Jeanty and Boise State roll over Washington State

BOISE — In front of a record, raucous crowd at Albertsons Stadium, Boise State took a major step toward a huge season Saturday night. The big reason? The Broncos have Ashton Jeanty and Washington State doesn’t.

Jeanty, the superstar running back who makes would-be tacklers look inept, was his usual highlight-reel self for the offense, and the Broncos’ defense made big plays — including seven sacks and an end-zone interception — to frustrate what was a high-flying Washington State offense in a 45-24 victory in front of 37,711 fans.

With the win over a previously unbeaten team, No. 25 Boise State (3-1) put itself in good position to make a run at the expanded College Football Playoffs if it can win the Mountain West Conference.

The five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic berths in the 12-team tournament, meaning a Group of Five winner is guaranteed a spot.

By the time those games roll around, Jeanty likely will have completed a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound junior made the Cougars (4-1) look foolish much of the night, rushing for 259 yards and four touchdowns — with three of those scores coming on carries that saw him bounce off of and shed defenders as if they were high school players.

“I’m doing the work and everything is going right right now,” Jeanty said after the game.

Indeed. Jeanty, who was serenaded by “Heis-man” chants from the record crowd, now leads the nation with 845 yards rushing in just four games, and he has scored 13 touchdowns. That also leads the nation. He nearly broke Boise State’s single-game rushing record again — he set it in the season opener at Georgia Southern with 267 yards.

Meanwhile, the Broncos’ defense stepped up to frustrate an offense that came into the game averaging 46.3 points and 515 yards a game.

Washington State got stuffed three times on fourth-down attempts, was just 7-of-17 on third-down attempts and managed only 341 total yards until a meaningless 75-yard scoring drive to end the game.

Quarterback John Mateer completed 26-of-37 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns, but he was constantly under pressure and scrambling. The Cougars’ rushing attack, which entered the game averaging 224 yards, was held to 89.

Jeanty, not surprisingly, delivered the game’s first big play, darting 64 yards for a touchdown after bouncing off several would-be tacklers just three minutes into the first quarter. He scored the Broncos’ second touchdown in much the same fashion, just from closer to the end zone, shedding three Cougars on a 14-yard TD run that paved the way to a 17-10 halftime lead.

In the fourth quarter he broke three more tackles on a 59-yard scoring run that gave the Broncos a 31-17 lead, and he capped his night with a 2-yard TD to make it 38-17.

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson called Jeanty “absolutely relentless.”

Danielson’s team entered the game ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2020 season and likely will move into the top 20 in the new rankings Sunday.

Washington State (4-1) just missed out on a Top 25 ranking this week, receiving just two fewer points in voting than BSU.

Boise State was playing without some important starters, including wide receiver Latrell Caples, who missed a game for the first time this season, and two starting offensive linemen, but it didn’t matter.

The Broncos also entered the weekend with the best winning percentage (.843) in the nation since 1985 when ranked in the Top 25, and improved upon that. The highly anticipated matchup between two future Pac-12 foes — which has been dubbed the Snake River Rivalry — sold out almost two weeks before the game, and the announced attendance wound up breaking the record of 37,663 set in a game against Fresno State in 2022.

Next week Boise State opens Mountain West play with a home game against Utah State (1-3). Kickoff is 5 p.m. at Albertsons Stadium and the game is already a sellout.