BOISE — San Diego State running back Jordan Byrd scored on a 72-yard touchdown run and the Aztecs' defense shut down Boise State's high-scoring offense to upset the Broncos 19-13 on Saturday afternoon.
The Aztecs (4-1, 1-0 Mountain West), who have won two of their past three games in Boise, needed only 267 yards of offense to pull off the victory without their starting quarterback Christian Chapman or leading rusher Juwan Washington.
Boise State (3-2, 1-1) struggled to generate any offense early, finishing the first quarter with more points (7) than yards (2). The Broncos scored on a 1-yard run by Alexander Mattison after Riley Whimpey recovered a muffed punt at the San Diego State 4.
Entering the game without having thrown an interception this season, Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien threw two in the first half.
However, it was an interception thrown by Broncos' backup quarterback Chase Cord that ended up giving San Diego State control of the game.
PHOTOS: Boise State vs. San Diego State 10/6/2018
Aztecs linebacker Ronley Lakalaka made a one-handed grab off a deflected pass from Cord and returned the ball to the Boise State 17, setting up San Diego State's lone first-half touchdown to take a 13-7 lead.
While the Broncos moved the ball better in the second half, they never could find a rhythm on offense until the outcome was all but decided.
Then San Diego State defense made the lead stand up, limiting the Broncos to a total of 229 yards.
THE TAKEAWAY
San Diego State: The Aztecs might find their way into the rankings this week and have suddenly emerged as a threat to reach a New Year's Six bowl game. Having survived a challenging stretch to open the season, San Diego State should stay in contention during the softer portion of its schedule before getting healthy again.
Chapman and Washington are expected to return from injuries suffered earlier this year in time for the tougher conference games to wrap up the season.
GAME TRACKER: Boise State vs. San Diego State
Boise State: The Broncos' dreams of crashing the New Year's Six bowl party as the representative of the Group of 5 evaporated with its second loss this season. Boise State will have to regroup but can still reach the Mountain West championship game if it can avoid any more missteps.
UP NEXT
San Diego State: The Aztecs will have a quick turnaround, returning home on Friday to host Air Force in another conference matchup.
Boise State: The Broncos will travel to Nevada for a pivotal Mountain West divisional clash.