Final: Boise State 40, No. 25 Fresno State 14; Broncos get five sacks, three picks
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Boise State 40, Fresno State 14
Boise State running back George Holani played a full game without limitations for the first time this season and the defense forced three turnovers as the Broncos rolled at No. 25 Fresno State.
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Final: Boise State 40, No. 25 Fresno State 14; Broncos get five sacks, three picks
Fresno State entered Saturday’s home game against Boise State with a national ranking, a well-hyped quarterback, a sold-out stadium and momentum from a big win over San Diego State.
The Broncos made all of that moot.
Boise State (5-4, 3-2), the road warriors of the Mountain West — they have won 14 straight now away from home in a league they have dominated — smashed the Bulldogs (7-3, 4-2) from the start on the way to a 40-14 win. They intercepted QB Jake Haener three times, sacked him five times and made him flummoxed enough that he overthrew targets on several occasions.
Fresno State entered averaging 35 points per game but came nowhere near that, with only a garbage-time TD getting the Bulldogs to double figures.
Offensively, BSU was buoyed by fully healthy running back George Holani, who had 186 yards of total offense. QB Hank Bachmeier threw for 283 yards and a touchdown, and the Broncos committed no turnovers as they cruised to their most impressive win of the season.
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
BSU — Jonah Dalmas 47 field goal, 7:17. Key plays: The Broncos’ first play from scrimmage was a 29-yard pass from Hank Bachmeier to running back George Holani. Then a defensive holding penalty on the next play put the Broncos on the Fresno 32-yard line. But Bachmeier was sacked for a 9-yard loss on third-and-13 from the 20, forcing the Broncos to settle for three. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:27. Boise State 3, Fresno State 0
BSU — Andrew Van Buren 1 run (Dalmas kick), 6:38. Key plays: Kekaula Kaniho’s pick of Fresno State QB Jake Haener set up this TD drive. Holani then hauled in a 40-yard reception on the first play, allowing Van Buren to barrel in from the 1. Drive: 2 plays, 41 yards, 0:27. Boise State 10, Fresno State 0
Second quarter
BSU — Dalmas 27 field goal, 12:45. Key play: Bachmeier hit Octavius Evans with a perfect deep ball for a 48-yard gain on the first play. But the Broncos come up short of the end zone following a 3-yard loss, 1-yard gain and incomplete pass. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:04. Boise State 13, Fresno State 0
FSU — Keric Wheatfall 10 pass from Jake Haener (Cesar Silva kick), 5:50. Key plays: The Fresno defense stopped Boise State on downs to spark this drive. Back-to-back plays of 20-plus yards — a 20-yard pass and 22-yard run — landed the Bulldogs in the red zone. Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 2:01. Boise State 13, Fresno State 7
BSU — Dalmas 32 field goal, 0:41. Key plays: Running back George Holani boosted this possession with back-to-back-to-back runs of 10, 15 and 18 yards. The Broncos then play it safe, opting for the field goal on fourth-and-1 from the Fresno 14. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 2:33. Boise State 16, Fresno State 7
Third quarter
BSU — Khalil Shakir 10 pass from Hank Bachmeier (Dalmas kick), 6:43. Key play: The Broncos’ field-goal unit took the field on fourth-and-2 to attempt a 44-yarder, which Dalmas made, but a roughing-the-kicker penalty awarded Boise State a first down. The Fresno penalty — their season-high ninth of the game — gave the Broncos a fresh set of downs and another shot at the end zone. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:09. Boise State 23, Fresno State 7
Fourth quarter
BSU — Dalmas 27 field goal, 13:30. Key play: After the Boise State defense forced a three-and-out, Shakir started the drive with a 15-yard run. But the yardage fell off from there, limiting Boise State to a field goal for the fourth time in six red-zone trips. Drive: 11 plays, 49 yards, 4:42. Boise State 26, Fresno State 7
BSU — Van Buren 1 run (Dalmas kick), 7:41. Key plays: On second-and-12 from the BSU 19, Bachmeier hit Davis Koetter with a 37-yard pass. Meanwhile, running back George Holani went over the century mark on this drive with six carries for 27 yards. Drive: 10 plays, 79 yards, 5:12. Boise State 33, Fresno State 7
BSU — Tyler Crowe 7 run (Dalmas kick), 2:48. Key play: Divine Obichere sacked Fresno State QB Jake Haener for a 13-yard loss on fourth-and-5 for a turnover on downs at the Fresno 23-yard line. Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, 3:01. Boise State 40, Fresno State 7
FSU — Zane Pope 5 pass from Jake Haener (Silva kick), 1:10. Key plays: The Broncos committed a pair of 15-yard penalties to aid Fresno State’s cause. The Bulldogs reached the BSU 5-yard line with the first of back-to-back, Haener-to-Pope passes. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:32. Boise State 40, Fresno State 14
WHERE TO FIND THE TV BROADCAST
Boise State will be on CBS Sports Network again this week. That’s channel 139 on Sparklight, 221 on DirecTV and 158 on Dish Network.
