Final: Boise State 23, Wyoming 13; Broncos allow late TD in otherwise strong defensive effort
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Boise State 23, Wyoming 13
Boise State’s defense was stellar (aside from a late 74-yard TD) and running back George Holani again ran for more than 100 yards as the Broncos ended a three-game home losing streak and reached bowl eligibility.
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Final: Boise State 23, Wyoming 13; Broncos allow late TD in otherwise strong defensive effort
Strong defense, a big interception, a good rushing attack and three field goals from Jonah Dalmas were a winning recipe for Boise State on Friday night against Wyoming.
The Broncos (6-4, 4-2), who entered their bye week with a losing record, now have won three straight games under first-year coach Andy Avalos. They are bowl-eligible for the 24th straight season and have stayed alive in the Mountain Division race, which keeps them hopeful of playing in a fifth straight Mountain West championship game.
George Holani rushed for more than 100 yards for the second straight week, Hank Bachmeier threw for 225 yards and a score — with no turnovers — and the Broncos’ defense held the Cowboys to 11 first downs while forcing seven punts. Until Wyoming got a 74-yard touchdown pass in the game’s final seconds, BSU had allowed only 214 yards of offense.
Boise State led 13-7 midway through the fourth quarter when Demitri Washington intercepted a tipped pass at the 50-yard line and returned it to the Cowboys’ 13-yard line, setting up a TD for a 20-7 lead.
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
BSU — Riley Smith 2 pass from Hank Bachmeier (Jonah Dalmas kick), 3:07. Key plays: George Holani broke free for a 38-yard run on the first play. Dalmas attempted a 26-yard field goal on fourth-and-2 from the Wyoming 9, but the Cowboys drew an offside penalty, giving BSU a new set of downs. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:20. Boise State 7, Wyoming 0
WYO — Titus Swen 7 run (John Hoyland kick), 4:42. Key plays: The Cowboys ran the ball four straight plays for 34 yards, then caught the BSU defense on its heels with a 25-yard completion to reach the 9. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 4:28. Boise State 7, Wyoming 7
BSU — Dalmas 43 field goal, :00. Key plays: Bachmeier moved the chains quickly with completions of 18, 15 and 11 yards to Khalil Shakir. Cyrus Habibi-Likio then got the Broncos in field-goal position with a 15-yard reception to the Wyoming 26-yard line. Wyoming coach Craig Bohl attempted to ice Dalmas with three timeouts, but the sophomore wasn’t fazed. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, :52. Boise State 10, Wyoming 7
Third quarter
BSU — Dalmas 38 field goal, 8:51. Key plays: Billy Bowens hauled in a 17-yard reception and Latrell Caples a 14-yarder. But the Broncos failed to convert on third-and-2 from the 19, thus resorting to a field goal. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 6:09. Boise State 13, Wyoming 7
Fourth quarter
BSU — Andrew Van Buren 12 run (Dalmas kick), 7:39. Key play: Edge Demitri Washington grabbed his first career interception and returned it 37 yards to the Wyoming 13-yard line. Two plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone. Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, :52. Boise State 20, Wyoming 7
BSU — Dalmas 30 field goal, :59. Key plays: After the BSU defense forced a Wyoming three-and-out, the Broncos ate up the clock, highlighted by a 27-yard pass from Bachmeier to Smith to reach the Wyoming 25. If not for a 12-yard sack on first-and-goal from the 9, the Broncos might have tacked on another touchdown. Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 6:05. Boise State 23, Wyoming 7
WYO — Isaiah Neyor 74 pass from Levi Williams (pass fail), :04. Key plays: BSU DE Shane Irwin sacked Williams for a 4-yard loss on the first play of this drive, but the Broncos got complacent and allowed a 74-yard strike to sneak past them on third-and-9. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:55. Boise State 23, Wyoming 13
WHERE TO FIND THE TV BROADCAST
Boise State will be on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) again this week. That’s channel 146 on Sparklight, 219 on DirecTV and 150 on Dish Network.
WYOMING AT BOISE STATE
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,387, turf)
TV: FS1 (Dan Hellie, Petros Papadakis).
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Craig Lawson)
Records: Boise State 5-4, 3-2 MW; Wyoming 5-4, 1-4 MW
Series: Boise State is 14-1 against Wyoming, including that 7-0 mark at Albertsons Stadium. The Broncos’ only loss in the series, dating back to 2002, was a 30-28 setback in Laramie in 2016. Boise State has won four straight in the series, including a 17-9 victory in the 2020 regular-season finale.
Vegas line: Boise State by 14
Weather: High of 59 degrees, 8% chance of rain, 4 mph winds
News & Notes
BSU missing receivers
Boise State will be without a pair of starting wide receivers tonight against Wyoming (7 p.m., FS1).
Redshirt junior Stef Cobbs and redshirt senior Octavius Evans will miss the Mountain West contest for undisclosed reasons, Boise State announced shortly before kickoff. With 8 seconds left until halftime, receiver Davis Koetter absorbed a hard hit on a 3-yard reception. He left the field on his own power, but was down on the field for a while.
Tight end Tyler Eiguren, defensive lineman Michael Callahan, and offensive linemen Will Farrar and Jacob Golden are also out. Farrar is out for the third straight game, which means fifth-year senior Jake Stetz will start at center again.
Boise State said it is not missing any players because of COVID-19 protocols.
Wyoming is winless in seven appearances on The Blue, but the Cowboys bring one of the nation’s top defenses to Albertsons Stadium this week. The Cowboys rank No. 4 in pass defense, limiting opponents to an average of 155.7 yards per game, and No. 22 in total defense (324.8).
Offensively, Wyoming running back Xazavian Valladay could become the second player in program history to reach 3,000 career rushing yards. The 6-foot, 198-pound senior enters Friday’s game with 2,971 yards.
Boise State is 14-1 against Wyoming, with the Broncos’ only loss coming in 2016 in Laramie.
Broncos to honor fallen heroes
In conjunction with the football team’s Military Appreciation Game against Wyoming, Boise State will honor three members of the Idaho National Guard who lost their lives on Feb. 2, 2021.
Earlier this year, a Black Hawk helicopter lost visibility through snow and fog in the Danskin Mountains during routine training, ultimately resulting in a fatal crash. All three individuals on board — Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jesse Anderson, Chief Warrant Officer 3 George “Geoff” Laubhan and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Peltzer — lost their lives.
The families of all three individuals will be welcomed to The Blue by more than 30,000 members of Bronco Nation during the first quarter of Friday’s game, in honor of their service to our community and our country.
Quick hits
The Broncos wore black jerseys, black pants and black helmets. ... Team captains Khalil Shakir and Kekaula Kaniho were joined by running back George Holani and edge Demitri Washington as game captains. ... Boise State won the coin toss and deferred. ... Boise State was led onto the field by kicker Jonah Dalmas, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer. ... Cornerback Caleb Biggers carried the American flag and left guard Garrett Curran carried the Bleed Blue flag.
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
Keys to victory, betting line, predictions for Boise State’s home game vs. Wyoming
Ask a Wyoming writer: Multidimensional run game, experienced defense await Boise State
Homedale product is Boise State’s top pass rusher; Cowboys’ Moore out of TCU running
How can Boise State make it back to Mountain West championship? Win out, win tiebreakers
Kickoff time, TV info set for Boise State’s home game vs. Mountain West foe New Mexico
Idaho ties in the NFL: Boise State alum suffers season-ending injury; Hightower elevated
Former Boise State assistant Jimmy Lake suspended by Washington after sideline incident
‘Defining moment’ win at Fresno State could be turning point for Boise State, Avalos
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 6:29 PM.
