Boise State Broncos ON SI

Game recap, analysis: No. 12 Boise State edges Wyoming for ninth straight win

Ashton Jeanty has 169 rushing yards in hard-fought 17-13 victory 

Bob Lundeberg

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty.
Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. / Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images

No. 12 Boise State was held to a season-low 17 points Saturday night, but the defense made enough plays to keep the Broncos’ College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 17-13 victory at Wyoming. 

Junior tailback Ashton Jeanty led the way for the Broncos (10-1, 7-0 Mountain West Conference) with 19 carries for 169 yards and a touchdown. The Heisman Trophy candidate became the first player since Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard (2019) to accumulate 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. 

Jeanty has 2,062 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns this year. He is the 30th running back in FBS history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season. 

Read our game recap, with in-game analysis and big play highlights from start to finish.

FINAL STATS

Jeanty has run for at least 125 yards in every game this season. He is the first player to open a season with 11 straight 125-yard games since Iowa State’s Troy Davis in 1996.

Maddux Madsen finished 14 of 26 passing for 168 yards. 

Boise State out-gained Wyoming 353-319. 

Fourth quarter recap

Final: Boise State 17, Wyoming 13. Broncos survive in Laramie to clinch a berth in the Mountain West Football Championship. 

Broncos turnover on downs: Spencer Danielson agreed with me. Madsen throws an incomplete pass in the end zone and Wyoming takes over at the 30 with 14 seconds left. 

BSU on the verge: Broncos have a fourth-and-10 from the Wyoming 30 with 19 seconds remaining. I doubt BSU will attempt a field goal here, but it’s possible. 

Turnover on downs: Ahmed Hassanein sacks Evan Svoboda to end the drive. Huge stand by the BSU defense. Broncos take over at the Wyoming 30, leading 17-13 with 1:52 remaining. Cowboys have just one timeout. 

Two minute timeout: Wyoming will be facing a fourth-and-9 from its own 42 when play resumes. Cowboys only have one timeout remaining, so it’s all but over if BSU holds. 

Score update: No. 7 Alabama is trailing 24-3 at Oklahoma. If the Broncos can hang on in Laramie, they could move into the top 10 above Alabama and Ole Miss. 

Drive stats: Eight plays, 75 yards. Four carries for 53 yards for Jeanty. 

Touchdown Broncos: Potentially a season-saving drive for Boise State. Jeanty returns to the game and carries BSU down the field. Breezy Dubar finishes it off with a two-yard touchdown run. Broncos 17, Wyoming 13, 5:02 remaining. 

Jeanty update: The Heisman Trophy candidate is back on the field for Boise State. His first touch is a 15-yard gain to the 40. He then rips off 20 more to the Wyoming 40. His next carry goes for 15 yards to the 5. 

Cowboys field goal: John Hoyland connects from 35 yards out to give Wyoming a 13-10 lead. Nice recovery for the Broncos after the disastrous coverage bust.

Cowboys timeout: Wyoming takes a timeout before a huge third-and-12 at the BSU 25. 9:47 remaining in the game. 

BSU coverage bust: Another coverage bust for Boise State. Justin Stevenson is WIDE OPEN behind the defense for a 63-yard gain. Awful, awful pass defense. 

Broncos punt: Boise State is 1 for 10 on third down tonight. Other than a 61-yard Jeanty touchdown, the offense has been largely poor. Wyoming will begin at its own 12. 

Jeanty update: Spencer Danielson said Ashton Jeanty is banged up. Not sure if we’re going to see him in the fourth. 

Third quarter recap

End of quarter: Boise State 10, Wyoming 10. Will we see Ashton Jeanty down the stretch? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Jeanty on the sideline: Jeanty is not on the field for Boise State’s drive. It appears to be some type of lower body injury. 

Cowboys punt: Wyoming’s drive stalls just outside of field goal range. Broncos take over at their own 10 with 1:21 remaining in the third. We are still tied in Laramie. 

