Recap and highlights: No. 25 Boise State storms past Washington State 45-24 behind Ashton Jeanty’s four TDs
BOISE, Idaho — Washington State’s spotless start to the season came to an end deep in its own territory, on a chunk of blue turf, the spot the visitors needed to convert on a late fourth down in a road test against No. 25 Boise State.
That’s where, trailing by just one score in the third quarter, the Cougars decided to go for it. Quarterback John Mateer took a snap and tried to push forward for the two feet he needed. He couldn’t get there, not even on a quarterback sneak.
Three plays later, Boise State made Washington State pay, using a touchdown pass to secure a two-score lead. The Cougars did respond on their next drive, but in the end, they suffered a 45-24 loss on Saturday evening in part because they couldn’t convert when it mattered most.
The biggest reason for WSU’s loss, though, was named Ashton Jeanty. Boise State’s star running back tore through WSU for 259 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries, breaking free for touchdown runs of 64 and 59 yards, hitting the Heisman Trophy pose after the second — which put this one away for good.
The Cougars (4-1) never could find a way to slow Jeanty, who entered Saturday ranked seventh nationally in missed tackles with 26. After this game, WSU’s first loss to Boise State since 2016, Jeanty will likely move up in that department. On his longest rushes, he slipped away from several tackles, dragging Cougars with him — even into the end zone on his 14-yard touchdown carry, which put BSU up 17-10 in the second frame.
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It put on national display the tackling issues facing WSU, which ranks among the worst in the country this season in missed tackles, No. 124 of 143 FBS teams according to Pro Football Focus. Starting linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah entered the game tied for first in the nation in missed tackles. He missed several more in this loss, and so did many of the Cougars, who permitted 276 total rushing yards in this one.
On offense, WSU did draw within one score on the first play of the fourth quarter, when Mateer found senior receiver Kyle Williams for a 33-yard touchdown pass, trimming Boise State’s lead to 24-17. It was the second score of the game for Mateer, who hit tight end Cooper Mathers for a touchdown pass on the Cougars’ first drive of the game.
All told, Mateer completed 26 of 37 passes for 327 yards to go with two touchdowns and one interception, which came right before halftime. The Cougs faced a 17-10 deficit, and they put together a promising drive as they moved to the Broncos’ 24, but that’s where Mateer threw his pick, which never had much of a chance of finding intended target Williams.
Mateer seldom had the time he needed in the pocket. For the game, he took seven sacks, an extraordinary number. He couldn’t find a rhythm on the ground, either, where he’s often punished teams with his legs. Thanks to those sacks, his rushing totals included 20 carries for 28 yards.
The Broncos (3-1) ran away with things in the fourth. They scored 21 unanswered: Jeanty’s 59-yard touchdown rush, Jeanty’s 2-yard touchdown rush and a 34-yard pass from BSU QB Maddux Madsen to tight end Matt Lauter, who sprinted across the goal line. WSU running back Leo Pulalasi added a short rushing touchdown in the final seconds, when the game was out of reach.
Washington State now gets a bye week, one of two this season, before traveling to face Fresno State on Oct. 12. For the Cougs, it’s the second game of a Pac-12/Mountain West scheduling agreement, which the conferences struck to provide WSU and Oregon State games for this season. WSU’s first was Saturday’s loss to BSU.
First quarter
15:00 – WSU 0, BSU 0: Cougars win the toss and defer to the second half. Boise starts at its 25 after a touchback.
12:52 – BSU 7, WSU 0: Jeanty shows why he’s the top back in the country, bouncing off several Cougars defenders and rushing 64 yards for an early touchdown. He’s going to be a problem for the WSU defense tonight.
All Jeanty on that drive with four carries for 75 yards. Madsen attempted one pass which fell incomplete.
11:23 – BSU 7, WSU 7: Cougars answer right back with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Mateer to Mathers after a couple of nice pump fakes.
Mateer opened the drive with a 52-yard run. Shaping up to be a long night for the defenses.
10:34 – BSU 7, WSU 7: Cougars defense gets a quick stop and WSU will start again on its 33 after a 40-yard punt.
6:58 – BSU 7, WSU 7: Mateer tries to scramble up the middle on fourth down and is stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Broncos take over at their 36 after the Cougs went 31 yards in seven plays.
5:42 – BSU 7, WSU 7: Broncos starting to drive toward the red zone when Durant comes up with a big interception for WSU. He tipped it up to himself on the play.
4:06 – BSU 7, WSU 7: Broncos defense stands strong, Gums sacks Mateer for a loss of 6 on third down. BSU starts on its 28.
Second quarter
14:11 – BSU 10, WSU 7: Dalmas hits a 29-yard field goal with a line drive kick to give the Broncos the lead.
Cougars got the stop in the red zone and forced Madsen to fumble on a third down scramble, but BSU jumped on it. 10-play, 60-yard drive for BSU. Madsen is 4 of 9 for 82 yards.
12:06 – BSU 10, WSU 7: Parker is stuffed on a third down rush attempt and the Cougars go three-and-out. BSU starts at its 40.
Parker hasn’t been able to get anything going yet, with three carries for one yard. WSU has nine carries for 10 yards, aside from Mateer’s 52-yard run on the first play.
