BOISE, Idaho — The Boise State football team is officially bowl eligible for the 25th-consecutive season after a dominant 49-10 win over Colorado State at Albertsons Stadium.
Saturday's victory pushes the Broncos record against the Rams to a perfect 12-0 and keeps Boise State in control of the Mountain Division. From start to finish, Boise State controlled the Mountain West bout.
Boise State has now won four-straight contests. Here are KTVB's three instant takeaways from the 39-point win:
Taylen's talent takes over
While the redshirt freshman stole the Boise State show with his exciting playmaking on the ground early and often this fall, there were still questions about Taylen Green's young arm.
On Saturday, Green was nearly perfect in the pocket, stepping into throws down the field and avoiding the off-center toss from his back foot.
When the Broncos marched 51 yards in five plays to take a 7-0 lead, Green found Eric McAlister for 15 yards and Stefan Cobbs for 21 yards, without an incompletion. Green also delivered an absolute dime to McAlister to start the second quarter, finding the receiver's back shoulder on a 33-yard hookup.
The Texas native entered Saturday's contest with just two passing touchdowns and four interceptions. Green had completed 50-of-80 passes (62.5%) for 557 yards.
Against Colorado State, the 6-6, 220-pound quarterback was precise and more in control throwing on the run.
While the arm strength and potential of Green was a sure-thing from the start, his development took a major step Saturday after a few weeks of his legs being the most-dangerous aspect of his game for opposing defenses.
The growth was especially apparent on Green's throws down the field, a missing piece to Boise State's offense for a large portion of 2022. In the first half alone, Green found eight different targets, throwing for 221 yards and a touchdown without an interception.
Notable down-field completions in the first 30 minutes included the following yardage: 15, 21, 33, 24, 21, 15, 25 and 15. In the second half, Green hooked up with Davis Koetter for a 20-yard strike and put the Broncos up 49-10 with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Billy Bowens.
As impressive as Green was through the air, his best play on The Blue Saturday showed why Bronco Nation is ecstatic about the future. On the opening drive of the second half, Green made three Rams miss after a perfect read option pull and waltzed into the end zone from 10 yards out.
Green finished the game 24-of-30 with 305 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 13 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
Obichere rocks the Rams
With EDGE George Tarlas expected to miss the rest of the season with a hip injury, and defensive tackle Scott Matlock and nose tackle Jackson Cravens sidelined, Boise State needed an interior defender to step up in a big way Saturday.
From start to finish, no player stood out more in all-orange than Divine Obichere. Not only did Obichere lead the Broncos' defense with seven total tackles, but he also disrupted the Colorado State offensive line with pre-snap motion and physicality that moved the line of scrimmage.
On Colorado State's third possession of the night, Obichere burst through the line for a sack on quarterback Clay Millen. The three-yard loss on 3rd-and-10 forced the Rams to punt from their own 14-yard line, giving Boise State the ball back on Colorado State's 47. The Broncos went on to score to go up 14-0.
Tarlas led Boise State with six tackles for loss and ranked second in sacks with four. Obichere quickly stepped in to produce, tallying four-and-a-half tackles for loss and two sacks.
Colorado State finished the night with just 170 total yards, including three rushing yards on 20 attempts. Obichere played a massive role in the defense's dominant effort.
The Los Angeles product transferred to Boise State after registering 46 total tackles in back-to-back seasons at Long Beach City College (2018 and 2019).
Holani hits 100
After missing last week's win over Air Force, running back George Holani quickly picked up where he left off at Albertsons Stadium Saturday night.
While the Broncos emerged from Colorado Springs victorious, it was clear how much more productive Dirk Koetter's offense is with Holani running the rock. The California native put together arguably the best two-game stretch of his career before last week, rushing for 131 yards against San Diego State and 157 more against Fresno State.
Back home on The Blue once again, Holani hit the century mark for a third-straight game he has appeared in, finishing with 108 rushing yards on 21 carries.
Holani's presence was especially felt in the red zone, where Boise State was a perfect six-for-six with six touchdowns Saturday. Knocking on the doorstep in short-yardage situations, Koetter turned to Holani for points.
Holani's three touchdowns each came from a yard out. The veteran back added 18 receiving yards on four receptions.
Boise State is now a perfect 11-0 when Holani runs for 100 yards or more.
Photos: Boise State vs. Colorado State
Injury/game notes:
- After missing last week's contest against Air Force, running back George Holani returned to the Broncos' starting lineup. Ashton Jeanty also returned after missing the second half against the Falcons.
- Boise State defensive tackle Scott Matlock was ruled out prior to Saturday's game.
- Also prior to kickoff, fourth-year junior EDGE Isaiah Bagnah announced his "time as a Boise State Bronco has come to an end." Bagnah plans to enter the transfer portal Dec. 5.
- As reported earlier this week, EDGE George Tarlas is expected to miss the rest of the 2022-2023 season due to a hip injury.
- Other Broncos ruled out ahead of the Colorado State game: Ben Dooley, Jackson Cravens and Will Ferrin.
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