Instant analysis: Injuries mount as Boise State heads into Mountain West title game
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Boise State 42, Utah State 23
A 21-point Boise State lead was cut to 5 in the fourth quarter before the Broncos pulled away and secured a perfect 8-0 record in the Mountain West ahead of next week’s conference title game.
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Instant analysis: Injuries mount as Boise State heads into Mountain West title game
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Final score: Boise State 42, Utah State 23
Records: Boise State 9-3, 8-0 Mountain West. Utah State 6-6, 5-3.
Why the Broncos won: Quarterback Taylen Green threw a career-high four touchdown passes, including one to defensive tackle Scott Matlock. The running game did just enough to keep Utah State’s defense honest, posting 204 yards, and the defense dominated in the first half. Boise State had more penalty yards than Utah State had total offense at one point in the opening half, and the Aggies didn’t score a point until the closing seconds of the second quarter.
Utah State came roaring back in the second half and cut the Broncos’ lead to 28-23 with 7:59 to play, but Gabe Hunter intercepted a pass in the red zone with less than 1:30 to play. Green then scampered 91 yards on a touchdown run to ice the victory with 1:09 to play. Safety Seyi Oladipo returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown with 30 seconds to play.
Boise State’s defense played the second half without safety JL Skinner, who was ejected in the first half for targeting. Linebacker Ezekiel Noa, edge rusher Demitri Washington and defensive lineman Herbert Gums all missed the game with undisclosed injuries.
Main takeaway: Even though the second half got a little ugly, Boise State is firing on all cylinders heading into the Mountain West championship game. Offensively, the passing game has grown by leaps and bounds since Green took over for former starter Hank Bachmeier in late September. The more he improves as a passer, the harder it will be for defenses to key on shutting down the Broncos’ dangerous run game.
Utah State finished with 468 yards of offense on Friday, but that’s a bit misleading. The Aggies went into halftime with just 108 yards to their credit, and they didn’t start hitting big plays until Boise State starting filtering its starters out in the second half.
A dominant defense may be enough to secure the Broncos their conference-leading fifth Mountain West title. If the offense can continue performing the way it has in recent weeks, the trophy is almost ensured to end up at Boise State.
Injuries are a massive concern, though. On top of a long list of starters who didn’t play Friday, Boise State lost running back George Holani and nickel Tyreque Jones to injuries during the game. Jones had to be carted off the field in the fourth quarter. In the closing seconds, defensive tackle Divine Obichere limped off the field.
Player of the game: Boise State defensive tackle Scott Matlock has fought through double teams all season. His effort was rewarded on Friday. The redshirt senior from Homedale was credited with .5 sacks, giving him two on the season. He also hauled in the second touchdown pass of his career.
Matlock is a regular in the Broncos’ “Clydesdale Package,” which is a jumbo set Boise State employs in short-yardage situations. Matlock lines up as an extra tight end, and Green found him in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass to give the Broncos a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.
Stat of the game: Wide receiver Eric McAlister posted the first multi-touchdown game of his career. He got a foot in bounds in the back of the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown catch, and then added a 21-yard scoring grab to put the Broncos up 21-0 in the second quarter. He finished the game with three catches for 40 yards.
Play of the game: After a very slow start to the game, wide receiver Billy Bowens set up the Broncos’ first touchdown with a nice catch and run late in the first quarter. Bowens, who caught the game-winner last week at Wyoming, hauled in a short third-down pass, but instead of stepping out of bounds after picking up the first down, he cut up field and weaved around defenders for a 42-yard gain. Three plays later, Green found McAlister on a 6-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring.
What’s next: Boise State is back at home in Albertsons Stadium for the Mountain West championship game against Fresno State on Saturday, Dec. 3 (2 p.m., Fox). It’s the first time the Broncos have hosted the title game since 2019. It’s also the second time they’ve hosted Fresno State in the championship since 2018, when the Bulldogs knocked Boise State off 19-16 in overtime. Boise State leads its all-time series with Fresno State 17-7, including a 40-20 win at home on Oct. 8.
This story was originally published November 25, 2022 at 1:36 PM.
