Boise State certainly took its time to wake up Saturday night at San Jose State.
But once it finally did, the Broncos stampeded the Spartans to keep their playoff aspirations alive and well.
Despite falling into an early 14-0 deficit in the first half against SJSU, Boise State outscored the Spartans 42-7 from that point on en route to improving to 9-1 and 6-0 in Mountain West Conference play to remain the top Group of 5 program in 2024. The 42-21 win in the Bay Area keeps the Broncos, ranked No. 13 in last week’s playoff rankings, still in the thick of a College Football Playoff berth.
And it should come as no surprise that Boise State superstar and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty helped the Broncos get back on track after SJSU jumped out to an early two-score lead. Jeanty finished with 159 yards rushing on 32 carries and three touchdowns, breaking the Boise State school record for most rushing yards in a single season previously held by Jay Ajayi (1,823 in 2014).
The record-breaking run 😮💨
📺 CBS Sports#BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent | #HEI2MAN pic.twitter.com/KoL73vCzRH
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) November 17, 2024
Jeanty now has 1,893 rushing yards through Boise State’s first 10 games of the season. In a heated race with Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter for the Heisman, Jeanty once again found time to strike a Heisman pose of his own Saturday evening after one of his three touchdown runs.
Boise State nearly fell into a 21-0 hole against the Spartans but flipped the momentum of the game in the second quarter when the Broncos’ defense snuffed out a 4th-and-goal trick pass play attempt to an SJSU offensive lineman. SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo rolled the dice knowing he’d need touchdowns and not field goals against one of the top teams in the country. Not only did it backfire, but it gave Boise State the lift it sorely needed.
Touchdown runs by quarterback Maddux Madsen and Jeanty knotted the score at 14-14 at halftime. Despite the Spartans scoring on their opening drive of the second half, Boise State rattled off 28 straight points.
Three of Boise State’s last four conference games have featured nervy moments, including last weekend’s 28-21 win at home over Nevada. The Broncos beat UNLV 29-24 on the road on Oct. 25.
Required reading
- Boise State and Ashton Jeanty: The Cinderella in a steel-toe boot
- How Boise State slipped from its BCS-buster peak — then climbed back to the top
- College Football Playoff blind resume breakdown: Hide the logos. Who has a better case?
(Photo: Eakin Howard / Getty Images)
