Game storylines recap: Boise State stays alive for Mountain West title game with hard-fought win over Utah State

Broncos edge Aggies, 25-24

Boise State's Jayden Virgin-Morgan | Boise State Athletics

Boise State remained in the hunt for a third straight Mountain West championship game appearance on Friday with a 25-24 road win over Utah State.

The Broncos (8-4, 6-2) are tied with New Mexico (9-3, 6-2) and San Diego State (9-3, 6-2) atop the standings. UNLV (9-2, 5-2) can also enter the picture with a victory over Nevada (3-8, 2-5) on Saturday.

Computer rankings will determine which two teams advance to next week’s MWC title game.

Boise State is looking to three-peat in its final MWC season. 

Read our game storylines recap with in-game analysis from start to finish.

Defending Bryson Barnes 

Utah State senior quarterback Bryson Barnes, a frontrunner to win MWC Offensive Player of the Year, is equally dangerous with his legs and his arm. 

Barnes entered Friday’s game with 2,502 passing yards and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions and eight rushing TDs. 

Barnes ripped off a 27-yard run on the first play from scrimmage against Boise State and finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. He lost a fumble on the Aggies’ next possession, and Boise State pulled within 7-3 on a 27-yard Colton Boomer field goal. 

The Broncos have done a good job against Barnes so far, limiting him to 6 of 13 passing for 56 yards with 31 yards rushing through Utah State’s first six drives. 

Barnes finished the opening half 9 of 18 passing for 97 yards with five carries for 35 yards and a touchdown. The Aggies led 21-13 at the break. 

Barnes makes an unbelievable play midway through the third quarter, taking a monster hit but still delivering a perfect ball for a 22-yard gain. Barnes is one heck of a player. The drive resulted in a Tanner Rinker 37-yard field goal to put Utah State up two scores at 24-13. 

The Aggies, leading 24-19 with 10 minutes and change remaining, need Barnes to take over and put together another scoring drive. Utah State got one first down and punted it back, but Sire Gaines fumbled the ball just outside the red zone. What a break for Barnes and Utah State. 

With Utah State trailing 25-24 with 2:26 remaining, Barnes gets a chance to be the hero. Instead, the Aggies go backwards and are forced to punt it back. Barnes has been mostly held in check by the Broncos all game. 

Barnes finished 13 of 31 passing for 184 yards with no touchdowns and one lost fumble. He had 18 carries for 89 yards and a score. 

Penalty issues

Boise State, one of the most penalized teams in the MWC, had two massive penalties on Utah State’s opening drive. 

Jeremiah Earby was twice called for pass interference, including a questionable call that wiped away an 80-yard pick-six on a curl route. The Aggies went on to take a 7-0 lead. 

The Broncos had two false start penalties in the opening quarter as Utah State led 14-10 heading to the second. 

Following a Colton Boomer missed field goal, Jaden Mickey was called for roughing the passer to give Utah State a fresh set of downs. Max Stege was then called for targeting on Barnes to negate another interception. 

The Aggies went on to score a touchdown to seize a 21-10 lead late in the first half. 

Boise State had six penalties for 55 yards in the opening half. The Aggies had five penalties for 50 yards. 

Twenty minutes into the second half, the Broncos have not been called for a penalty. 

Boise State finished the game with seven penalties for 65 yards. 

Max Cutforth’s third start

With regular starting quarterback Maddux Madsen still sidelined with an unspecified lower leg injury, Max Cutforth made his third career start against the Aggies. 

Cutforth, a redshirt sophomore, completed 1 of 5 passes on Boise State’s opening drive, including a big drop by Chris Marshall. He started 1 of 7 for 14 yards. 

On Boise State’s third drive, Cutforth connected with tight end Matt Wagner for a 26-yard catch-and-run on third-and-short. Wagner then caught an 11-yard screen pass touchdown to give the Broncos a 10-7 first-quarter lead. 

Cutforth delivered a perfect ball to Chase Penry on third-and-long to move the sticks near the end of the opening quarter. After one period, Cutforth was 7 of 15 passing for 84 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers. 

Cutforth then hit Latrell Caples for a 23-yard gain to set up a first-and-10 just outside the red zone. He was nearly intercepted on his next throw, and Boise State went on to turn it over on downs on another Marshall drop. The slant pass was a bit behind him, but Marshall should’ve made the play. 

In the opening half, Cutforth completed 16 of 31 passes for 171 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. 

Boise State’s first drive of the second half stalled near midfield, but Malik Sherrod caught a 24-yard pass on the next drive to move the chains. It was another nice throw from Cutforth. A few plays later, Cutforth took a third-down sack to end the drive. 

Midway through the third quarter, Cutforth was 19 of 38 passing for 206 yards while Boise State only had 102 yards rushing on 29 carries. 

Cutforth then dialed up a deep ball to Quinton Brown for a 66-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 24-19. 

Cutforth led the go-ahead scoring drive late in the fourth quarter as the Broncos went 41 yards on seven plays following a big fourth-down stop. Dylan Riley finished off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run. Cutforth was sacked on the two-point conversion, leaving the Broncos up 25-24. 

Cutforth ended with 341 yards passing and two touchdowns with no turnovers. 

Rushing defense woes

The Broncos have struggled to stop the run all season, and Utah State has already found plenty of success on the ground.

The Aggies opened the game with eight carries for 103 yards, including a Javen Jacobs 56-yard touchdown run late in the opening quarter that put Utah State back in front at 14-10. 

Boise State’s run defense performed better in the second quarter. The Aggies ended the first half with 13 carries for 119 yards and three touchdowns. 

The Broncos have given up lots of yards on the ground, but the run defense stuffed Barnes on a fourth-and-short near midfield with five minutes and change remaining. 

The Aggies finished with 34 caries for 221 yards. 

Scoreboard watch 

Boise State’s simplest path to the MWC championship game includes a San Diego State victory over New Mexico. 

The Lobos received the opening kickoff in Friday’s game and marched 55 yards on 12 plays, seizing a 3-0 lead on a Luke Drzewiecki 37-yard field goal. New Mexico held the same 3-0 lead after one quarter of play. 

Early in the second quarter, James Laubstein housed a 40-yard run on fourth-and-short for a 10-0 Lobos advantage. 

San Diego State pulled within 10-7 midway through the second quarter on a Lucky Sutton one-yard run. The Aztecs then grabbed the lead on a 46-yard Donovan Brown touchdown reception with 59 seconds remaining in the half. 

The Aztecs entered halftime leading 14-10. 

D.J. McKinney put the Lobos back in front at 17-14 midway through the third quarter with a 54-yard touchdown on fourth-and-short. The San Diego State/New Mexico game has featured a lot more excitement than the game in Logan. 

After three quarters of play in Albuquerque, the Aztecs and Lobos were tied at 17. 

Overtime in Albuquerque! Aztecs and Lobos scored 17 points apiece in the first 60 minutes of play. 

Final: New Mexico 23, San Diego State 17. Lobos get it done in double overtime. What a game, and what a terrible result for the Broncos, who now have to rely on computer rankings for any shot at the MWC title game.