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On Friday, Boise State took down conference rival UNLV to win the Mountain West Championship. Now, the No. 10 Broncos are set to be in the College Football Playoff as 1 of the 5 highest-ranked conference champions.
As has been the case for much of the season, Ashton Jeanty stole the show. The Heisman hopeful rushed for 209 yards and 1 touchdown on the night. Jeanty’s TD came on a 75-yard run in the 2nd quarter to extend Boise State’s lead to 21 points.
Perhaps even more impressive than Jeanty was the performance of the Bronco defense. Entering this game, UNLV was No. 7 in scoring offense, averaging 38.7 points per game. However, the Rebels were held to just 7 points with this game being the first time they have scored less than 23 in a game this year.
The Broncos scored once in the 1st quarter and twice in the 2nd quarter to make it a 21-0 game at halftime. Nobody scored in the 3rd, and UNLV finally found the end zone in the 4th.
Latrell Caples caught a 22-yard pass to score the Broncos’ 1st TD. The team’s 2nd score came on a Maddux Madsen 14-yard run. The team’s final TD was the 75-yard Jeanty run.
The Rebels, meanwhile, scored on a Greg Burrell 31-yard run. It would be too little too late, however, and Boise State walked away with a 21-7 win.
UNLV HC Barry Odom was complimentary of the Broncos after the game.
“Good luck to anyone who comes here and thinks they’re going to win the game,” Odom said. “I think they’re one of the best teams in college football right now. And I think they’ll do a great job representing this conference. They’re built to make a run.”
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
