Instant analysis: Boise State does its part in effort to make Mountain West title game

Running back Ashton Jeanty racked up 225 yards from scrimmage and found the end zone twice on big plays to lead Boise State past Air Force 27-19 on Friday.

Boise State (7-5, 6-2 Mountain West) scored on three of its first four drives and led 17-6 at halftime. Air Force found the end zone twice in the second half to cut the lead to five points, but Jonah Dalmas hit a 52-yard field goal to give the Broncos some breathing room, and the defense came up with a fourth-down stop and then a late interception to seal the win.

The defense was very good most of the day for the Broncos, who had to adjust to the Falcons’ decision to insert QB John Busha into the game late in the first half and go away from their triple-option identity with a load of passing plays in the fourth quarter. Bush attempted 17 passes; Air Force’s leading rusher, Dylan Carson (132 yards), had only 12 carries.

Boise State held the Falcons, the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense with an average of 282 yards per game, to 206 yards on the ground on 45 carries.

Quarterback Taylen Green scored on a 12-yard touchdown run in the first half and finished the game 13-of-17 for 228 yards for the Broncos. He also threw two bad interceptions, the second of which Air Force (8-4, 5-3 MW) turned into a touchdown drive, cutting the Broncos’ lead to 24-19 late in the third quarter.

Main takeaway: Boise State completed its late-season turnaround and did its part to earn a spot in the Mountain West championship game next Saturday, Dec. 2. If UNLV (9-2, 6-1) beats San Jose State (6-5, 5-2) on Saturday, the Broncos will face the Rebels in Las Vegas in the title game. If the Spartans win, forcing a three-way tie, computer rankings will determine which two teams make the final.

UNLV and BSU were both ahead of San Jose State in those rankings entering this weekend.

It would be Boise State’s sixth appearance in the title game in the past seven seasons. The Broncos last won a Mountain West championship in 2019.

Player of the game: Jeanty led the Broncos with 107 rushing yards and a career-high 118 receiving yards on five catches. He also scored on two long touchdowns: a 75-yard pass and a 50-yard run. He’s the sixth player in Boise State history to post more than 100 rushing and receiving yards in a game, and the first to do it since Jeremy McNichols in 2016.

Stat of the game: The announced attendance at Friday’s game was 36,390, which is the largest crowd for a regular-season finale at Albertsons Stadium in program history. Boise State also set a new program record this year with an average announced attendance of 35,867 at home.

Play of the game: Jeanty caught a screen pass and took it 75 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, giving Boise State a 17-3 lead. An Air Force defender had a chance to tackle him in the open field, but Jeanty easily side-stepped him as he dove at his legs. The touchdown marked the Broncos’ third one-play scoring drive in the past two games. Last week, running back George Holani scored on a 75-yard touchdown run against Utah State. Tight end Matt Lauter also capped a one-play drive with a 26-yard touchdown catch following a fumble by the Aggies.