John Patrick-Idaho Sports Talk Producer @JPktik

A win is a win. It doesn’t matter how ugly it looks at times. It doesn’t matter if your all-conference quarterback played the part, or made poor decisions. The bottom line is Boise State somehow got the job done against Washington State, finally.

I thought it was an odd game to watch. The Cougars out gained Boise State by 100 yards. They held the ball for an entire quarter more than the Broncos, and ran 30 more plays on the night. Washington State was plus two in turnovers. Stats like that would usually lead to a loss for a Broncos.

In his post-game comments, WSU Coach Mike Leach said his team outperformed Boise State in virtually every way, except for toughness. I would have to agree.

I also think Washington State was their own worst enemy. On a fourth and one with five minutes remaining, the Cougars went away from their bread and butter plays and got stuffed on a run turning the ball back over to the Broncos. With a timeout in their pocket, terrible clock management on their final drive cost the Cougars at least a few extra plays. That is on the coaching staff.

Boise State wasn’t without their own issues. When the Cougars scored on one play with 4:18 on the clock, they pulled to within three. The Broncos looked dejected. Yet, they had the ball and a lead. A few first downs and they could have iced the game. The Broncos picked up two before a stupid personal foul penalty backed them up, and eventually, another Brett Rypien interception.

When it was all said and done, it was a win for the Broncos. It doesn’t matter how ugly it looked.