Ashton Jeanty rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns, setting a school record for rushing yards in a season, and helped No. 13 Boise State defeat San Jose State 42-21 on Saturday for their eighth straight win.
Boise State (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West Conference) had the chance to secure a spot in the Mountain West Championship game if UNLV lost to San Diego State. However, the Rebels won 41-20 later on Saturday.
The Broncos, whose only loss came against top-ranked Oregon, are still in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff if they win the conference title.
Though they were down 14-0 at one point, Boise State responded with a strong 42-7 run to finish the game.
“I don’t think we’ve been down 14-0 all year, and our guys never flinched,” said coach Spencer Danielson. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, what is this?’ Execution. Be the hunter. Always the hunter. Our guys are doing this. There’s no speech I’m giving. Our guys are leading it, because this is a player-led team, and I’m proud of them.”
Jeanty’s 36-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave Boise State its first lead at 28-21. After forcing a punt, the Broncos took over with less than nine minutes left and used more than six minutes of clock before Jeanty capped a 12-play, 89-yard drive with his third touchdown.
On the next possession, Davon Banks returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown, sealing the victory for Boise State.
Boise State capitalized on four turnovers by San Jose State (6-4, 3-3), including two turnovers on consecutive drives in the second half.
Despite a rough start, Boise State’s defense stepped up to help the team recover from the early 14-0 deficit. The defense stopped San Jose State on a 4th-and-1 from the 2-yard line, and then the offense responded with an 11-play, 92-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Maddux Madsen on a quarterback keeper.
“We’re a championship team, no matter what adversity we’re faced with,” Jeanty said. “We don’t back down. We just keep on fighting. We come together as a team. We don’t point the finger at anybody. We all look ourselves in the mirror and see what we can do better. And it shows on the field.”
Jeanty’s 2-yard touchdown before halftime tied the game after Ty Benefield intercepted a pass in Boise State territory.
“We talk about all the time, just his ability to do certain things that people can’t and never really will do,” Madsen said of Jeanty. “Props to him and the person he is, and his ability to go make plays when they’re really needed.”
Madsen finished 22-of-30 passing for 286 yards and a touchdown.
San Jose State took an early 14-0 lead with two third-down touchdown passes from Walker Eget, who connected with Justin Lockhart on the first drive and Jacob Stewart on the second.
Eget went 34-of-50 passing for 446 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Nash had nine catches for 126 yards and a touchdown, while Lockhart had 10 catches for 172 yards, both career highs.
“If we take care of the ball we’re going to win that game,” said Spartans coach Ken Niumatalolo. “It’s hard for me to swallow because that was my main message for our team was to win the turnover battle to have a shot, and we lost it going away.”
The game featured two top players: Jeanty, a Heisman Trophy contender and the nation’s leading running back, and Nash, the top receiver on pace to win the receiving triple crown this season. Nash also broke the program’s single-season record for receptions (89) and has scored a touchdown in every game this season.