Anderson update: It looks like Anderson is out with a concussion. He has not emerged from the locker room. Wyoming will be going with Evan Svoboda at quarterback for the rest of this game. 

Jeanty update: He is out of the tent. It does not look like his day is over. 

Jeanty injured: Jeanty is now receiving medical attention in the blue tent. Boise State turns it over on downs, and Wyoming takes over at its own 44. 

Cowboys punt: Boise State forces a three-and-out and has it at the BSU 49. 

New quarterback: Kaden Anderson suffered an injury at the end of the second half and is out. Evan Svoboda is now in at quarterback for Wyoming. 

Broncos punt: A holding penalty kills a promising Boise State drive that stalls near midfield. Wyoming takes over at its own 9.

Jeanty hits 2,000: And there it is. With a five-yard carry, Ashton Jeanty goes over 2,000 rushing yards for the season. He is the best player in the country and deserves to win the Heisman Trophy. 

Jeanty dinged up: Jeanty appeared to aggravate his injured left arm. It doesn’t look too serious, but Jeanty’s arm is definitely bothering him. 

We are underway: Locked in a 10-10 tie, Broncos will begin the second half at their own 13. 

Halftime recap

Big 12 update: The Big 12 is just not a very good conference. I think the new-look Pac-12 has a chance to be the fourth-best football conference moving forward, especially if Memphis and Tulane come aboard. 

Cowboys hang in: Wyoming has only won two games this season, but the Cowboys played a strong first half. Wyoming out-gained Boise State 214-179 and is winning the time of possession battle 18:55 to 11:05. Ashton Jeanty can’t hurt you from the sideline. 

Jeanty nears milestone: Jeanty is four rushing yards shy of reaching 2,000 for the season. The Heisman Trophy candidate had 10 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown in the first half. 

Second quarter recap

Halftime: Boise State 10, Wyoming 10. Broncos will receive to open the second half. 

Broncos field goal: Dalmas is good from 24 yards to even the score. Wyoming chose to ice him, which was a bit odd. 

Madsen sacked: DeVonne Harris drops Madsen for a seven-yard loss. Broncos now facing a third-and-goal from the 12. 

Broncos threatening: Madsen hits Cameron Camper for a 23-yard gain to the Wyoming 5. 

Cowboys punt: Kaden Anderson had an open receiver on a slant, but the freshman threw behind him. Broncos have it at their own 43 with 1:43 to go in the half. 

Key play: Wyoming will have a third-and-six from its own 18 following a timeout. Boise State needs a stop to get some points before the break. 

Broncos punt: Boise State gets one first down but Maddux Madsen is sacked on third-and-nine by Shae Suiaunoa. There was a breakdown in the Broncos’ pass protection. Wyoming takes over at its own 14 with 2:10 to go in the half. 

Cowboys punt: Boise State gets an important stop on a third-down screen pass to get the ball back. Broncos will have it first-and-10 from their own 37 with 4:14 left in the half. Wyoming still leads 10-7. 

Broncos three-and-out: Other than a 61-yard burst by Jeanty, Boise State has played extremely poorly today. Wyoming takes over at its own 7 following a 62-yard James Ferguson-Reynolds punt. 

Jeanty update: Jeanty just crossed the 100-yard mark. He has seven carries for 102 yards and is nearing 2,000 for the season. 

Defensive struggles: The book is clearly out on how to attack Boise State: deep passes. They are not 50/50 balls against the BSU secondary. 

Touchdown Cowboys: Justin Stevenson catches a five-yard touchdown pass from Kaden Anderson. Wyoming 10, Boise State 7, 9:36 remaining in the half. 

Big play Cowboys: Jaylen Sargent catches a deep ball and is brought down at the Boise State 2. Secondary play remains a huge issue for the Broncos. 

Broncos punt: After Jeanty rips off a 24-yard run, the Broncos call three straight pass plays that result in two incompletions and a one-yard loss. Wyoming takes over at its own 32 with 11:54 remaining in the half. 

