‘This is our home’: Boise State ends losing skid on The Blue, earns bowl eligibility
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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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‘This is our home’: Boise State ends losing skid on The Blue, earns bowl eligibility
Boise State kicker feeds off pressure; defense among nation’s best for takeaways
Instant analysis: Stingy defense helps Boise State overcome sluggish offense vs. Wyoming
Final: Boise State 23, Wyoming 13; Broncos allow late TD in otherwise strong defensive effort
Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier had the best seat in the house at Albertsons Stadium for the second leg of running back George Holani’s comeback tour against Wyoming on Friday.
Standing at least 10 yards behind the play, Bachmeier threw his right arm into the air in celebration as he watched Holani break a run for 38 yards in the first quarter. It was the Broncos’ longest run of the season, and it was a sign of things to come.
Holani, who has missed three games this season because of a hamstring injury, racked up more than 100 rushing yards for the second week in a row and helped Boise State accomplish something that is always high on its to-do list with a 23-13 victory.
With the win, Boise State (6-4, 4-2 MW) became eligible for a bowl game for the 24th year in a row. That’s the third-longest active streak in the country, trailing only Ohio State (33) and Georgia (25).
“We’ve had a tough schedule, and we’ve had a tough road,” Bachmeier said. “I think it’s huge for us.”
Perhaps even more important in the Broncos’ locker room was that they ended their first three-game home losing streak since 1996. Boise State lost to Oklahoma State, Nevada and Air Force on The Blue this season after opening its home slate with a win over UTEP.
“This is our home,” said Boise State pass rusher Demitri Washington, who had a key interception in the fourth quarter. “If someone wants to come into your home and do something, lock the door behind them to make sure they don’t get out.”
It was a nice homecoming for Holani. He played without limitation for the first time this season in the Broncos’ win at Fresno State last weekend, recording his first 100-yard rushing performance since Boise State’s 2020 season opener.
To back that up Friday, Holani did most of his damage in the first half, racking up 94 yards by halftime — while Wyoming went into the locker room with 87 yards on the ground as a team. He finished the game with 102 yards on 20 carries.
“He just got going pretty early, and he’s so explosive and dynamic in between the holes,” Bachmeier said. “He has great vision, and what he does is incredible.”
Dominant defense helps the Boise State offense
Bachmeier completed 23-of-32 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. Boise State also got a 12-yard touchdown run out of Andrew Van Buren, which gave the Broncos a 20-7 lead with 7:39 to play, but the offense didn’t exactly light the world on fire.
The way the defense played, it didn’t have to.
Boise State’s first points of the game were courtesy of the third of Wyoming’s eight penalties on the night.
After a drive stalled at Wyoming’s 9-yard line, the Broncos were all set to settle for a field goal by kicker Jonah Dalmas, but after his kick split the uprights, the Cowboys were called for being offside, giving the Broncos first-and-goal from the 4.
Two plays later, Bachmeier found tight end Riley Smith on a 2-yard touchdown pass and BSU went up 7-0.
Dalmas went on to go 3-for-3 on field goals — continuing to build his case as a candidate for the Lou Groza Award after going 4-for-4 at Fresno State — but Boise State didn’t put the Cowboys away until late in the game.
Wyoming (5-5, 1-5 MW) was still hanging around, trailing 13-7 with a little more than 8 minutes to play, when Washington intercepted a tipped pass at the 50-yard line and returned it to the Cowboys’ 13. Two plays later, Van Buren plunged into the end zone to give the Broncos a 13-point cushion.
It was not only the first interception of Washington’s college career, but also the first pick of his life, dating all the way back to his Pop Warner days.
“I saw a lot of pressure in the quarterback’s face and I saw the ball get tipped and I’m like, ‘No way, I’m about to catch this ball,’” Washington said. “Then I caught it and I was like, ‘Dang, I haven’t run for more than 5 yards in about five years,’ so I just kind of tucked the ball, made sure it’s high and tight ... I’m kind of mad at myself for stepping out (of bounds), but it is what it is.”
Wyoming got an early touchdown run out of running back Titus Swen to tie the score at 7. Quarterback Levi Williams (11-of-18, 156 yards) also connected with Isaiah Neyor on a 74-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation.
In between, Boise State’s defense stole the show on Friday. The Broncos forced seven Wyoming punts and allowed only 11 first downs.
“It was a lot of work on a short week, making sure that we were physically prepared to play against their front,” head coach Andy Avalos said. “I think a big part of it, too, was we did a good job of tackling.”
The Cowboys went into the game with the third-ranked rushing attack in the Mountain West, averaging 192 yards a game. They managed just 136 against the Broncos, and running back Xazavian Valladay — who led the conference with 1,265 rushing yards in 2019 — was limited to 37.
“We knew we had to gang tackle,” Washington said. “They have a really, really good running back. They have an O-line that’s been together for a long time and works really well together. Just making sure we do our jobs and win our one-on-ones, that’s how we stop the run.”
Big picture in Mountain West
Boise State took its first needed step toward a fifth straight appearance in the Mountain West championship game on Friday. The Broncos still need to win their final two regular-season games against New Mexico next Saturday (7 p.m., FS1) and San Diego State on Nov. 26. They also need some help.
Above all else, Boise State needs Utah State (7-2, 4-1 MW) to lose one of its final three games. The Aggies, who currently lead the Mountain Division, travel to San Jose State on Saturday, before taking on Wyoming and New Mexico. The Broncos own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Utah State thanks to their 27-3 win on Sept. 25.
Boise State could also use Air Force (6-3, 3-2 MW) to lose one of its final three games. The Falcons, who beat the Broncos at Albertsons Stadium on Oct. 16, travel to Colorado State on Saturday before facing Nevada and UNLV.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 12:53 AM.
