Boise State claimed victory over Washington State University for the first time since 2016.
The Broncos continue to gain national recognition game by game as they moved up from No. 25 to No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll in a week’s time.
“Being able to go out there and have four touchdowns and finish a game, I mean that’s how you put a team away,” said Boise State Head Coach Spencer Danielsen. “Especially a really good football team like Washington State.”
The 37,711 fans in attendance marked Albertson Stadium’s largest crowd in program history (beating the previous record set in 2022) proving that this rivalry may be the most anticipated game on the blue turf this season.
The Broncos over tripled their six and a half favored prediction by defeating the Cougars 45-24.
By no surprise, Ashton Jeanty opened up the game with a bang after a 64 yard run to the end zone within the first five minutes. Jeanty broke five tackles on the play, a testament to how difficult it is to bring him down.
The Cougars quarterback John Mateer counteracted this by setting up Cooper Mathers with a touchdown just minutes later.
By the second quarter, Boise State’s kicker, Jonah Dalmas tied the mountain west career record field goal of 83, giving the Broncos the lead for the rest of the game.
Jeanty then hit his 32nd rushing career touchdown on a 14 yard run late in the second quarter. This moved him up to tie for 9th all-time Boise State alongside Chris Thomas (1988-91) and David Mikell (2000-03).
In addition, Jeanty hit his fourth consecutive 100+ yard rushing touchdown performance, two away from tying the school record of six.
It quickly became clear the Cougars stood no chance against this powerhouse of a running back.
With 30 seconds ticking down in the first half, Mateer’s pass flew into the hands of Ty Benefield marking Boise State’s first interception of the season.
The Broncos were up 17-10 at the half, making this the fewest number of points Washington State has scored in a first half so far this season.
In his last touchdown run, Jeanty passed 3,000 yards ranking him 10th in school history and averaged 6.6 yards per carry, a new Boise State record.
Furthermore, Jeanty ended the game with four touchdowns, 26 carries and 259 rushing yards, tying the school record for most 200+ yard games in a career, alongside Cedric Minter (1977-80).
“It’s a dream come true,” said Jeanty in a postgame press conference. “You dream of games like this and I couldn’t be more proud of this team, not just myself but the way we came out and competed in all phases. Offense, defense, special teams. I mean, that’s one of the best games I’ve been around since I’ve been here.”
This marked the Broncos first win over a Pac-12 team since 2017.
Boise State inched one game closer to securing a spot in the College Football Playoffs (CFP) with a record now sitting at 3-1.
Next following this historic game, the Broncos return to the blue on Oct. 5 to face Utah State University.
“What’s the most important game? It’s the next one and Utah State is going to be the same thing,” said Boise State defensive end Ahmed Hassanein. “We have to protect our house. This is our home and we have to hold the standard. We don’t lose on the blue. That’s our standard.”
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How did the Broncos’ defense perform against the Cougars’ offense?