BOISE, Idaho — Editor's Note: Scroll down to find the live stream of the Broncos' post-game press conference following their win over Wyoming on Dec. 12.
After Boise State's 17-9 win over conference foe Wyoming on Saturday night, watch the live stream of head coach Bryan Harsin and a few of the players discussing the win in their post-game press conference.
The Broncos are now 5-1 to end the regular season in what has been a very irregular year.
Even before Boise State took on Wyoming, they were set to play the 6-0 San Jose State Spartans in the conference title game on Saturday, Dec. 19.
Boise State will have to wait until sometime Sunday to find out if the Broncos will host the Mountain West Conference Championship. Since both the Broncos and Spartans are undefeated in conference play, the host of the conference championship will be determined by who has the higher average computer ranking, which will be released Sunday morning.
This will be the Broncos' fourth-consecutive trip to the conference championship game.
When the Broncos battled the Cowboys in Laramie, Wyo. on Saturday, they also had to battle the elements. Throughout the game, snow and wind punished the players, which limited both teams' passing offense.
The Broncos' defense held the Cowboys to three points at halftime, even after sophomore quarterback Hank Bachmeier threw an interception in the Broncos' own territory on the first offensive drive of the game. The defense also held the Cowboys' offense to three points after Wyoming went deep into Broncos' territory halfway through the third quarter.
The Broncos also held Wyoming's offense to a field goal in the fourth quarter to bring the game to 17-9, which would be the final points of the game.
Wyoming was held to 146 yards of offense, the fourth-fewest Boise State has allowed in a true road game in the last 20 years.
Hank Bachmeier finished the game 19 of 28 for 181 yards, a touchdown pass and an interception. While he opened the game with an interception, coach Harsin said he responded well to the challenges posed by Wyoming's defense and the cold, snowy weather.
"So Hank did a good job and he played hard. He took some shots. And that's what I love about Hank, he shows tremendous toughness and he's able to overcome things," Harsin said. "At that position, you could get upset, down very easily because there's a lot that is on your shoulders, and certainly the first throw out there you throw a pick that you got to get back in there we need you, and he was the guy tonight, he was able to do that and lead his team and found a way to win so that's what it comes down to and that's what it takes."
Star wide receiver Khalil Shakir nabbed nearly half of Bachmeier's completed passes, going for 105 yards on eight receptions. He also ran for 38 yards on five attempts.
During the Broncos' post-game press conference, Shakir confirmed that he will be returning to the Broncos in 2021, which was news to coach Harsin after the game since he hasn't discussed any post-season plans with any of the players, but hoped Shakir would return.
"I prayed about it often," Harsin joked.
Shakir added that he loved being the offense's special weapon with his involvement in the run and pass game.
"I mean I just go out there every week and, you know, just try and do what I can to, to make my brothers happy, you know, I think the most important thing to me is at the end of the game I want to see them smiling because we got a win," he said.
With weapons like Shakir on offense, senior linebacker Riley Whimpey said the offense's effectiveness, especially in the red zone, gives the defense energy to feed off of.
"I mean as a defense we have complete confidence in our offense. And no matter the situation that they're in, we know that we have guys that can go out there and change the game," he said.
Junior running back Andrew Van Buren ran for 79 yards and a touchdown on 25 rushing attempts. Sophomore running back George Holani has been sidelined all season after getting injured in the Broncos' second game of the season and was injured again against Wyoming in the first quarter.
The Broncos' win over the Cowboys is coach Harsin's 19-straight regular-season conference win and the second season going undefeated in conference play.
Saturday's game was the Broncos' first game in three weeks after their last two games against San Jose State and UNLV were canceled due to COVID-19 inside Boise State's football program.
The Broncos will now play San Jose State next on Saturday, Dec. 19