Boise State holds off Washington State 31-28
BOISE — Analyzing Boise State’s 31-28 win against Washington State on Saturday night:
THE BIG PICTURE: Boise State’s three-point victory included a defensive touchdown, a blocked field goal and three scoring drives of 75 or more yards, making this — despite some inefficient clock management and turnovers in the fourth quarter — a complete performance against a team from the Pac-12 Conference — or, in other words, the sort of showing we’ve come to expect from the Broncos.
From here, the conversation will shift to Boise State’s place in the push for an access-bowl bid to a New Year’s Six bowl. Houston is the favorite — the Cougars won the Peach Bowl last fall — and San Diego State has what it takes to go unbeaten, but neither rival has the Broncos’ seemingly smooth path to perfection. Boise’s toughest game the rest of the way is either Brigham Young (at home) or Air Force (on the road).
At the very least, an undefeated regular season is on the table.
WHAT WE’LL BE TALKING ABOUT: Viewed as a borderline top-25 team after winning nine games a year ago, Washington State has now tripped out of the gate with losses to Boise State and Eastern Washington. Clearly, the Cougars have gone from trendy favorite to the back of pack entering Pac-12 play.
Not that all is lost: WSU started slowly last year before hitting another gear in October and November. To do so again, the Cougars must right in the ship in advance of a brutal stretch to kick off league action — they start with Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Arizona State, so a dreadful first half of the year might be in the cards.
KEY PLAY: Pinned deep in their own territory in the third quarter, ahead 17-7, the Broncos marched 88 yards in four plays to take a commanding lead. The scoring play came on a 47-yard strike from quarterback Brett Rypien to wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck.
BREAKOUT PLAYERS: While just a sophomore, Rypien has quickly become the face of the offense, and deservedly so; he’s one of the top underclassmen at his position in the entire country. He was imperfect on Saturday, throwing for 299 yards and a touchdown but with three interceptions.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to imagine the Broncos being successful without Sperbeck and running back Jeremy McNichols.
McNichols ran for 116 yards yards and two scores, and Sperbeck added seven receptions for 133 yards and a score of his own to spur Boise’s win. There may not be a better threesome — quarterback, running back and lead receiver — on the Group of Five level.
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