW; Colorado State 3-4, 2-1
Series: Boise State is 10-0 all-time against Colorado State, including a 52-21 win at Albertsons Stadium last season.
Vegas line: Boise State by 2.5
Weather: 58 degrees at kickoff, 0% chance of rain, 13 mph winds
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
Boise State’s game at Colorado State has postseason implications; Broncos add O-lineman
Keys to victory, betting line and predictions for Boise State’s game at Colorado State
Ask a Colorado State writer: Physical running game, ‘attacking’ defense await Boise State
Coaches address Boise State QB roles. Bachmeier diplomatic, thanks first responders
Idaho ties in the NFL: Former Boise State defensive lineman makes regular-season debut
Midseason report card: Boise State is off to a historically slow start to the season
This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 4:32 PM.
