BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Ashton Jeanty ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns on 13 first-half carries, Maddux Madsen passed for 256 yards and three TDs and No. 21 Boise State beat Utah State 62-30 on Saturday night in the Mountain West opener for both teams.
Jeanty became only the eighth FBS running back since 1996 to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing five games into a season, a list that includes Ricky Williams and Leonard Fournette.
Boise State (4-1) won its eighth straight against the Aggies (1-4), racing to a 49-17 halftime lead and showing no signs of a letdown after beating Washington State last week. Jeanty sat out the second half in the blowout.
With the Broncos averaging 50.6 points, Boise State coach Spencer Danielson believes the team’s success hinges on how unselfish it is.
“There are no egos in our offense or on our team,” Danielson said. “It’s, ‘What does the team need?’ That’s what we’ve got, especially when it’s led by a guy like Ashton Jeanty. He was waiting for me on Tuesday before practice to find out if he could get on special teams.”
Danielson remained coy on whether Jeanty might see the field as a special teams player.
“We’re always evaluating,” he said with a wry grin.
Utah State lost its third game this season to a ranked opponent after falling to Southern California and Utah in consecutive weeks in September.
“We need to make sure we come out executing better, especially after a bye week,” Utah State coach Nate Dreiling said. “When you miss tackles against that offense, it’s going to be a seventy to eighty yard gain against what’s probably the best player in the country.”
Jeanty set the tone on Boise State’s first play from scrimmage, shredding three tacklers and racing 63 yards for a touchdown. He added a 75-yard scoring run, bowling through the line and bouncing outside before pulling away.
Utah State’s Jalen Royals had a career-high 211 yards receiving, including two TDs, one of which went for 75 yards. Spencer Petras, a transfer from Iowa, set a career high in passing yards with 372. He threw three touchdown passes.
“Our guys competed in the second half, but no one cares about the second half at that point,” Dreiling said. “The game was already out of hand.”
Boise State place kicker Jonah Dalmas made his 84th career field goal, setting both the Mountain West record for field goals made as well as the school scoring record.
THE TAKEAWAY
Boise State: The Broncos showed its offense isn’t a one-trick pony with a balanced attack against Utah State (303 passing, 296 rushing). However, Boise State’s defense has been porous at times and will need to tighten up against some of the more formidable teams left on the Broncos’ schedule if they want to crash the playoff party in December.
Utah State: The Aggies are almost done with their gauntlet of a schedule to start the season, with another tough opponent in UNLV next week. However, the tough start should serve them well as they get into the softer part of their schedule in mid-October.
UP NEXT
Boise State: At Hawaii on Saturday.
Utah State: Hosts UNLV on Friday night.
