Boise State: 2022 Frisco Bowl Champions

Why the Broncos won: Boise State trailed 10-6 at halftime, but the offense finally started clicking in the second half when the Broncos put the game in the hands of freshman running back Ashton Jeanty. The former star at nearby Lone Star High in Frisco, Texas, scored a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Broncos a 35-24 lead early in the fourth quarter, and he finished the game with a career-high 178 rushing yards. Quarterback Taylen Green added 119 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and he found fellow redshirt freshman Eric McAlister on a 24-yard touchdown pass that put Boise State up 21-17 in the third quarter. 

Main takeaway: Boise State didn’t end the season as Mountain West champions, but the Broncos are taking the Frisco Bowl trophy home after securing their first bowl win since 2017. The win caps a season that was circling the drain after four games. Boise State was 2-2 after a loss to major underdog UTEP in late September. Offensive coordinator Tim Plough was fired, and starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier decided to transfer. 

Still, the Broncos found a way to rally around Green and 63-year-old interim offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and win eight of their last 10 games. Boise State head coach Andy Avalos did an excellent job navigating a difficult season, and the Broncos’ players deserve a lot of credit for sticking together. 

More than anything, Boise State’s turnaround season highlights just how bright the future is on The Blue. Running back George Holani has to decide if he’s going to test the waters in the NFL and the Broncos are going to have to replace a few starters on defense next season, but the sky isn’t falling. Green, Jeanty, McAlister and wide receivers Latrell Caples and Stefan Cobbs are all expected back next season.

Add to that a 2023 recruiting class led by offensive weapons Jambres Dubar and Franklyn Jonhson, and it looks like the pieces are in place to make new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan’s return to his alma mater a memorable one. 

Player of the game: Boise State was without Holani for most of the game. He left the game in the first quarter and didn’t return, and he finished with just seven touches. That left Jeanty to carry the load, but as has been the norm this season, he didn’t look like a freshman. He burst through the line for a 34-yard run on the Broncos’ first play of the second half, sparking a drive that ended with a touchdown run by Green. Jeanty moved the chains again with an 18-yard gain on the drive that ended with McAlister’s touchdown catch, and he finished the Frisco Bowl with a career-high 178 rushing yards on 28 carries. Stat of the game: Boise State scored just six points in the first half, but the Broncos put 22 points on the board in the third quarter. That’s more points than the Broncos had scored in a quarter of a bowl game in program history. 

Play of the game: Boise State’s defense struggled to contain North Texas’ high-powered offense, but a turnover changed the complexion of the game. Redshirt freshman cornerback Jaylen Clark, playing because Kaonohi Kaniho was out with an injury, intercepted a pass early in the fourth quarter, setting up Jeanty’s touchdown run that gave the Broncos a two-possession lead with a little more than 12 minutes to play. 

What’s next: Boise State’s season is over, but the Broncos are in for a hectic couple months before spring practice begins in early March. 

Boise State: 2021-22 Mountain West Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS — The Boise State men's basketball team made history Saturday, taking down San Diego State 53-52 in Las Vegas to clinch the first Mountain West Tournament Championship in school history. 

For the 12th time this season, the Broncos (27-7, 15-3 MW) battled to win a contest by six points or less. Saturday's title game at the Thomas & Mack Center went down to the wire, with the Aztecs missing two potentially game-winning shots with less than 10 seconds to play. 

Mountain West Freshman of the Year Tyson Degenhart led all Bronco scorers with 13 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. 

Emmanuel Akot added 10 points in Boise State's big win and senior forward Abu Kigab filled the stat line with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

The win over the Aztecs (23-8, 13-4) marks Boise State's first men's basketball conference championship since it won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2008.

The Broncos' 2022 squad is just the sixth team in Mountain West history to win both the outright regular season title and the Mountain West Tournament Championship crown. Boise State came out victorious in each of its three contests with the Aztecs this season. 

Saturday's win also gives Boise State an automatic qualifier bid to the NCAA Tournament, where the Broncos will be the highest seeded team out of the Mountain West. 

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs Sunday at 4 p.m. MT. When the Broncos learn their March Madness fate, they will be surrounded by Bronco Nation back home in Boise.

Earlier this week, Boise State Athletics announced the Broncos will be hosting a watch party for Selection Sunday at ExtraMile Arena from 3-5 p.m. MT. 

The event is free for the public to attend and parking in the West and East Stadium Lots also is free. Boise State said attendees should use Entry 2 to enter the watch party.

