Final: No. 22 San Diego State 27, Boise State 16; Broncos lose turnover battle
For most of the first half, it looked as if Boise State would hold up its end of what was needed for a fifth straight Mountain West title game appearance.
Then the proverbial wheels fell off.
The Broncos (7-5, 5-3 MW) saw a 16-3 lead evaporate quickly Friday morning and couldn’t respond after San Diego State (11-1, 7-1) came storming back to take a 27-16 lead that held up as the final score.
Boise State QB Hank Bachmeier was under consistent pressure from the defense and threw a pair of interceptions — the second of which was sandwiched by Aztec touchdowns that allowed the home team to go up 11 points midway through the third quarter.
The Broncos had only 68 yards of total offense after that, and backup QB Jack Sears also threw an interception. The Aztecs had no turnovers.
Entering the game, they needed to beat San Diego State — which won the West Division and will host the conference championship game next week — and have Air Force lose to UNLV to make the title game. And the Broncos got touchdown drives of 68 yards and 80 yards to take a first-half lead, with a 22-yard field goal from Jonah Dalmas making it 16-3 with 8:39 left in the second quarter.
But two scores in the final 90 seconds of the first half brought the Aztecs within 16-13 at the half, and they carried that momentum into the third quarter.
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
BSU — Kurt Rafdal 20 pass from Hank Bachmeier (Jonah Dalmas kick), 6:08. Key plays: On third-and 15, Bachmeier found Stefan Cobbs for a 21-yard gain, then hit George Holani with a 16-yard pass to bring the Broncos to the SDSU 25-yard line. An Aztecs offside penalty put the ball on the 20. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 1:58. Boise State 7, San Diego State 0
SDSU — Matt Araiza 31 field goal, 1:10. Key plays: Aztecs QB Lucas Johnson completed three straight passes for first downs, culminating with a 30-yarder to Jesse Matthews to the BSU 14-yard line. Johnson then threw three incompletions in a row, forcing San Diego State to settle for the field goal. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 4:53. Boise State 7, San Diego State 3
Second quarter
BSU — Khalil Shakir 13 pass from Bachmeier (kick fail), 11:45. Key plays: Davis Koetter made a 12-yard grab on third-and-10, and Latrell Caples made a toe-tapping sideline catch of 23 yards to get to the SDSU 13-yard line. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 2:13. Boise State 13, San Diego State 3
BSU — Dalmas 22 field goal, 8:39. Key plays: The Aztecs attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-8 from their own 27, but BSU safety Alex Teubner made the stop for the turnover on downs. Khalil Shakir moved the sticks with a 10-yard reception on third-and-2 from the 23. Drive: 7 plays, 26 yards, 2:16. Boise State 16, San Diego State 3
SDSU — Jesse Matthews 29 pass from Jordon Brookshire (Araiza kick), 1:30. Key plays: Brookshire replaced starting quarterback Lucas Johnson, and the move paid off. Boise State CB Kaonohi Kaniho failed to wrap up Matthews on the catch. Drive: 5 plays, 78 yards, 1:34. Boise State 16, San Diego State 10
SDSU — Araiza 37 field goal, 0:03. Key plays: The Aztecs got the ball back with 28 seconds until halftime and moved quickly down field with receptions of 16 and 22 yards to reach the BSU 20-yard line. Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards, :25. Boise State 16, San Diego State 13
Third quarter
SDSU — Greg Bell 2 run (Araiza kick), 9:26. Key plays: On third-and-11 from the SDSU 24-yard line, Brookshire broke free for an 18-yard gain. The Aztecs later converted on fourth-and-1 with a 38-yard reception by Daniel Bellinger. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:34. San Diego State 20, Boise State 16
SDSU — Brookshire 16 run (Araiza kick), 7:46. Key plays: The Aztecs got the ball on the BSU 43 after Bachmeier was intercepted for the second time by safety Patrick McMorris. Brookshire completed a 27-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage. Drive: 3 plays, 43 yards, 0:36. San Diego State 27, Boise State 16
WHERE TO FIND THE TV BROADCAST
Boise State will be on CBS this week. That’s channel 2 on Sparklight and DirecTV and channel 2 or 5251 on Dish Network.
BOISE STATE AT NO. 22 SAN DIEGO STATE
When: 10 a.m. Friday
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park (27,000, grass), Carson, California
TV: CBS (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Sherree Burruss)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 7-4, 5-2 MW; San Diego 10-1, 6-1 MW
Series: Boise State is 3-3 against San Diego State. The Aztecs won the most recent meeting, 19-13, at Albertsons Stadium in 2018.
Vegas line: Boise State by 3
Weather: High of 78 degrees, 2% chance of rain, 10 mph winds
NEWS & NOTES
Boise State down 2 starters
The Boise State football team will be without two starters for today’s regular-season finale at No. 22 San Diego State (10 a.m. MT, CBS).
Sixth-year senior Jake Stetz didn’t make the trip to Carson, California, after leaving the Broncos’ win over New Mexico in the second quarter last weekend with a leg injury.
Center Will Farrar is back in the starting lineup after he missed the past four games with an undisclosed injury.
Wide receiver Octavius Evans and tight end Tyler Eiguren are also out for undisclosed reasons. Wide receiver Stefan Cobbs is back in uniform for the Broncos after missing the past two games with an injury.
Boise State doesn’t have any players out because of COVID-19 protocols, a spokesperson for the program confirmed before the game.
Quick hits
The Broncos wore white jerseys, blue pants and white helmets. ... Team captains Khalil Shakir and Kekaula Kaniho were joined by linebacker Ezekiel Noa and running back George Holani as game captains. ... San Diego State won the coin toss and deferred. ... Boise State was led onto the field by Kekaula Kaniho, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer. ... Wide receiver Billy Bowens carried the American flag and edge Demitri Washington carried the Bleed Blue flag. ... Redshirt freshman Kaonohi Kaniho started at cornerback instead of Tyric LeBeauf. Kaniho has now started six straight games. ... Linebacker Riley Whimpey exited with an injury on San Diego State’s opening drive of the third quarter and was replaced by Rocky Mountain High graduate Ty Tanner.
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
Keys to victory, betting line, predictions for Boise State’s game at San Diego State
Birthday surprise: Boise State tight end’s brother, who plays at UNC, comes to The Blue
After committing to ground game, Boise State is in the running for Mountain West title
Idaho ties in the NFL: Highland High grad inks contract extension worth up to $95M
Boise State adds JUCO defensive lineman to 2022 class; offensive lineman leaves team
This story was originally published November 26, 2021 at 9:30 AM.
