No. 15 Boise State holds off rallying Colorado State
BOISE – Jeremy McNichols rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns and No. 15 Boise State withstood Colorado State’s late rally for a 28-23 victory on Saturday night.
After the Broncos (6-0, 3-0 Mountain West) took a 28-3 lead early in the fourth quarter, Colorado State (3-4, 1-2) recovered two onside kicks in the final 6 minutes while scoring three straight TDs, cutting the deficit to five with 3:35 left.
The Broncos recovered Colorado State’s third onside kick attempt and ran the clock down to 15 seconds before giving the Rams the ball at their own 27. Colorado State advanced the ball to the 40 on a play with multiple laterals, but a review ruled that a forward lateral was made, resulting in a 10-second runoff that ended the game.
The Rams became the first team to take a lead on Boise State this season when Wyatt Bryan kicked a 39-yard field goal with 7:24 remaining in the first quarter. The score snapped Boise State’s FBS record of 306:36 without trailing.
Colorado State, seeking its first road win of the season, struggled against a stingy defense for most of the game.
However, the night belonged to McNichols, who also set career highs in 34 carries and 264 total yards.
With Boise State’s offense sputtering, McNichols scored on runs of 5 and 80 yards to ignite the Broncos. McNichols now has three runs of 80 yards or more in his career.
Brett Rypien was 16-of-24 passing for 207 yards and one touchdown. Thomas Sperbeck led Boise State’s receiving corps with five catches for 72 yards and added an 11-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Richardson.
Colorado State quarterback Nick Stevens was 17-of-31 passing for 184 yards and two touchdowns, while Dalyn Dawkins led the Rams on the ground with 66 yards.
Takeaways
Colorado State: Despite the loss, the Rams still have a good chance to become bowl eligible with three winnable conference games and a rivalry game with Air Force left on their schedule.
Boise State: The Broncos remain in control of the Mountain Division and primed to return to the conference title game for the first time since 2014. However, they have yet to play Wyoming, which is the only other undefeated team in the division.
Up next
Colorado State: The Rams stay on the road for an afternoon conference tilt with UNLV.
Boise State: The Broncos stay home but have a short week to prepare for a Thursday night matchup with nonconference foe BYU.