Scott Slant: Running out of adjectives for Ashton

BOISE, Idaho — Monday Special…September 30, 2024.

I have attended more than 300 games at Albertsons Stadium, dating back to the very first one played there in 1970. The atmosphere during Boise State’s 45-24 win over Washington State Saturday night tops them all. A school-record 37,711 fans, motivated to be wire-to-wire loud, combined with the new gameday upgrades, made it so. In an era when the TV presentation is unprecedented—replays and more replays—the Broncos brass has made being there in person the better experience. And, of course, the attraction of watching perhaps the best player in Boise State history helps. You can throw the 21st-ranked team in the AP Poll in there as well.

WE HAVE NO WORDS

What can you say about Ashton Jeanty? According to the calculations of KTVB’s Jay Tust, Jeanty forced 17 missed Washington State tackles Saturday night. Six of them were on his first touchdown, the 64-yard scamper that brought the house down. It’s strange to say, but the Cougars did okay against Jeanty for a while. After the first TD, he gained just 11 yards on his next seven carries. But the 14-yard run that gave Boise State the lead for good late in the second quarter rejuvenated him. Jeanty rushed for 150 yards in the second half, including the 59-yard tackle-busting TD that left jaws agape (mine, anyway). He ended the night a whisker under 10 yards per carry. Jeanty leads the nation in rushing at 211 yards per game, in rushing touchdowns with 13, and in yards per carry at 10.3.

THE SACK PARADE

How do you contain Washington State quarterback John Mateer? You sack him seven times. How do you do that? You get great focus and effort out of your defense. That’s what Boise State defensive coordinator Eric Chinander got out of his unit in the win Saturday night. It helped that Chinander schemed ‘em up, especially in the second half. The most consequential sequence came early in the fourth quarter after Jeanty’s 59-yard touchdown run. It was still a game at 31-17, but on back-to-back plays, Braxton Fely sacked Mateer for a 15-yard loss, and Jayden Virgin-Morgan got him for another 10 yards, narrowly missing a safety. The Broncos now have 19 sacks in four games—and even among the teams that have played five games, that’s No. 1 in the nation.

A LAUDABLE TWO WEEKS FOR LAUTER

You heard that Matt Lauter’s seven catches against Portland State were the most by a Boise State tight end since Derek Schouman in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Well, Lauter remained a focal point against Wazzu. He had four receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns, and both had some juice. Lauter’s first TD gave the Broncos some separation when they were leading just 17-10, as he took a short throw from Maddux Madsen and wound his way into the end zone. The second score came on the call of the night from Dirk Koetter. On a fourth-and-one at the Washington State 34, everybody knew Ashton Jeanty was getting the ball—the Cougars in particular. The defense lunged collectively to its left, leaving Lauter wide open in the flat. He now has 11 catches for 187 yards and three TDs the past two games.

RECRUITING CATCH-UP

The Portland State game was a good night for Boise State to host a running back recruit. Brendon Haygood of Sachse, TX, surely noticed the Broncos giving Dylan Riley a shot in the second half—to the tune of six carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns—and a Mountain West Freshman of the Week honor. And Haygood promptly committed to Boise State. He also had offers from Kansas State, Washington State and San Diego State, according to BroncoCountry.com. Haygood also took note of Jeanty, of course. He’s already sporting a 98-yard TD run himself this season. Offensive lineman Stuart Taufa of national high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas was also there, and 6-3, 295-pounder committed last Tuesday. Taufa also had offers from Arkansas, Arizona State and Washington State.

RELATED: Boise State jumps 4 spots in Associated Press Top 25 Poll

MEANWHILE, BACK ON THE REALIGNMENT RANCH

With UNLV and Air Force reeled back in with buckets of cash, the six remaining full Mountain West members all signed binding letters of commitment last Thursday. Only Hawaii, a football-only member, did not sign. Are the Rainbow Warriors the only choice left for the PAC-12? Do the two leagues go to battle over Hawaii? Both conferences have seven members, and even if the PAC-12 struck gold and lured Gonzaga, that wouldn’t count. They need one more football-playing program. The only other school that seems to have any kind of appeal is Texas State. Again, do the PAC-12 and Mountain West go to war over…Texas State? Wake me up on July 1, 2026. Let’s see what it looks like. I mean, maybe the two leagues kiss and make up at some point, and it goes back to the ol’ reverse merger.

NO SLUKA, NO MATTER

This thing with UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka is mind-blowing. He didn’t get the cash, so he’s leaving the Rebels in the lurch just when they had entered the Group of 5 CFP conversation. Sluka did it after Game 4 so he can use this as his redshirt year. Sluka and his agent claim he’s owed $100,000. But did he really leave UNLV hangin’? His teammates seem to be relieved he’s gone, and his replacement at QB, Hajj-Malik Williams, played a lot better Saturday than Sluka ever did in the Rebels’ 59-14 annihilation of Fresno State. Boise State’s fourth game has just passed. And I’m just gonna say I don’t think something like this will happen with the Broncos, considering the way the program is built. Culture, you know.

THINGS HAVE WORKED OUT FOR PLOUGH

It was just two years ago that Tim Plough was unceremoniously fired as offensive coordinator at Boise State. Plough landed back at his alma mater, UC Davis, and is now the head coach there. Saturday night his Aggies upset Idaho, fifth-ranked in the FCS, 28-26. The Vandals outgained Plough’s offense 459 yards to 312, but his defense and special teams forced three turnovers. The Vandals defense held Big Sky Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and former Vallivue Falcon Lan Larison to just 46 yards on 19 carries. The question for the Vandals now is at quarterback (again), as Jack Wagner was injured in the third quarter and was replaced by redshirt freshman Nick Josifek. Wagner had replaced Jack Layne in the opener at Oregon.

RELATED: No. 25 Boise State beats Washington State 45-24 behind Ashton Jeanty's 259 yards, 4 TDs

C OF I STEALS ONE

College of Idaho stole victory from the jaws of defeat Saturday as they snapped a two-game losing steak with a 45-37 win over Montana Tech in overtime. The Orediggers lined up for a potential game-winning extra point with 47 seconds left, and the Coyotes blocked it to leave the game tied 37-37. The Yotes scored in overtime, and—having missed two field goals and four extra points on the day—went for two and got it. C of I then stopped Montana Tech on its possession to win 45-37. Yotes quarterback Andy Peters set a school record with 419 yards passing, plus a career record with his 50th touchdown pass.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS…September 30, 1999, 25 years ago today:

After 40 seasons, the San Francisco Giants play their final game at Candlestick Park. Appropriately, it was against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Inappropriately, the Dodgers won, 9-4. The aura was very different from the one across the bay at the Oakland Coliseum last Thursday. The Giants did indeed get their waterfront stadium done—what is now Oracle Park opened the following April. Built on a point on San Francisco Bay that is a wind-tunnel from the Pacific Ocean, The Stick was inhospitable, even on most summer days. The weather is best there in the early fall, and it would remain home to the 49ers through the 2013 season.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)