Playoffs await: Boise State smashes UNLV to win Mountain West title, make history

BOISE, Idaho Boise State left no doubt Friday night.

In front of record crowd for a Mountain West championship game 36,663 at Albertsons Stadium the Broncos bullied their way to a 21-7 win over UNLV, and made history in the process.

Up next will be a berth in the College Football Playoff as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions the so-called Group of Five bid.

But Boise State (12-1) also is in position to grab a first-round bye in the postseason as one of the top four seeds, a spot the team occupied in the CFP committee rankings ahead of this weekends league title games.

The No.

10 Broncos defeated the No.

19 Rebels (10-3) for the second straight season in the Mountain West title game, giving them back-to-back conference titles for the first time.

Spencer Danielson was still the interim head coach in last years win; he got the job permanently days later, and this season he has guided BSU to rarefied air.

Boise State will find out its official position in the playoff field Sunday at 10 a.m.

Mountain time, when the selection show will air on ESPN.

In the meantime, the Broncos can enjoy possessing another Mountain West trophy, which came courtesy of a mostly suffocating defense; a game-changing play from the ultimate game-changer, surefire Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty; and a strong first half from quarterback Maddux Madsen.

Boise State did not score in the second half, punting five times, and it didnt matter.

A 21-0 halftime lead was more than enough.

In that first 30 minutes, the defense limited the Rebels to 78 total yards and four first downs, and recorded two sacks and six tackles for loss.

The Broncos ended the game with six sacks, 11 tackles for loss and a vital goal-line stand midway through the third quarter that kept the score 21-0.

Madsen led the offense much of the first half, throwing for 107 yards and a touchdown, and scrambling for a 14-yard touchdown run to cap a 69-yard drive and make it 14-0.

Jeanty, who had his toughest game of the regular season at UNLV in late October, then provided the play that broke the Rebels back.

After struggling to break loose, he took a handoff from Madsen with a little over 30 seconds left, made a subtle cut in the backfield to burst through a hole in the middle of the line, and hit the accelerator for a 75-yard touchdown run.

Jeanty, whose long run had been 18 yards up to that point, finished with yet another 200-yard rushing game, his sixth of the season.

He rushed for 209 yards on 32 carries, and in the process added a school record to his resume.

He is now Boise States all-time leading rusher, with 4,665 yards and counting.

Cedric Minter had the previous record: 4,475 yards.

The Broncos injury list shortened at the right time, with multiple starters, such as offensive linemen Mason Randolph and Roger Carreon, having come back in recent weeks.

The Broncos listed out for Friday night were redshirt junior offensive lineman Tyler Keinath, freshman running back Sire Gaines, junior wide receiver Chris Marshall and senior safety Alexander Teubner.

2024 Idaho Statesman.

Visit at idahostatesman.com .

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC..

This article has been shared from the original article on kdhnews, here is the link to the original article.