Boise State: 2017 Las Vegas Bowl Champions

LAS VEGAS -- Bryan Harsin didn't have to say anything.

Boise State had committed two turnovers that were returned for touchdowns in the final minute of the first half, turning a 24-0 rout in the making into a competitive 24-14 contest and allowing Oregon back into the game.

Without any special speech from their head coach, the Broncos regrouped and responded.

Cedrick Wilson caught 10 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown, Kekaula Kaniho returned an interception 53 yards for a score and No. 25 Boise State beat Oregon 38-28 in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.

"New slate. It's a whole different half. As far as we were concerned, it was 0-0," Broncos linebacker Leighton Vander Esch said.

Brett Rypien threw for 362 yards and two touchdown passes -- with two interceptions -- to help the Broncos (11-3) break a three-game losing streak against Power 5 opposition. Ryan Wolpin rushed for two touchdowns.

Troy Dye and Tyree Robinson each scored a defensive touchdown, and Justin Herbert was 26 of 36 passing for 233 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Ducks (7-6) in new head coach Mario Cristobal's debut.

Boise State forced four turnovers in the first half, taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on Wolpin's 1-yard touchdown run and Rypien's 26-yard scoring pass to Wilson. Haden Hoggarth added a 39-yard field goal before an off-balance Herbert heaved a pass toward the sideline that was easily picked off and run back by Kaniho, who also had a strip-sack.

Oregon clawed back after Dye recovered a fumble on a botched Statue of Liberty handoff and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown with 37 seconds remaining.

A 65-yard reception by Wilson to set the Boise State single-season record for yards receiving got the Broncos right back in the red zone, but Robinson picked off Rypien's pass in the end zone and took it back 100 yards on the longest interception return in school history with 7 seconds remaining to make it 24-14.

If not for those defensive scores, the full extent of Boise State's dominance would have been evident. The Broncos outgained the Ducks 294-77 in the first half and reached Ducks' territory on 10 of 15 meaningful possessions in the game. They held Oregon to 47 yards rushing and 1.7 yards per carry, recording nine tackles for loss with four sacks while outclassing their Pac-12 foe on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

"They are a great team, and we came out and we played some awesome football," said Vander Esch, who had 12 tackles, including three tackles for loss with one sack. "We didn't take any days off from the moment we won that Mountain West championship. We knew as soon as we won that we still had part of our goal left to go finish."

After Alec Dhaenens caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Rypien in the third quarter, the Ducks pulled back within 31-21 on a 24-yard scoring throw from Herbert to Brendan Schooler with 10:07 remaining.

Oregon had a chance to cut it to a one-possession game but Herbert was sacked near midfield, and Boise State drove 86 yards in 11 plays capped by Wolpin's second 1-yard touchdown run.

"I think a lot of teams would fold their tent when they're down 24-0 or things don't go their way," Cristobal said. "You look at the way they just kept fighting, scratching and clawing to make this thing a competitive game, to me, that's the positive."

THE TAKEAWAY

Boise State: The Broncos are still the class of the Mountain West. After being written off in September after losses to Washington State and Virginia, Boise State closed the season by winning nine of their last 10 games, including the conference title game and the conference's marquee bowl tie-in.

Oregon: The Ducks didn't exactly do much to back up their push for Cristobal's promotion to head coach. Oregon got pushed around on both lines of scrimmage and make plenty of ill-advised decisions, best exemplified by running back Tony Brooks-James throwing a ball at a defender in the third quarter to scuttle a promising drive.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

It wasn't a vintage season for Boise State, but the Broncos will finish ranked for the third time in the last six seasons. Oregon has plenty of work to do before making itself a regular in the top 25 again.

UP NEXT


Boise State: With 18 players that started the Las Vegas Bowl eligible to return next season, including all 11 defenders, the Broncos should be back in the mix to reach a New Year's 6 bowl game. An early road game at Oklahoma State will give a good indication of just how high Boise State's ceiling might be in Harsin's fifth season.

Oregon: A soft non-conference slate and favorable home schedule bodes well for Oregon's record in Cristobal's first season in change, but the Ducks need significant personnel upgrades over the long haul to compete in the loaded Pac-12 North.

