Jeanty and Boise State roll over Washington State

Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman

BOISE — In beforehand of a record, raucous crowd astatine Albertsons Stadium, Boise State took a awesome measurement toward a immense play Saturday night. The large reason? The Broncos person Ashton Jeanty and Washington State doesn’t.

Jeanty, nan superstar moving backmost who makes would-be tacklers look inept, was his accustomed highlight-reel aforesaid for nan offense, and nan Broncos’ defense made large plays — including 7 sacks and an end-zone interception — to frustrate what was a high-flying Washington State discourtesy successful a 45-24 triumph successful beforehand of 37,711 fans.

With nan triumph complete a antecedently unbeaten team, No. 25 Boise State (3-1) put itself successful bully position to make a tally astatine nan expanded College Football Playoffs if it tin triumph nan Mountain West Conference.

The 5 highest-ranked convention champions person automatic berths successful nan 12-team tournament, meaning a Group of Five victor is guaranteed a spot.

By nan clip those games rotation around, Jeanty apt will person completed a travel to New York arsenic a Heisman Trophy finalist. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound inferior made nan Cougars (4-1) look foolish overmuch of nan night, rushing for 259 yards and 4 touchdowns — pinch 3 of those scores coming connected carries that saw him bounce disconnected of and shed defenders arsenic if they were precocious schoolhouse players.

“I’m doing nan activity and everything is going correct right now,” Jeanty said aft nan game.

Indeed. Jeanty, who was serenaded by “Heis-man” chants from nan grounds crowd, now leads nan federation pinch 845 yards rushing successful conscionable 4 games, and he has scored 13 touchdowns. That besides leads nan nation. He astir collapsed Boise State’s single-game rushing grounds again — he group it successful nan play opener astatine Georgia Southern pinch 267 yards.

Meanwhile, nan Broncos’ defense stepped up to frustrate an discourtesy that came into nan crippled averaging 46.3 points and 515 yards a game.

Washington State sewage stuffed 3 times connected fourth-down attempts, was conscionable 7-of-17 connected third-down attempts and managed only 341 full yards until a meaningless 75-yard scoring thrust to extremity nan game.

Quarterback John Mateer completed 26-of-37 passes for 327 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he was perpetually nether unit and scrambling. The Cougars’ rushing attack, which entered nan crippled averaging 224 yards, was held to 89.

Jeanty, not surprisingly, delivered nan game’s first large play, darting 64 yards for a touchdown aft bouncing disconnected respective would-be tacklers conscionable 3 minutes into nan first quarter. He scored nan Broncos’ 2nd touchdown successful overmuch nan aforesaid fashion, conscionable from person to nan extremity zone, shedding 3 Cougars connected a 14-yard TD tally that paved nan measurement to a 17-10 halftime lead.

In nan 4th fourth he collapsed 3 much tackles connected a 59-yard scoring tally that gave nan Broncos a 31-17 lead, and he capped his nighttime pinch a 2-yard TD to make it 38-17.

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson called Jeanty “absolutely relentless.”

Danielson’s squad entered nan crippled classed successful nan AP Top 25 for nan first clip since nan COVID-shortened 2020 play and apt will move into nan apical 20 successful nan caller rankings Sunday.

Washington State (4-1) conscionable missed retired connected a Top 25 ranking this week, receiving conscionable 2 less points successful voting than BSU.

Boise State was playing without immoderate important starters, including wide receiver Latrell Caples, who missed a crippled for nan first clip this season, and 2 starting violative linemen, but it didn’t matter.

The Broncos besides entered nan play pinch nan champion winning percent (.843) successful nan federation since 1985 erstwhile classed successful nan Top 25, and improved upon that. The highly anticipated matchup betwixt 2 early Pac-12 foes — which has been dubbed nan Snake River Rivalry — sold retired almost 2 weeks earlier nan game, and nan announced attendance coiled up breaking nan grounds of 37,663 group successful a crippled against Fresno State successful 2022.

Next week Boise State opens Mountain West play pinch a location crippled against Utah State (1-3). Kickoff is 5 p.m. astatine Albertsons Stadium and nan crippled is already a sellout.