Bad spots: I thought Jamari Ferrell had the first down on both runs. Tough, tough break for the Cowboys.

More on the stand: Marco Notarainni had the fourth-down stop for Boise State. Broncos take over at their own 7. 

Fourth-down stop: On third-and-14, Jamari Ferrell runs up the middle for what appeared to be a first down. He is marked just short. Wyoming gives it to Ferrell again, and he comes up short. Huge stand by the Boise State defense.

First quarter recap

End of quarter: Boise State 7, Wyoming 3. Cowboys are in the red zone. 

Heisman odds: Somebody bet Ashton Jeanty to win the Heisman after that long touchdown run. He is now at +500 in the latest FanDuel update. Travis Hunter leads at -850. 

Jeanty update: The Heisman Trophy candidate had five yards on his first three carries. He now has 66 yards on four carries. Jeanty is the definition of a home-run hitter. Oh, and he can pile up singles and walks as well. 

Touchdown Broncos: Ashton Jeanty EXPLODES up the middle and then out-runs the defense up the left side for a 61-yard touchdown. Broncos 7, Wyoming 3. 

Missed field goal: John Hoyland misses from 53 yards. Broncos will take over at their own 36, trailing 3-0 with 4:26 to go in the opening quarter. 

Wyoming fumble: Harrison Waylee puts it on the turf, but Wyoming is able to recover it. Cowboys have fumbled 15 times this year and recovered 12 of them. That’s some serious, serious luck. 

Cowboys looking for more: Kaden Anderson, a redshirt freshman from Texas powerhouse Southlake Carroll, looks good so far at quarterback for Wyoming. He has the Cowboys in Boise State territory for the second straight drive. 

Missed field goal: Jonah Dalmas just misses wide left on a 49-yard attempt. Broncos come up empty on their first drive. 

Quick strike: Boise State’s first play from scrimmage is a 20-yard strike from Maddux Madsen to Latrell Caples off play action. Broncos are already in Wyoming territory. 

Wyoming field goal: John Hoyland smokes a season-long 54-yard field goal that would’ve been good from at least 60 yards. We are at 7,200 feet, but that was a great strike from Hoyland. Cowboys 3, Boise State 0, 11:43 remaining in the first quarter. 

Big 12 finals: Kansas 37, No. 16 Colorado 21. No. 21 Arizona State 28, No. 14 BYU 23. Two good results for Boise State and Ashton Jeanty.

Cowboys driving: A defensive delay of game gives Wyoming a first down at the Boise State 42. Cowboys have a nice drive going. 

Coin toss: Boise State wins the toss and defers. Wyoming begins the game at its own 25. 

Pregame recap

Laradise: Do people really call Laramie “Laradise?” I’ve been to Laramie once or twice, and … it’s not my favorite Rocky Mountain college town. 

Heisman update: Another Colorado loss should also hurt Travis Hunter’s Heisman chances. Hunter has had a big game with two receiving touchdowns. Hunter (-900) and Ashton Jeanty (+600) are the two Heisman favorites.

Big 12 update: Boise State is in a fierce battle with the Big 12 leaders for a College Football Playoff bye, and the Broncos are getting some help. No. 21 Arizona State is about to knock off No. 14 BYU and Kansas is leading No. 16 Colorado by two scores late in the fourth quarter. The 12th-ranked Broncos would very likely be ranked above a two-loss Big 12 champion by the committee. 

Weather: Sitting at 7,200 feet above sea level, Laramie can get some wild weather in November. Snow is in the forecast for Sunday, but it’s a warm day in Southeast Wyoming with high temperatures in the 50s. It should be around 45 degrees at kickoff with a fairly stiff breeze blowing in from the West. 

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Bob Lundeberg
BOB LUNDEBERG

Bob Lundeberg is a reporter for Boise State Broncos On SI. An Oregon State graduate, Bob has lived in Idaho since 2019 and is an avid hiker and golfer.

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