BOISE STATE SHOCKS NO. 19 SAN DIEGO STATE, RETURNS HOME 2-0 IN MW TO FACE WYOMING

Posted on October 15, 2017

BY MIKE PRATER
KTIK.COM

Boise State scored 14 points before it had a first down, and the Broncos rode a dominating defense and the offensive spark of Alexander Mattison and Montell Cozart to a 31-14 victory at No. 19 San Diego State on Saturday night. The defending Mountain West champion Aztecs had won nine straight and 27-of-30 coming into the game at SDCCU Stadium (attendance: 49,053).

Freshman Avery Williams returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown, and freshman safety Kekaula Kaniho scored on a 34-yard fumble recovery 117 seconds later to provide Boise State (4-2, 2-0 Mountain West) its quick start in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Brett Rypien hit senior tight end Jake Roh for a 3-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter as the Broncos took a 21-0 halftime lead.

Mattison had his second straight 100-yard game, rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. The Broncos finished the game with no turnovers.

The Boise State defense held San Diego State running back star Rashaad Penny to 53 yards on 21 carries (his first game under 100 yards this season). The Broncos’ swarming defense finished with 12 tackles for loss (by 10 different players) and four sacks (two by junior STUD Jabril Frazier), and held the Aztecs to 323 total yards (including a 21-yard run and an 89-yard pass play).

San Diego State dropped to 6-1, 2-1.

  • NEXT: Wyoming (4-2, 2-0) at Boise State, Saturday, Oct. 21, 8:15 p.m., ESPN2, KBOI 670 AM and KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket.

PRATER’S POST-GAME POINTS

  • Boise State won by 17 points, but still has a quarterback issue after the offense produced only 12 of the 31 points. Rypien started and played OK (11-of-19, career-low 72 yards, 1 TD). Cozart came off the bench and played better (3-of-4, 53 yards), including his first Boise State reception before he took over at quarterback. Boise State has won four games, and Cozart has finished three of them, including Saturday night. Rypien had a three-and-out late in the third quarter, his fourth of the game, and was replaced by Cozart, who immediately drove the offense down the field for a field goal. This offense is more efficient with Cozart on the field, in part, because his mobility adds another threat, and helps to create space inside the offensive line. Moving forward, Rypien should start (to help preserve his fragile mental game) and Cozart should come off the bench to give this offense a spark. That strategy seems to be working (the Cozart-led offense produced 170 of the Broncos’ 311 total yards on his final three drives of the game). If Cozart continues to move the ball, and if Rypien continues to be average, at one point coaches will have to make a hard decision. Cozart looks like the better quarterback, but I’d give Rypien at least one more start – with a quick leash.
  • The offensive line, which was never bad this season/only young, didn’t allow a sack for the second straight game. The run game has produced 344 yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries over the same two games (an improving average of 4.25 yards per carry). The same crew has started both games: LT Ezra Cleveland, LG John Molchon, C Garrett Larson, RG Eric Quevedo and RT Archie Lewis. Former starting center Mason Hampton, who missed the BYU game, played in the second half against San Diego State. The tinkering of players and lineups has stopped, the line is communicating better and playing more physical, and a strong rotation at center has been established. Should be a strength moving forward this season, and beyond.
  • Running back depth remains a concern, with freshman Robert Mahone not making the trip to San Diego. Senior Ryan Wolpin is the backup and he finished with 27 yards on seven carries.
  • Boise State could be favored to win its final six games, though road trips to Colorado State (5-2, 3-0) and Fresno State (4-2, 3-0) look pesky. Suddenly, a 10-win season seems possible.
  • How long will Boise State be able to retain defensive coordinator Andy Avalos? His group has 11 takeaways (after nine all of last season) and is allowing 22.8 points a game. The defense is getting better after the Virginia fiasco, and if the trend continues and Boise State continues to win games because of its defense, Avalos’ name will be a hot commodity in the offseason.


Mike Prater, editor of The Opinionator, co-hosts Idaho Sports Talk with Caves & Prater weekdays from 3-6 p.m. on KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket and can be heard on Bronco GameNight after BSU football games on KBOI 670 AM and KTIK 93.1 FM. He can be reached at [email protected], and found @CavesandPrater(Facebook) and @MikeFPrater (Twitter).

POST-GAME NEWS & NOTES FROM BOISE STATE

  • Boise State’s 31-14 victory at San Diego State improves the Broncos to 3-2 all-time against the Aztecs, and to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Mountain West play this season.
  • The victory is Boise State’s first over a ranked opponent as an unranked team since beating Oregon 37-32 in Eugene on Sept. 20, 2008. That win over the Ducks was Boise State’s most recent true road win over a ranked team before Saturday night.
  • Boise State is 4-11 against ranked opponents on the road, and 3-10 against ranked teams as an unranked team.
  • Entering Saturday night, San Diego State had outscored its opposition 112-57 in the first half this season. Boise State led 21-0 at halftime (the first time San Diego State had been shut out in the first half since Sept. 7, 2013 at Ohio State).
  • The Boise State defense recorded 4.0 sacks, led by two from Frazier.
  • Boise State’s defense recorded a season-high 12.0 tackles for-loss (previous high was 9.0 against Troy on Sept. 2). The last time the Broncos recorded 12.0 TFLs was Sept. 3, 2016, at Louisiana.
  • The Broncos’ defense has not allowed an opposing player to rush for 100 yards in a game this season.
  • Boise State’s 186 yards rushing yards is a season high. The previous best this year was 164 yards at Washington State (Sept. 9).
  • Junior linebacker Leighton Vander Esch led all players with 11 tackles (nine solo), including a tackle for loss.
  • Williams returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, his second score on a punt return this season. Williams is the first Bronco to return multiple punts for a touchdown in a season since Kyle Wilson in 2008 (three). His two punt return TDs in 2017 are as many as Boise State had combined from 2009-16.
  • Following Williams’ punt return score, Kaniho picked up a fumble and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. The last time Boise State scored via punt return and defense in the same game was Nov. 22, 2014 (at Wyoming). In that game, Darian Thompson returned an interception 36 yards for a score, and Donte Deayon scored on a 75-yard interception. Both Deayon and Thompson are with the New York Giants.
  • Williams made a career-best six tackles (all solo) on defense.
  • Mattison posted a career high in rushing yards for the second straight week, going for 128 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Last week, he went for 118 yards at BYU.
  • Tight end Jake Roh’s two-yard touchdown catch was his fourth scoring reception of the season, and sixth touchdown overall. Roh caught six passes for 27 yards and a score.
  • Cozart caught the first pass of his Bronco career, nabbing a nine-yard pass from Rypien in the second quarter. Cozart also went 3-for-4 passing for 53 yards.
  • Safety Kekoa Nawahine led the Broncos onto the field with The Hammer, offensive lineman Archie Lewis carried the “Bleed Blue” flag, and nose tackle Sonatane Lui carried the United States flag.

Courtesy of Boise State Athletics

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