Boise State: 2015 Poinsettia Bowl Champions

Boise State dominated from start to finish Wednesday at the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, taking less than a minute to get on the board, and never trailed in a 55-7 hamering of the Northern Illinois Huskies.
The Broncos (9-4) held a 654-33 advantage in total yardage, with the defense allowing the second-fewest yards in school history, and the least since Oct. 19, 1968 against Whitworth, when they allowed 30 yards.
Freshman quarterback Brett Rypien was the game’s offensive MVP after he completed 29-of-39 passes for 377 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Junior defensive end Kamalei Correa, who is expected to leave for the NFL Draft, was the defensive MVP after he had two sacks and forced a fumble.
The 654 yards of offense were ninth-most in a single game in school history. Sophomore running back Jeremy McNichols scored three touchdowns, rushing for 93 yards and adding 96 yards receiving, both team-highs.

SCORING SUMMARY

BOISE STATE	21	10	10	14	—	55
NORTHERN ILLINOIS	0	7	0	0	—	7

FIRST QUARTER

BSU—Jeremy McNichols 29 run (Tyler Rausa kick), 14:02. Key plays: Quarterback Brett Rypien hit McNichols on a streak down the right side of the field for 39 yards — the first deep ball the Broncos had hit since October. McNichols jogged into the end zone through a mammoth hole on the next play. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, :58. Boise State 7, Northern Illinois 0
BSU—McNichols 4 pass from Rypien (Rausa kick), 7:38. Key plays: Wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck broke a tackle attempt for a 23-yard gain on the first play. McNichols added an 11-yard run. The drive was set up by a fumble recovery by linebacker Tyler Gray. Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 2:18. Boise State 14, Northern Illinois 0
BSU—McNichols 1 run (Rausa kick), 3:28. Key plays: Rypien dropped a beautiful throw over an underneath defender to tight end Jake Roh for a 23-yard gain. Wide reciever Shane Williams-Rhodes broke a tackle to gain 21 yards on third-and-3 at the NIU 24-yard line. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:36. Boise State 21, Norhern Illinois 0

SECOND QUARTER

BSU—Rausa 20 field goal, 9:44. Key plays: Gray stripped wide receiver Aregeros Turner and cornerback Jonathan Moxey recovered on the NIU 15. A holding penalty on first-and-goal at the 5 stalled the drive. Drive: 7 plays, 12 yards, 3:01. Boise State 24, Northern Illinois 0
NIU—Aregeros Turner 96 kickoff return (Christian Hagan kick), 9:32. Boise State 24, Northern Illinois 7
BSU—Chaz Anderson 16 pass from Rypien (Rausa kick), 1:51. Key plays: Defensive end Kamalei Correa stripped quarterback Ryan Graham and Gray crawled to the loose football at the Boise State 40. Williams-Rhodes gained 21 yards on an end-around and McNichols fought and reached to gain a yard on third-and-1. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:35. Boise State 31, Northern Illinois 7

THIRD QUARTER

BSU—Rausa 27 field goal, 7:30. Key plays: Williams-Rhodes dominated the drive with a 12-yard catch, a 10-yard run and an 11-yard catch. Drive: 12 plays, 51 yards, 4:49. Boise State 34, Northern Illinois 7
BSU—Alec Dhaenens 18 pass from Rypien (Rausa kick), 3:29. Key plays: Sperbeck and Anderson also had 18-yard catches. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:06. Boise State 41, Northern Illinois 7

FOURTH QUARTER

BSU—Kelsey Young 24 run (Rausa kick), 14:52. Key plays: Rypien hit Williams-Rhodes for 13 yards and McNichols for 18. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:07. Boise State 48, Northern Illinois 7
BSU—Stuart 1 run (Rausa kick), 9:52. Key plays: Ryan Wolpin bustsed a 49-yard run. Stuart had a 9-yard run. Boise State 55, Northern Illinois 7

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/college/mountain-west/boise-state-university/bronco-beat-blog/article51316405.html#storylink=cpy

Boise State: 2014 Fiesta Bowl Champions

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Boise State Broncos are no longer just trick-play ponies.

They did score a touchdown on a Statue of Liberty play. This was the VIZIO Fiesta Bowl, so of course they did.

But once the tricks were used up and the offensive fireworks dulled, Boise State had to grind out this VIZIO Fiesta Bowl victory with its defense.

The Fiesta Bowl has brought out the best from the Boise State Broncos over the last decade, and Wednesday's game was no different. Story

Donte Deayon returned an interception for a touchdown in third quarter and sack specialist Kamalei Correa had his biggest takedown of the season on the game's final play, lifting No. 20 Boise State to a 38-30 victory over No. 10 Arizona in the VIZIO Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday.

