Broncos lasso the Aggies

Final: Boise State 41 Utah State 14

BOISE STATE IS BOWL ELIGIBLE! The Broncos have seemed like a different team on the road this season. Tonight was no exception. Rypien comes alive and young receivers step up.

First Half

ALL BRONCOS. And penalties. But mostly Broncos. The Broncos had 7 penalties for 62 yards (ouch) just in the first half, but they also had 245 yards through the air AND held USU under 100 in the half. The running game was off, which was weird since the Aggies run D was supposed to be terrible, but the pass D was supposed to be great. Oh well, we’ll take it. AJ Richardson had his longest play of his career, catching a 32 yard pass from Rypien early in the first. Wilson did Wilson things, too, catching a 21 yard pass for a first down and a 19 yard pass from Cozart for the first TD. Evans caught his first TD pass from Rypien from 12 yards out. CT Thomas made some noise as well, specifically a 24 yard catch from Ryp for the first down. Roh also caught a TD pass, making his case for first-team All-MW TE. Big Takeaways: Two QB system is working...oddly. The offense finally got some footing tonight. Secondary has some work to do.

Second Half

After just 92 yards in the first half, the Aggies got some momentum and had 154 yards in the third quarter alone. Roh got plenty of love in the 3rd, getting 50+ yards and another TD. Mattison went over 100 yards rushing in the 3rd, his 3rd time in the last 4 games. He missed the Wyoming game by 8 yards. The offense was a bit slower in the second half, but the defense still did their thing. Yes, USU got some yards, but not many points. Modster caught a 38 yard pass from Cozart after a few incomplete passes in the first quarter. Cozart passed for over 100 yards and Rypien was over 250. Not a shabby outing for either QB. They both had multiple TDs as well; Rypien had 3 and Cozart had 2. Ryan Wolpin had one of his highest production games, likely giving Mattison a rest after Alex was injured in the first (return in the second). LVE had a quiet night, finishing with 5 tackles. Maeva lead the D with 10 total tackles. The defense also finished without a sack, which was weird.

Instant Analysis: Odd night for penalties, but the defense did what they usually do, just without the sacks. The Broncos also became bowl eligible for the 16th straight season. The original spread was 10 points, so you could say they covered. Ryp seemed to shake off his funk, going 19-27 for 260 yards and 3TDs. Cozart finished 5-7 for 110 yards and 2 TDs with 7 rushes for 15. The offense seemed to find a rhythm, they just need to work on sustaining it and continuing to involve the young blood. CT and Evans looked great.