Broncos tame the Lobos

FINAL BOISE STATE 42 NEW MEXICO 9

On the first play from scrimmage, senior Chase Hatada forced a fumble and senior Sonatane Lui scooped up the ball and ran it in for the touchdown.

That’s really all you need to know about how the game went.

Oh, and Holani broke the longest rush of the season for 50 yards, shortly before the Broncos went up 21-0 in the first quarter on a Henderson-to-Shakir pass for a 18-yard touchdown.

The Broncos seemed to find their stride, and yes it was the New Mexico Lobos without their starting running back, but it’s still nice to see the offense click. It’s also nice to see Henderson playing extremely well in his first start for the Broncos on senior night.

At the close of the first quarter, Henderson was a solid 7-9 for 157 yards and 2 TDs. That’s a 297.6 quarterback rating. 28-0 and the route was most definitely on.

Henderson ended his stellar streak, though, throwing an interception on the Broncos first drive of the second quarter. Later in the quarter he didn’t realize he was pursued by a defender and fumbled when tackled. Fortunately the Broncos returned the favor to the Lobos shortly after with a fumble recovery of their own, again by Lui.

Despite a late field goal attempt, the Lobos came up short and remained scoreless through the first half. The Broncos were scoreless in the second quarter, however, after a stellar first quarter.

The Broncos started the 2nd half with the ball, but didn’t get anything going, resulting in a 3-and-out. The Lobos were able to sustain a bit of a drive, but the Bronco defense held them to a field goal, bringing the score to the dreaded 28-3. After the Broncos sustained a drive themselves, they were rewarded on 4th and 2 from the 8 with a TD pass from Henderson to Van Buren to put the Broncos up 35-3. Phew!

The Bronco defense was able to force a 3-and-out against the Lobos, and Garrett Collingham ran in the 2-yard TD pass from Shakir, which was set up by a 50-yard pass from Henderson to a wide-open Shakir.

The fourth quarter saw A LOT of second string players and A LOT of running of the ball. The Broncos failed to convert on a 4th and 4 play in Lobo territory, but being up 42-3 I doubt the coaches were too worried about it. The Lobos sustained a drive late in the 4th quarter that resulted in a touchdown, bringing the Lobos within 33 as the PAT was missed.

The Broncos were able to run out the clock to finish the game. Solid effort for the seniors and a bounce back game for the offense!

Next up for the Broncos is a trip to Utah State. The winner will potentially be in the drivers seat to win the Mountain Division. GO BRONCOS!