BOISE, Idaho — Boise State dropped its first game since Sept. 23 at UTEP Saturday, falling 31-28 to BYU at Albertsons Stadium in the final matchup of the Broncos-Cougars rivalry as we know it.
A second-half explosion of points favored quarterback Jaren Hall and the Cougars, who totaled 532 yards against Boise State's red-hot defense.
Entering Saturday, Boise State's defense ranked No. 2 in the FBS in total defense, allowing just over 230 yards per game. At halftime, the Cougars had already surpassed that mark, totaling 236 yards through 30 minutes.
While the Broncos struggled offensively early – with just 79 total and 14 rushing yards at the break – the two squads entered the locker room in a 7-7 tie.
The reason? Boise State's 'bend but don't break' defensive effort.
BYU possessed the pigskin for more than 22 minutes in the first half, but a forced turnover and impressive defensive stand kept the Broncos' within striking distance.
The first momentum swing came on standout safety JL Skinner's second interception of the season. Skinner capitalized on a poorly thrown ball by Jaren Hall, forced by a Deven Wright pressure, to give Boise State the ball back as BYU neared the red zone.
Just before halftime, Boise State's defense was thrown into action again. Following a fumble by quarterback Taylen Green, BYU reached the doorstep looking to break a 7-7 tie.
The Broncos sunk their heels in and were able to come up with a massive defense stand, keeping the Cougars out of the end zone from the 1-yard line as the clock hit zeros in the first half.
The stop seemed to carry momentum into the second half for the Broncos, who put together arguably their best offensive drive of the game to start the third quarter.
On first-and-goal from the eight-yard line, Green showed off his fast-developing arm, delivering a dime to Eric McAllister in the back corner of the end zone to put Boise State up 14-7.
McAllister continues to step up for the blue and orange when given opportunities. The Texas native was able to get a foot down while turning his body on the back-shoulder throw from Green.
Green also showed off his confidence in the pocket with his first touchdown toss 15 minutes into the game. The redshirt freshman gunslinger found Latrell Caples along the sideline for a 16-yard score, hitting a wide-open Caples in stride.
The 10-play, 71-yard drive over more than four minutes nearly matched the Broncos' first-half production. It also gave Boise State's tough defense an extra minute of rest.
BYU responded with a 25-yard field goal to make it 14-10, followed by a 24-yard touchdown from Hall to Puka Nacua to take the 17-14 lead on the Cougars' next possession.
During Boise State's winning streak of four games, Bronco Nation watched the "three-headed monster" of Green, George Holani and Ashton Jeanty run all over opponents.
Prior to its fourth-quarter scoring drive, the Broncos had just 54 rushing yards on the night. In need of a monstrous, lengthy drive to keep Hall and Co. off the field trailing 17-14, Boise State found its footing on the ground.
From its own 22-yard line, the Broncos marched 78 yards in 12 plays, eating up nearly six minutes off the clock. Holani touched the ball five times on the drive and eventually walked in for a touchdown from a yard out.
During his weekly press conference, Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson applauded the Cougars' offense for their performance against a rigorous schedule.
"They've put up points and they've moved the ball on everybody they've played," Danielson said.
Each time the momentum seemed to be sliding in favor of Boise State, BYU seemed to answer back with its own scoring drive. While the Broncos rank in the top 15 in nearly every statistic, Boise State slipped up and allowed BYU's Hinckley Ropati to rumble 48 yards to retake the lead.
After Boise State's defense kept the Broncos in a neck-and-neck game in the first half, the last 15 minutes of Saturday's game showed the offense was going to need to win a shootout on The Blue.
Following Ropati's score, Green moved the chains on three-straight plays, hitting Cobbs for 17 yards, McAllister for 24 yards and rushing for 13 ticks on his own on three consecutive plays.
From the 11-yard line, Holani rolled through a massive hole from his offensive line to put Boise State back on top 28-24 with 6:28 left in the game.
The quick score marked the 35th straight successful red zone trip for Boise State and an impressive 11-straight touchdowns when within the 20-yard line.
Once again, BYU answered the score with a 75-yard drive of its own. On fourth-and-six with less than two minutes left, Hall once again found Nacua for a touchdown to take the 31-28 lead.
Nacua was able to get a foot down after bobbling the ball, with his foot barely hitting the turf before his body did out of bounds.
Trailing by three, Boise State got the ball back on its own 25-yard line, in need of at least a field goal. A holding penalty sent the Broncos back to third-and-20, which proved to be too much late.
Saturday's loss marks Boise State first defeat since Sept. 23 at UTEP.
Boise State visits the Nevada Wolfpack next Saturday, Nov. 12.
Photos: Boise State vs. BYU
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