11:04 – BSU 10, WSU 7: Madsen throws it away on third down and long. BSU punts to the WSU 37. Both defenses have stepped up after quick touchdowns to start the game.
8:27 – BSU 10, WSU 10: Cougars drive 46 yards and settle for a 35-yard field goal from Janikowski to tie it up.
3:19 – BSU 17, WSU 10: Jeanty powers through the entirety of the WSU defense for a 14-yard touchdown. He’s up to 109 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
Broncos go 82 yards in nine plays to retake the lead, aided by a facemask penalty the play before the touchdown.
0:15 – BSU 17, WSU 10: Mateer throws an interception and the Cougars won’t cut into the BSU lead before halftime. Not sure what he was seeing on that one as he throws to Benefield in the end zone with heavy coverage.
Cougars probably could have used a timeout there after picking up a first down.
Halftime
Boise State has a 17-10 lead over Washington State at halftime, thanks to running back Ashton Jeanty, who has piled up 109 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cougars have picked up 205 total yards, but have not been able to turn them into points after scoring on their first drive.
John Mateer has completed 14 of 17 attempts for 130 yards, but threw a costly interception right before halftime.
The Cougars will receive the second half kickoff.
Third quarter
11:20 – BSU 17, WSU 10: Mateer converts on fourth down in his own territory. WSU has not been good in short yardage situations so far, but their first drive after halftime continues at the WSU 39.
6:46 – BSU 17, WSU 10: Cougars drive stalls and Janikowski punts to the BSU 10.
Mateer underthrew a wide open Hutson in the end zone on third down and then was dropped for his fourth sack of the game to push WSU out of field goal range. Tough end to the drive for the Cougars QB.
WSU goes 44 yards in 15 plays, 8:04 minutes and comes up empty.
4:38 – BSU 17, WSU 10: Cougars defense gets a stop after another impressive run from Jeanty, this time for 29 yards. Broncos punt to the WSU 18.
2:20 – BSU 17, WSU 10: Cougars short yardage rushing game continues to struggle and this time it hurts them, as they turn it over on downs at the WSU 28. The play over overturned after replay review, as Mateer never got close to the line of gain.
That was the third fourth down try for WSU this game and the first it failed to convert, and this was the furthest in its own territory.
1:22 – BSU 24, WSU 10: Broncos take advantage of the gifted short field, as Madsen hits Lauter for a 22-yard touchdown pass.
Brutal turn of events for the Cougars, who have been out of sync this half. WSU will need to erase a double-digit lead in the second half for the second straight game.
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Fourth quarter
14:52 – BSU 24, WSU 17: Cougars couldn’t ask for a better start to the fourth quarter. Mateer hits Williams for a 33-yard touchdown to cut it to a one-score lead.
Mateer is 21 of 26 for 215 yards and two TDs. Williams leads the Cougs with eight catches for 106 yards.
13:17 – BSU 31, WSU 17: Ashton Jeanty does it again.
The Broncos running back cannot be stopped as he’s hit behind the line and goes on to break a slew of tackles for a 59-yard touchdown run, his third of the game.
Jeanty has 18 carries for 218 yards, averaging 12.1 yards a carry.
11:48 – BSU 31, WSU 17: Mateer is sacked on back-to-back plays and the Cougars are forced to punt, which is returned to the WSU 44.
Things getting late for the Cougs here, need to find a way to get Jeanty to the ground.
9:38 – BSU 38, WSU 17: There’s Jeanty again, this time a 2-yard touchdown, and he hits the Heisman pose in the end zone. A deserved celebration for the nations’ top running back.
Jeanty is up to 247 yards on the game. Broncos were aided by two unsportsmanlike penalties by the Cougars on that drive. They’re going to need something special to get back into this one.
8:05 – BSU 38, WSU 17: Mateer is sacked on fourth down and Boise starts at its 44. That’s the seventh sack for the Broncos tonight.
4:16 – BSU 45, WSU 17: Cougars defense is completely fooled by a rollout on fourth-and-1 and Madsen flips it to Lauter in the flat, who runs for a 34-yard touchdown. Cougars defense has folded here is the fourth quarter.
2:00 – BSU 45, WSU 17: Cougars have the ball at the BSU 28 at the two-minute timeout. Nothing left to decide here but the final score, we’ll have a full recap shortly after the final horn.
Pregame
For Washington State and Boise State, Saturday night’s game at Albertsons Stadium in Boise serves as a look into the future.
The two teams will soon be joined as part of a new-look Pac-12 Conference. For now, the game stands as a scheduling alliance between the Pac-12 and Mountain West, with the Cougars (4-0) and Broncos (2-1) hoping to gain an edge in their respective cases to make the College Football Playoff.
Both teams will are likely to be favored in most, if not all of their remaining games. But, there is still a lot of football to be played and that begins tonight when the two teams kick off at 7 p.m. on FS1.
Follow along with this thread for live updates and highlights throughout the night.
Series history
Washington State holds a 5-1-0 all-time series lead over Boise State, the last a 47-44 comeback win in Pullman led by the late Tyler Hilinski.
The Broncos won in Boise the year prior 31-28. The teams hadn’t met since 2001 before that.
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