Final Verdict: Boise State @ New Mexico

The Broncos traveled to Albuquerque for a Friday night showdown with the Lobos. After a slow start on defense, the Broncos coasted to an easy victory. Now, they can begin to look ahead to a showdown with Utah State for a berth to the Mountain West Championship. Let’s revisit the keys to the game and see how the Broncos did.

Can the Broncos avoid a letdown?

It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but the Broncos left New Mexico with an easy victory. For the second week in a row, Boise State struggled early on defense. Coach Avalos made great adjustments again, and New Mexico struggled to get anything going offensively in the second half. BSU will need to avoid a slow start against the electric, Aggie offense.

Can the Broncos continue to run the ball effectively?

For the fourth straight week, the Broncos were effective in the run game. Alexander Mattison set the tone early with bruising runs and iced the game with his longest touchdown run of the season. Boise State will need to continue its solid running game as they will look to keep the Utah State offense off the field next weekend.

Will Rypien continue to kill the Lobos?

Sort of. Rypien was really sharp to start the game. However, the Broncos relied heavily on the run instead of Rypien’s arm. Rypien wasn’t nearly as accurate in the second half and relied heavily on Sean Modster who finished the game with 9 receptions for 129 yards. Boise State was limited at the receiver position since they were without Khalil Shakir, John Hightower, and Octavius Evans. The Broncos will need John Hightower and his ability to stretch the field against the Aggies.

Can the defense continue to piece together solid outings?

Yes. The Broncos started slow and finished strong for the second straight week. Coach Avalos and the Boise State defense has continued to overcome massive injuries and produce solid outings. It will be interesting to see who is available for the Broncos next week. We saw a new defensive line combination with Igiehon, Lui, Weaver, and Frazier which was very effective, but the Broncos will want to have all hands on deck against the Aggies.

Which true freshman will see action?

Boise State continued to take advantage of the new true freshman rule by utilizing multiple players who did not see action earlier in the year. Cole Ramseyer saw his first action of the season; they also continued to use Gonzalez as fullback in bunch formations.

Avoid injuries at all costs:

It looked like the Broncos were successful here. With Harsin’s policy on discussing injuries, we won’t know much until about an hour before kickoff against Utah State.

Vegas Line: Broncos -20. I thought this line was a little low to be honest. The Broncos ended up winning by 31, and it could have been much worse.

My Prediction:

Broncos 49, Lobos 17. The final score was 45-14. The Broncos took care of business as expected.