Boise, Idaho • The Utah State Aggies’ historic run came to close Saturday with a 33-24 loss to the Boise State Broncos at Albertsons Stadium. The Broncos will host Fresno State on Dec. 1 for the Mountain West title, while the Aggies will wait for a bowl game selection.
With the win, the Broncos finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, and broke Utah State’s 10-game streak in the process.
Despite a quick first touchdown from the Aggies, the Broncos controlled much of the game after that. They defended better, they made bigger plays, they even punted better.
Boise State took a 10-7 lead with a 23-yard field goal by Haden Hoggarth. Not long after, a huge penalty didn’t shake quarterback Brett Rypien, who completed a 30-yard pass to John Bates that put the Broncos at the 3-yard line.
An illegal substitution penalty by the Aggies put the ball at the 1, and Alexander Mattison subsequently ran in his second touchdown for a 17-7 lead with 10:09 left in the first half.
But as they do, the Aggies responded in swift fashion. With Love’s five completions, Utah State cut its down its deficit. Love culminated a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a 12-yard pass to Ron’quavion Tarver that cut BSU’s lead to 17-14 with 7:34 left in the half.
Boise State nearly scored again late in the first half, but Sean Modster dropped Rypien’s pass in the end zone. Hoggarth’s 33-yard field goal missed wide left with 27 seconds remaining in the half.
Utah State made a crucial stop on 4th-and-1 midway through the third, but immediately gave up the ball when the Broncos forced a three-and-out. Rypien threw a 44-yard pass to CT Thomas for a first down, but the Broncos could only muster a 27-yard field goal after that for a 20-14 lead with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter.
Utah State started the fourth quarter with a made field goal from 45 yards, cutting Boise State’s lead to 20-17.
Boise State took almost half the fourth-quarter clock the next time it scored. Fourteen plays and 75 yards later, Rypien’s 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Garrett Collingham gave the Broncos a 26-17 lead with 7:23 remaining in the game.
Aggies junior quarterback Jordan Love gave Utah State the early lead. He passed on all but one play in the opening drive, completing one to Aaren Vaughns for 37 yards and another for 9 yards to Jalen Greene for a touchdown and a 7-0 advantage.
After a few staunch defensive possessions from both teams, the Broncos equalized late in the first quarter. Mattison completed a 2-yard rushing touchdown and tied the game at 7-7 with 2:36 remaining in the opening frame.
The Aggies and Broncos had been on a collision course for the division title game the entire season, particularly when USU went undefeated in its first few conference games. BSU, meanwhile, has been a conference powerhouse for several years, winning the title most recently in 2017.
The Aggies came into Saturday’s game riding a 10-game winning streak. Their only loss was in the first game of the season back in late August, a 38-31 defeat at Michigan State. The Broncos were on a six-game streak of their own.
Utah State had won only two of its last nine road games against Boise State before Saturday, and just five of the last 17 matchups overall.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/2OVLneF
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