COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Boise State 42, San Jose State 21
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Ashton Jeanty ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns to set a school record for yards rushing in a season, and No. 13 Boise State beat San Jose State 42-21 on Saturday for its eighth straight win.
Boise State (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West Conference) can clinch a spot in the Mountain West championship game if UNLV loses to San Diego State later Saturday. The Broncos, whose only loss this season was to top-ranked Oregon, remain on track for a spot in the College Football Playoff if they win the conference title.
Jeanty’s 36-yard touchdown run gave the Broncos their first lead early in the fourth quarter at 28-21. After forcing a punt, Boise State took over with under nine minutes left and drained more than six minutes off the clock before Jeanty capped a 12-play, 89-yard drive with his third score.
On the next possession, Davon Banks returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown that sealed it.
Boise State took advantage of four turnovers by San Jose State (6-4, 3-3), two of them on consecutive drives in the second half.
After a miserable start, Boise State’s defense helped the Broncos rally from an early 14-0 hole. It stopped San Jose State on 4th-and-1 from the 2-yard line, and then the offense went on an 11-play, 92-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by Maddux Madsen on a quarterback keeper.
Jeanty’s 2-yard touchdown tied the game before halftime after Ty Benefield intercepted a pass in Boise State territory.
Madsen was 22-of-30 passing for 286 yards and a touchdown.
San Jose State jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a pair of third-down TD passes by Walker Eget, who found Justin Lockhart on the team’s first drive and Jacob Stewart on the second.
Eget was 34-of-50 passing for 446 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Nash had nine catches for 126 yards and a touchdown, and Lockhart had 10 catches for 172 yards — both career highs.
The game featured the nation’s top running back in Jeanty, a Heisman Trophy contender, and top receiver in Nash, on pace to win the receiving triple crown this season. Nash broke the single-season program record for receptions (89) and has had a touchdown in every game this season.
THE TAKEAWAY
Boise State: Jeanty started slow but then got rolling in the second half. He had just 57 yards rushing at halftime, but he’s eclipsed 125 in every game this season. He has 1,893 yards and 26 TDs on the ground this season, and he surpassed 4,000 yards rushing in his three-year career.
San Jose State: The Spartans, who dropped to 1-16 against Boise State and have lost 11 straight to ranked teams, hung tough with a potential playoff team but couldn’t deliver what could have been a big blow to go up 21-0 in the first half when they failed to convert on fourth down near the goal line.
Boise State athletics press release
November 16, 2024