SAN DIEGO — Sophomore standout Ashton Jeanty rushed for a career-high 205 yards and two touchdowns to lead Boise State past San Diego State 34-31 on Friday night in its Mountain West Conference opening game.
Jeanty also recovered the onside kick after San Diego State scored in the final minute.
Taylen Green threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Broncos (2-2) won their 24th-straight conference opener, 13th in the Mountain West. Boise State is now 10-1 in games Green starts and completes at least 50% of passes after the Texas native went 12-of-22 for 162 yards through the air.
Jalen Mayden threw for 241 yards and a touchdown and ran for 85 yards and a score for the Aztecs (2-3), who have lost three-straight, the previous two against now-ranked Pac-12 teams.
Jeanty's second touchdown came with two minutes left but the Aztecs responded quickly with Mayden scoring on a 10-yard run with 42 seconds to go. That's when Jeanty got his final touch on the kickoff.
Photos: Boise State vs. San Diego State
The 210-pound back finished his freshman year with a 178-yard game against North Texas in last season's Frisco Bowl. Jeanty is up to 407 rushing yards and 285 receiving yards on the season, with eight total touchdowns.
San Diego State opened the game with Christon Kenan's 71-yard kickoff return, but four snaps later Mayden, was stopped at the one and fumbled into the end zone with Andrew Simpson recovering for Boise State.
The Aztecs defense held and got a 36-yard punt return by Dez Malone to set up Mayden's 34-yard touchdown pass to rookie Baylin Brooks. After the two teams combined for just one first down across the next four drives, the Broncos got on the board and tied the game early in the second quarter via a 25-yard touchdown grab from Eric McAlister.
Prior to last week's win over North Dakota, Jeanty had tallied 206 of Boise State's 475 receiving yards (43%). Against the Fighting Hawks, McAlister exploded onto the scene with a 143-yard, two-touchdown day. The third-year sophomore once again led the wide receivers with 90 yards Friday night.
San Diego State regained the lead on a 22-yard field goal from Jack Browning, before Jeanty turned three touches into 77 yards, including a 58-yard scamper to make it 14-10 in favor of the blue and orange. Boise State head coach Andy Avalos after the game told the media, "we said at halftime, you know, we're gonna keep feeding the horse."
The Aztecs' seven-play, 75-yard drive was followed up by a Jonah Dalmas field goal in the closing seconds to tie the game at 17 at halftime. The former Rocky Mountain standout made both his attempts in the win, giving the Broncos a 20-17 lead prior to Green's 10-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes left in the third frame.
Boise State went into the fourth quarter up 27-17, but Mayden responded with a 92-yard possession and his own 10-yard rushing score. The Mississippi State transfer and senior quarterback is averaging five yards per carry in 2023, leading the Aztecs with 278 total rushing yards.
After San Diego State's 37-yard punt gave Boise State the ball at the 50 with seven minutes to play, the Broncos leaned on Jeanty late to wind the clock down to 2:06. While Mayden and Co.'s response created nerves, the onside kick recovery sealed the deal.
For the second-straight week, linebacker Marco Notarainni led the team in tackles, tallying eight at Snapdragon Stadium. Boise State sixth-year senior Demitri Washington finished with seven tackles in what he called a "surreal" experience returning to the San Diego area, where he once participated in Aztec youth football camps.
The Broncos visit Memphis on Saturday, Sept. 30, to close out the tough non-conference slate. The game kicks off at 2 p.m. MT on ESPN2. San Diego State looks to get back in the win column as it heads to Colorado to face Air Force.
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