Instant analysis: Special teams, defense dominate as Boise State stays in conference race
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Boise State 37, New Mexico 0
Boise State scored two first-half touchdowns on blocked punts and got more than 100 rushing yards out of running back George Holani for the third week in a row in a shutout of New Mexico.
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Instant analysis: Special teams, defense dominate as Boise State stays in conference race
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Final: Boise State 37, New Mexico 0; Broncos score on pair of blocked punts
Final score: Boise State 37, New Mexico 0
Records: Boise State 7-4, 5-2. New Mexico 3-8, 1-6.
Why the Broncos won: Boise State’s special teams produced the first 17 points of the game, running back George Holani rushed for more than 100 yards for the third week in a row and the Broncos’ defense stymied the New Mexico offense. Boise State blocked two punts, both of which were returned for touchdowns in the first half, and field goal kicker Jonah Dalmas finished the game 3-for-3 on field goals, which left him two shy of tying Tyler Rausa’s single-season record of 25 made field foals.
New Mexico managed just five yards of offense in the first quarter and 46 in the first half. The Lobos finished the game with 101 yards as BSU got its first shutout since blanking Hawaii in 2015. Holani, who missed three games this season with a hamstring injury, finished the game with 114 yards on the ground.
Main takeaway: Boise State is hard to beat when the running game and defense are clicking at the same time. Add an opportunistic special teams unit and the Broncos are almost impossible to beat. The timing is perfect for Boise State to be clicking in all phases, because the Broncos still need a win on the road at San Diego State next week and some help to make a fifth straight appearance in the Mountain West championship game.
Wyoming hammered first-place Utah State on Saturday by a 44-17 score, creating a three-way tie atop the Mountain Division. The Broncos need to win and have Air Force lose to UNLV next week. The Aggies’ second Mountain Division loss eliminates them if all three teams win to finish 6-2. Boise State and Air Force both have just one loss to a divisional opponent. The Falcons will advance if the division race comes down to a tie with Boise State because Air Force won their head-to-head game.
Player of the game: Boise State wide receiver Khalil Shakir finished the first half with more than 100 receiving yards, and he finished the game with seven catches for 116 yards. It was the 10th 100-yard game of his career, which tied him with Titus Young for the fifth-most in program history. Shakir’s 56-yard TD catch on the final play of the second quarter sent the Broncos into halftime with a 24-0 lead.
Stat of the game: With 12 minutes left in regulation, New Mexico had managed just 65 yards of offense. Boise State had more penalty yardage at that point in the game, having drawn six flags for 80 yards. The Lobos finished with 101 yards of offense, and the Broncos finished with seven penalties for 90 yards.
Play of the game: A pair of seniors combined to score the Broncos’ first points of the night. After New Mexico went three-and-out on its first possession, fifth-year senior Kekaula Kaniho easily blocked a punt and senior safety Tyreque Jones scooped up the ball and returned it 7 yards for a touchdown.
What’s next: Boise State wraps up the regular season at San Diego State on Friday (10 a.m., CBS). The Aztecs (10-1, 6-1) beat lowly UNLV 28-20 on Friday. The Broncos are 3-3 against San Diego State in their series, but the programs haven’t met since 2018, when the Aztecs won 19-13 at Albertsons Stadium.
This story was originally published November 20, 2021 at 10:37 PM.
