Yes!

No!

Yes!

Boise State started off sluggish, allowing the Cowboys to gain an early 10-0 lead. The run game kept the Broncos within striking distance and a pair of field goals trimmed the deficit to four going into halftime.

The offense turned it on in the second half, and Taylen Green had his most impressive performance of his young career. Yet, the biggest play he made was on the defensive side of the ball.

SCORING DRIVES

1st Quarter (6:41) - 2-yard run by RB Wyatt Wieland (Hoyland PAT)

Boise State 0 - Wyoming 7

2nd Quarter (13:15) - 53-yard field goal by K John Hoyland

Boise State 0 - Wyoming 10

2nd Quarter (2:39) - 22-yard field goal by K Jonah Dalmas

Boise State 3 - Wyoming 10

2nd Quarter (0:00) - 47-yard field goal by K Jonah Dalmas

Boise State 6 - Wyoming 10

3rd Quarter (4:57) - 5-yard run by QB Taylen Green (Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 13 - Wyoming 10

3rd Quarter (0:42) - 83-yard run by RB Titus Swen (Hoyland PAT)

Boise State 13 - Wyoming 17

4th Quarter (7:20) - 38-yard pass from QB Taylen Green to WR Billy Bowens (Dalmas PAT)

Boise State 20 - Wyoming 17

FINAL

BOISE STATE BRONCOS 20 - WYOMING COWBOYS 17

Takeaways

• Injuries are starting to pile up for Andy Avalos and the defense. Not having Ezekiel Noa, Demitri Washington, and others is forcing some young guys to step up. The 83-yard run by Titus Swen showed that this defense needs its core group of veteran leaders in order to return to their original form found in the first half of the season.
• WR Billy Bowens continues his steady improvement over the last handful of games after having a shaky start. He perfectly timed his jump on Green’s pass to the endzone in the fourth quarter, putting the Broncos back on top.
• The trio of Green, Holani and Jeanty ran the ball all over the field, gaining a total of 269 yards. Jeanty had a tremendous run where he was initially stuffed at the line of scrimmage, backtracked 12 yards, then found the edge and gained eight yards. He has such a knack for keeping his legs churning and not giving up on a play. Holani was more decisive in finding holes in the second half. His only blemish was the fumble at the end of the fourth quarter that nearly gave the game to Wyoming. Green did what he does best in finding one-on-one matchups and using his athleticism to skirt on by. That’s what gave the Broncos their first touchdown of the day in Laramie.
• In the passing department, Green did a great job of not putting the ball in harm’s way and giving his receivers a chance to make a play. In the first half, those receivers didn’t do him any favors in the cold, dropping catchable passes. His timing continues to get better and better, and giving Bowens a shot to get under the ball near the endzone is exactly the type of throw that will help create larger gaps in the run game.
• The defense didn’t spring out of the gates, but they were able to muster key stops. A handful of Swen runs catapulted the Cowboys into scoring territory, but that was the only successful strategy for Craig Bohl. The run defense was subpar, allowing Swen to rush for 212 yards on 19 carries. The secondary, however, was stout and aggressive. Wyoming was starting a backup quarterback with limited experience, but holding any team to 30 passing yards is pretty damn impressive. In the second half, S Rodney Robinson made a vital interception in the endzone to curtail the Cowboys’ opening drive.
• The player of the game was JL Skinner. Not only did he snatch an interception to give the Broncos a chance to salt the game away, but he came up clutch less than a minute later, picking off Wyoming QB Jayden Clemons on a potential game-winning touchdown. While Skinner hasn’t had the eye-popping, bone-crushing tackles that he did a year ago, he came up big when it mattered most and stamped Boise State’s ticket to the Mountain West championship game.
• Special teams did a solid job in Laramie. Other than a Dalmas field goal attempt that went wide right, everyone did their part. Punter James Ferguson-Reynolds pinned Wyoming inside the 20 twice and had a long of 48 yards. Kick returner Kaden Dudley had a very good night, averaging 30 yards a return and giving the offense better field position to start their drives. Dalmas kept Boise State in the fight during the first half, drilling two field goals to keep it a one possession game.
• The ending sequence of a Wyoming pick, Boise fumble, and another Wyoming pick was crazy enough to take years off your life. But, as many pointed out, the effort and awareness of Taylen Green, a redshirt freshman, to track down the Cowboy who recovered Holani’s fumble and tackle him at the edge of the red zone was wise beyond his years. If we are being honest, Wyoming should have been able to house the fumble and take the lead.

Green is not simply a quarterback.

He is an athlete.

That “kid” saved Boise State’s season.

Going Forward

Boise State accomplished what they set out to do in August.

Win the division and play for a conference championship.

Not only will they play for a Mountain West title, but they will host rival Fresno State on December 3rd for a rematch.

This will be the fourth time that the Bulldogs have to travel to The Blue with conference supremacy on the line. Boise State holds the edge 2-1, but Fresno State has bragging rights as they beat the Broncos in overtime 19-16 back in 2018.

However, the Broncos have their regular season finale on tap. They will welcome the Utah State Aggies to Albertsons Stadium on Senior Day. The Aggies have won three in a row and five of their last six.

Look for a preview of Boise State - Utah State to be posted Thursday.

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