Jeanty Cements Legacy as Broncos Seal MWC Championship

© Brian Losness-Imagn Images

The No. 10 Boise State Broncos (12-1, 7-0 Mountain West) defeated the No. 20 UNLV Rebels (10-3, 6-1 MWC) 21-7 on Dec. 6 in Boise, Idaho, to win the Mountain West Conference championship. Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty rushed 32 times for 209 yards and a touchdown. He is now only 132 yards away from breaking the all-time rushing record held by Barry Sanders. Jeanty continued to make his case for winning the Heisman Trophy with his stellar effort. With Boise State now securely in the College Football Playoff, the real question is whether the Broncos get a first-round bye.

Game Summary

The Rebels started out with the ball and they immediately began to impose their will on the Broncos' defense. The first three plays got them to the Boise State 49. However, after a false start penalty and a sack, the UNLV offense sputtered out and was forced to punt. Boise State's first drive was similar to the Rebels as they got a couple of first downs before punting back to UNLV.

Boise State scored the game's first points on its second drive. The Broncos faced third-and-17, but Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen found receiver Latrell Caples for a 22-yard touchdown catch. The Rebels couldn't answer the TD on their following drive as they were forced to punt yet again.

UNLV almost got their first points of the game in the second quarter. But kicker Caden Chittenden doinked a 48-yard field goal attempt off the crossbar. That put the Broncos in great field position. Boise State finished off a 12-play, 70-yard drive on a Madsen TD run. That drive took 6:43 off the clock. The Broncos were now up 14-0 and Jeanty had barely been used.

Turning Point for Broncos

When did the game's momentum shift? Right at the end of the first half. Jeanty broke out a huge run for 75 yards, scoring his only TD of the night. A few plays later, Boise State's defense intercepted a pass from UNLV QB Hajj-Malik Williams, crushing the Rebels' morale even more going into halftime. The Broncos led 21-0 and got the ball coming out of the half.

© Brian Losness-Imagn Images

The Broncos' offense struggled to get anything going as the third quarter opened. Boise State didn't score at all in the third quarter, but its defense held UNLV scoreless. In the fourth quarter, Rebels running back Greg Burrell ran for a 31-yard TD on a fourth-and-1 with 9:06 left. UNLV forced a Boise State three-and-out and got the ball right back within 2 minutes. However, defensive back Jeremiah Earby kept UNLV off the board again when Williams threw a possible fourth-down pass completion away, clinching the Broncos' win.

What is Next

For the Broncos, this was the biggest game in the program's history. With Boise State's victory, it now wraps up one of the 12 College Football Playoff spots. The Broncos could possibly find themselves owning one of the top four spots that will have a bye. Those bye teams immediately head to the quarterfinal round. Boise State gets this due to being the best Group of 5 champion and getting ranked higher than one of the Power Four (the Big 12 Conference champion, which will be determined on Dec. 7).

For the Rebels, unfortunately, this also was the biggest game in their history. Had it won, UNLV would have given the College Football Playoff committee something to think about. The Rebels now join some 80 other teams waiting to hear their name called on Selection Sunday to see where they will go for their bowl game.