"They hit us, we stiffened up and came up a winner," Boise State linebacker Tanner Vallejo said.

Boise State (12-2, No. 21 AP) lived up to its unpredictable reputation in the first quarter, pulling off the Statue of Liberty play while racing to a 21-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes.

Jay Ajayi scored two of his three touchdowns in the first quarter -- one on the trick play -- and finished with 134 yards rushing. Grant Hedrick was perfect through his first 14 passes and threw for 304 yards and a touchdown. Thomas Sperbeck had 12 catches for 199 yards.

The bulk of those numbers came in the first half, though. Once the second rolled around, the Broncos bogged down, allowing Arizona to cut the lead to eight in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats had a final chance, using their quick-strike offense to march down the field, but Correa sacked Anu Solomon at Boise State's 10-yard on the game's last play.

The Broncos charged onto the field after Correa's sack, celebrating a successful first season under coach Bryan Harsin with their third VIZIO Fiesta Bowl victory.

Not bad for a team supposedly in transition.

"People think Boise State isn't a powerhouse program," said Broncos receiver Chaz Anderson, who had a 57-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. "It feels good to be back to where we were in the past."

Arizona (10-4, No. 12 AP) was overrun by Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship and seemed to still have a hangover against the Broncos.

Once the Wildcats shook out of their daze, they shut down Boise State's high-powered offense and began chipping away at the lead.

The problem was that they needed to take bigger chunks.

Instead of scoring touchdowns, Arizona mostly dinked its way back, settling for three field goals after driving deep into Boise State's end.

Turnovers also hurt. Solomon threw for 335 yards and a touchdown, but had two interceptions that led to touchdowns for Boise State, including Deayon's pick six late in the third quarter.

"Everything wasn't going our way," the redshirt freshman said. "I was overthinking things and I just can't do that. I played like a freshman today."

With Wednesday's win over Arizona, Boise State is 3-0 in the VIZIO Fiesta Bowl despite entering each game as the underdog.

Of all the non-playoff bowls, the Fiesta had one of the most intriguing matchups: Two prolific offenses, two programs trying to make a statement with a big-bowl win.

It certainly lived up to the billing at the start.

The big-play Broncos burst out of the gate with long touchdowns on their first two drives: a 56-yard touchdown run by Ajayi and a 57-yard TD hookup between Hedrick and Anderson.

No VIZIO Fiesta Bowl with Boise State would be complete without a Statue of Liberty play, so the Broncos did that, too. Ajayi scored on it, taking a behind-the-back handoff from Hedrick, then stiff-arming Arizona cornerback Cam Denson to the ground on the 16-yard run.

"It was fun to have that play in this game as well," Harsin said.

Arizona was finally able catch its breath and marched in for a 1-yard touchdown dive by Solomon.

But just when the Wildcats looked like they were back in it, Solomon threw an interception, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Ajayi that made it 28-7.

Nick Wilson scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, but Boise State still led 31-17 at halftime after Hedrick completed 17 of 18 passes for 272 yards.

Boise State had 2 yards on 14 plays in the third quarter, but took an 18-point lead Deayon's interception return.

Solomon made up for it right after that, scrambling to the right before finding Samjie Grant for a 51-yard touchdown strike that made it 38-27 heading into the fourth quarter.

Arizona cut it to eight on Casey Skowron's third field goal, from 32 yards, but failed to score on its final two drives.

"Our guys (have) come back from big deficits before," Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez said. "(We've) just got to play better. We did at times, but not good enough to win it."

Boise State: 2012 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas Champions

Late field goal lifts Boise State to a third straight win in the MAACO Bowl

Published: December 23, 2012 Updated 2 hours ago

Darin Oswald — doswald@idahostatesman.com

By CHADD CRIPE — ccripe@idahostatesman.com

LAS VEGAS — The Boise State football team hoisted senior kicker Michael Frisina into the air and formed a mosh pit around him Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium.

“Frisina! Frisina! Frisina!” they chanted.

For a few moments, and for a change, the kicker was the most beloved person in blue and orange.

Frisina made a 27-yard field goal with 1 minute, 16 seconds left to give the No. 20 Broncos a 28-26 victory over the Washington Huskies in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas.

“That had a little to do with the curse, you can call it, that we had,” Boise State sophomore wide receiver Matt Miller said of the celebration. “For him to step up and make a kick, I think it shows we don’t have a kicker problem anymore.”

