Boise State left Colorado State with a lopsided win and a familiar concern.
The No. 25 Broncos handled the Rams 64-38 on Saturday at Canvas Stadium, piling up points and yards in a game that tilted heavily their way by halftime. Boise State took a 29-10 lead into the break, then kept the offense humming behind Max Cutforth while the defense again gave up plenty in the second half.
Cutforth threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, added a rushing score, and helped Boise State avoid a repeat of the late drama it had just survived against Texas State. Dylan Riley was just as dangerous, finishing with 280 yards from scrimmage, a career high, and three touchdowns.
“Our guys were rolling tonight, I was really proud of them,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said in his postgame radio interview. “They came out and executed. We talked all week about execution and playing our best ball, and our guys did that pretty much the entire night.”
The Broncos improved to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play, and they’ve now won eight straight entering next week’s showdown with Oregon State. The numbers were eye-catching across the board: 669 total yards, 352 on the ground, and 10.6 yards per play.
Danielson singled out the offensive line for setting the tone.
“They were dominant tonight, they really were,” Danielson said. “They played great football, they played sound.
They imposed their will, and I think the world of them. That room is led by Roger Carreon, and those dudes answered the call, were extremely consistent and executed at a high level.”
Still, the defensive issues were impossible to ignore. Boise State has now allowed 70 second-half points over its last two games, and Colorado State finished with 513 yards of offense and 11 explosive plays.
“We’ve got to execute better,” Danielson said. “And that’s the reality of playing defense; you can’t take anything off the board.
We’ll play good defense, but then we’ll play bad defense. We’ve looked at it and we’ve got to grow it, we’ve got improve it.
“We had some good stops, but there’s a lot of things on film that we’ve got to be better at defensively. That’s just the facts of it, and I know we will.”
One of the bright spots for Boise State was true freshman wide receiver Rasean Jones, who turned in another productive outing with six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s a freshman … but he preps like a senior,” Danielson said. “He doesn’t let the outside noise get him caught up.
He’s the same young man he was when he showed up in January and was trying to figure it out. That’s what I’m so proud of him for.
… That mentality is uncommon.”
In Other News...
Boise State Dominated As Colorado States Sideline Chaos Stole The Spotlight
Boise States win over Colorado State had plenty of football reasons to draw attention, but one of the stranger moments came away from the play itself. During the loss, a sideline altercation broke out involving Colorado State offensive lineman Toriyan Johnson and strength and conditioning coach Shelton Bynum, with video showing Bynum grabbing Johnsons jersey and shouting as Johnson answered back before others stepped in.
The incident added another layer of disorder to a rough afternoon for the Rams, and it did not go unnoticed after the game. Head coach Jim Mora addressed it in his postgame press conference, saying the program would handle the matter internally, leaving the episode as one more unresolved subplot from a game Boise State controlled on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Latest Poll Climb Adds Fuel To The Playoff Debate
Boise States latest surge in the polls came on the heels of a 64-38 win over Colorado State, a result that pushed the Broncos up three spots to No. 17 in the AP Top 25. It is their highest ranking of the season, and it keeps them squarely in the national conversation as the calendar moves deeper into November.
The Broncos also climbed three spots to No. 18 in the USA Today coaches poll, while staying at No. 25 in the College Football Playoff committee rankings. For a team still trying to strengthen its postseason case, the gap between where Boise State sits in the human polls and where it stands with the committee is the part worth watching next. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Just Landed A Spotlight Game With Real Stakes
ESPNs College GameDay is headed to Boise this weekend, putting a national spotlight on a Pac-12 matchup that already had plenty of weight for Boise State. The Broncos enter Saturday nights game against Oregon State ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 and sitting at 8-1, a position that has turned this into more than just a late-season conference game. College GameDay will air from Boise starting at 9 a.m. ET, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. ET.
For Boise State, the attention is part reward, part pressure. Oregon State arrives with a passing game that has been driven by Braden Atkinson and Jesse Legree, giving the Broncos a real test in front of a crowd that will have all day to build toward the matchup. With the national crew in town and the stakes rising, this one feels like the sort of November game that can shape how the rest of the season is remembered. [Read more 🡒]