BOISE STATE AT NO. 25 FRESNO STATE
When: 5 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
Where: Bulldog Stadium (40,727, grass), Fresno, California
TV: CBS Sports Network (John Sadak, Aaron Murray, Lindsay Rhodes)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 4-4, 2-2 MW; Fresno State 7-2, 4-1 MW
Series: Boise State is 15-7 against Fresno State, but the teams haven’t played since the 2018 Mountain West championship game, which the Bulldogs won 19-16 in overtime.
Vegas line: Fresno State by 5
Weather: High of 70 degrees, 7% chance of rain, 9 mph winds
NEWS & NOTES
Tyric LeBeauf returns
Boise State will have one of its top cornerbacks back on the field for today’s game at No. 25 Fresno State (5 p.m. MT, CBSSN).
Redshirt junior Tyric LeBeauf announced his return on Twitter before kickoff Saturday afternoon with a gif of the clown from the movie “It” with the caption, “I’m back.”
LeBeauf has missed the past three games for undisclosed reasons. Redshirt freshman Kaonohi Kaniho started in his place against BYU, Air Force and Colorado State.
Despite missing three games, LeBeauf leads the Broncos with three interceptions this season. This is the perfect week for him to return because Boise State is facing Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener, who leads the Mountain West with 2,888 passing yards, and wide receiver Jalen Cropper, who leads the conference with 10 receiving touchdowns.
Center Will Farrar will miss his second game in a row with an undisclosed injury. Fifth-year senior Jake Stetz will start in his place again. Boise State isn’t missing any players today because of COVID-19 protocols, according to a spokesperson for the program.
Milk Can trophy
The Milk Can rivalry trophy is on the line today in Fresno.
The trophy dates back to 2006 and still resides with the Broncos even though they lost they’re last meeting with Fresno State, in the 2018 Mountain West championship game. The trophy is awarded only to the winner of regular-season games in the series, and Boise State beat the Bulldogs in a 2018 regular-season game at Albertsons Stadium.
Boise State (4-4, 2-2 MW) is 15-7 all-time against Fresno State, but the Broncos lost their last meeting in Fresno, 17-14, in 2017.
Bulldog Stadium, which has a listed capacity of 40,727 fans, has sold out for the first time since 2014.
The Bulldogs (7-2, 4-1 MW) are 4-0 at home this season, with wins against UConn, Cal Poly, UNLV and Nevada. They’ve also beaten two ranked teams — UCLA and San Diego State — in the same season for the first time since 2004.
Quick hits
The Broncos wore white jerseys, white pants and blue helmets. ... Team captains Khalil Shakir and Kekaula Kaniho were joined by defensive end Shane Irwin and offensive lineman Jake Stetz as game captains. ... Fresno State won the coin toss and deferred. ... Boise State was led onto the field by edge Dylan Herberg, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer. ... Linebacker Ezekiel Noa carried the American flag and tight end Tyneil Hopper carried the Bleed Blue flag.
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
Defense on spot as Boise State battles for postseason life again; a Bronco comes home
Tickets to Fresno State-Boise State showdown can still be had, but they will be costly
Keys to victory, betting line, predictions for Boise State’s game at No. 25 Fresno State
‘He’s always ready’: Safety steps up as Boise State tries to clean up targeting calls
Ask a Fresno State writer: Another top-end QB, high-powered offense up next for Broncos
Boise State’s Avalos has history with Fresno State; revolving door continues at center
Idaho ties in the NFL: Wilson makes case for best catch, pass in Cowboys’ big win
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 4:03 PM.