Washington tried to answer, but Boise State sophomore safety Jeremy Ioane sealed the Broncos’ victory with an interception with 14 seconds left.

The Broncos, whose lone losses in 2010 and 2011 occurred when their previous kickers missed potential game-winning field goals, finished the season 11-2. They have won at least 11 games in five straight seasons, will finish in the Top 20 for the fifth straight season and have won bowl games in four straight years for the first time in school history.

The Broncos built an 18-3 lead over the Huskies (7-6) in the first half, led 18-17 at halftime and trailed for the first time, 26-25, late in the fourth quarter.

The script was flipped from the rest of the season with the Broncos’ much-maligned offense delivering clutch plays in bunches — they converted nine third or fourth downs — and their usually dominant defense staggered by the Huskies’ brute-force attack.

“We knew Washington was as good an opponent as we could face, and they were,” Boise State junior quarterback Joe Southwick said. “They showed it on the field today. … We knew it would take all four quarters. We were able to, in the fourth quarter, take care of business.”

Southwick capped his first season as a starter with his most impressive outing. He was 26-of-38 for 264 yards and two touchdowns, often shuffling in the pocket or scrambling to the outside to find his receivers. He also rushed 11 times for 39 yards — using his athletic ability to keep scoring drives alive — and operated much of the game without a huddle.

In the last four games of the season, he tossed nine touchdown passes and no interceptions while completing 69.9 percent of his passes.

“He really did a nice job in the game today,” Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. “He managed their offense, especially in their up-tempo stuff. He threw the ball efficiently and accurately and then when he pulled the ball down and scrambled, he was effective. He hurt us with his legs today.”

Washington sophomore tailback Bishop Sankey, the game MVP, kept the Huskies within reach in the first half and finished with 205 rushing yards, 279 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. He got help in the second half from a third-down passing attack that featured sophomore wide receiver Kasen Williams (six catches, 95 yards) and sophomore tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (six, 61, TD).

“(Sankey) was doing a good job of finding holes in our defense,” said Boise State senior linebacker J.C. Percy, who made a career-high 17 tackles. “He was able to run hard, break tackles and use his elusive moves and get away from us.”

One of the Huskies’ three stars touched the ball on 11 of 13 offensive plays as they marched from their own 4-yard line to the Boise State 20 in the fourth quarter. On third-and-8, cornerback Jamar Taylor broke up a pass and forced a Travis Coons field-goal attempt.

Coons, who missed from 41 yards on the previous possession, hit a 38-yarder for the 26-25 lead with 4:09 remaining.

The Broncos’ offensive players sought out Southwick.

“Hey, you’re our leader,” they told him, according to senior wide receiver Chris Potter. “Take us down there and we’re going to win this game.”

2/4

True freshman wide receiver and kickoff returner Shane Williams-Rhodes, whose highlight-reel quickness got him on the field this season, provided a spark. Williams-Rhodes fielded the kickoff at his own 11-yard line, started to the left — where his blockers were — and then broke into the open field along the right sideline.

He nearly escaped for a touchdown but stepped out of bounds at the Washington 42-yard line — a careerbest 47-yard return.

“He’s such a little jitterbug,” Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. “He’s got great instincts. The play was designed to go to the other side and he could feel them rotate too fast and he hit it back across the field.”

Southwick barely converted a fourth-and-1 sneak and completed three passes to push the ball to the Huskies’ 12. The Broncos took one shot at the end zone but were content to place the ball on Frisina’s preferred hash mark, the right, and force the Huskies to use two timeouts.

Petersen figured he’d found Frisina’s sweet spot. He was 13-of-13 on field goals of 30 yards or less — and this was a 27-yarder.

“He’s been like clockwork,” Petersen said.

Frisina made a solid strike — “I knew I made it right when I hit it,” he said — and the ball sailed about a yard inside the right upright.

On the sideline, many Broncos watched from one knee.

“I thought, ‘Third time’s a charm,’ ” Percy said. “I knew Friz was going to make it.”

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398, Twitter: @IDS_BroncoBeat

The return of an all too familiar set of faces...

...was something the locals couldn't pass up.

In this words of Jim Leahey...

IS THIS THE YEAR?
IS THIS THE YEAR!!?
YOU BET THIS IS THE YEAR!!!!

Hawaii 39
Boise State 27

ESPN can go fuck themselves. And everyone in Boise, the AP, all those turds who chose the Broncos to win...can have their crow and eat it. They disgust me.