Tag: SJSU

Nov 16, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs for a touchdown against the San Jose State Spartans in the second quarter at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Ashton Jeanty runs for 3 TDs as No. 13 Boise State tops San Jose State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Ashton Jeanty ran for three touchdowns and No. 13 Boise State took advantage of multiple San Jose State mistakes to earn a 42-21 win on the road Saturday night.

The victory keeps the Broncos (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West) in control of the one open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff reserved for the highest-ranked Group of 5 team, and in the lead in the Mountain West Conference.

Jeanty, who entered Saturday as the nation’s leading rusher, ran for 159 yards in the win. Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen completed 22 of 30 attempts for 28 yards and a touchdown.

The Spartans’ Walker Eget threw for a career-high 446 yards on 34-of-50 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss. Justin Lockhart had 10 catches for 172 and a TD and Nick Nash added nine catches for 126 yards and a score.

Boise State trailed 14-0 early in the second quarter and looked to be in more trouble when the Broncos fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving San Jose State the ball at the Boise State 34.

San Jose State (6-4, 3-3) drove to the Broncos’ 2 and faced fourth-and-1. The Spartans lined up to kick a field goal but then called timeout and brought the offense back on the field.

San Jose State tried a trick play with Eget rolling one way and throwing the ball back to offensive lineman Sione Nomani, but Boise State safety Seyi Oladipo stopped Nomani short of the first down.

Boise State responded on its next possession. Madsen capped an 11-play, 92-yard drive with a 4-yard TD run to trim the Broncos’ deficit to 14-7. On Boise State’s next drive, Jeanty sliced in from 2 yards to tie the score with 36 seconds left in the first half.

San Jose State opened the second half with a nine-play, 98-yard drive. Eget connected with Nash on a 6-yard touchdown pass to put the Spartans back on top 21-14.

Maddux led the Broncos to their third straight touchdown drive. Matt Lauter caught a pass in the flat from Maddux and ran 17 yards for a score to make it 21-21.

On the Spartans’ next possession, Eget ran it on fourth-and-2 at the Boise State 41. He had the first down but was hit hard by Broncos safety Ty Benefield, who knocked the ball loose and it was recovered by Boise State defensive end Jayden Virgin-Morgan.

Jeanty capitalized on the turnover, running it in from 36 yards on the ensuing drive to give the Broncos a 28-21 lead with 1:42 left in the third quarter.

Boise State scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away. Jeanty ran 5 yards with 2:23 left for his third TD to give the Broncos a 35-21 lead. Davon Banks ran an interception back 70 yards for the final score of the game.

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs the ball against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State won 28-21. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-Imagn Images

San Jose St. plots trap as No. 13 Boise St. sets GPS for playoffs

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The nation’s leading rusher and leading receiver collide Saturday when No. 13 Boise State travels to San Jose State.

Boise State (8-1) projects as the final team in the 12-team College Football Playoff but the Broncos have no margin for error.

Boise State remains atop the Mountain West standings and its only loss was to No. 1 Oregon. The Broncos would be the 12th seed as an automatic qualifier and the fifth-best conference champ based on the second iteration of rankings revealed Tuesday.

While there’s no celebrating in Idaho yet, BSU has plenty of reason to plan a party.

Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty is a Heisman front-runner with 1,734 yards and 23 touchdowns. He is 895 yards away from Barry Sanders’ single-season college record set in 1988 with three regular-season games left.

The Spartans’ defense ranks 75th in the nation against the run but is only allowing 3.65 yards per carry (Jeanty averages 7.7). Last year, Jeanty ran for 162 yards in a 35-27 win for Boise State.

While the spotlight this year has been on Jeanty, the nation’s leading receiver is a Spartan. Senior Nick Nash leads the nation in receptions (86), receiving yards (1,156) and touchdown catches (13).

“He’s big-time,” said Boise State coach Spencer Danielson. “He’s strong. He will go up and make catches. I remember when he was their backup running quarterback. He’s a matchup nightmare for defenses and I see him as being one of the heartbeats of their team.”

Boise State sophomore quarterback Maddux Madsen has thrown for 18 touchdowns, but he only completed 9 of 20 passes against Nevada for 119 yards and an interception. Quarterback play going forward could be the key to how far the Broncos go if and when they reach the playoffs.

“Just like anything else, there will be fundamentals and reads that he needs to get fixed and he will,” said Danielson. “There are a lot of things on film that I am proud of and there are a lot of things on film that I know he needs to improve on. No one is going to want to do it more than Maddux.”

The Spartans (6-3) have used two quarterbacks this season: Emmett Brown and Walker Eget. Brown has thrown for 1,621 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Eget has thrown for 1,312 yards, but six interceptions.

“Both of them run the offense very efficiently,” said Danielson. “I can respect offenses who know what they are, but will attack you. They are going to run their stuff. They know how to adjust to coverages so there will always be open receivers. They run their run plays and pass concepts trying to attack the defense.”

Defensively, San Jose State is led by linebacker Jordan Pollard, who has recorded 82 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss.

Spartans coach Ken Niumatalolo was reprimanded by the conference for his remarks about the officiating after his team’s win over Oregon State. Niumatalolo was dismayed over defensive penalties on a late drive by the Beavers.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and that was tough because we felt like we were playing more than 11 people out there,” Niumatalolo said after the win. “Some of the calls at the end, I don’t have any words for them.”

–Field Level Media