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Game recap, analysis: Boise State pulls away from New Mexico, 41-25

Broncos hold Lobos to 231 total yards 
Bob Lundeberg|
Boise State
Boise State | Boise State Athletics

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Boise State BroncosNew Mexico Lobos

Boise State’s defense led the way on Saturday in a 41-25 Mountain West victory over New Mexico. 

The Broncos (4-2, 2-0) held the Lobos (3-3, 0-2) to 231 total yards and forced three turnovers. 

Boise State put the game away with three straight fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Read our game recap, with in-game analysis and big play highlights from start to finish.

FINAL STATS

Maddux Madsen finished 21 of 31 passing for 226 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. 

Dylan Riley paced the rushing attack with 18 carries for 101 yards while Sire Gaines had 20 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns. 

The Broncos ran 86 offensive plays to New Mexico’s 54.

Fourth quarter recap 

FINAL SCORE: Boise State 41, New Mexico 25. 

Touchdown Lobos: Keagan Johnson catches a four-yard touchdown from James Laubstein in mop-up duty. Two-point conversion good. Boise State 41, New Mexico 25, 1:16 remaining. 

Touchdown Broncos: Madsen puts the exclamation point on this one with a fourth-down touchdown throw to Ford. It was a perfect pass for a 25-yard TD. Boise State 41, New Mexico 17, 5:14 left in the game. 

BSU interception: Ty Benefield picks off a desperation throw from Layne, the Broncos’ third takeaway of the night. UNM has just 146 yards of total offense as the Broncos are on the verge of improving to 2-0 in MWC play. 

Touchdown Broncos: Well that’s not something you see every day. BSU botches the hold on a 27-yard field goal attempt, but holder Oscar Doyle keeps his cool and flips it to an open Troy Grizzle for a 10-yard touchdown. What a break for the Broncos, who now lead 34-17 with 7:31 to go in the game. 

Fourth-down stop: Facing a fourth-and-four near midfield, UNM keeps the offense on the field and fails to convert when Layne airmails Thomas. The BSU defense has played fantastic in this one. 

Touchdown Broncos: BSU regains control of this one with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ends on a four-yard Sire Gaines touchdown run. It feels like the Broncos are finally wearing down UNM. Boise State 27, New Mexico 17, 14:22 left in the game. 

Third quarter recap

End of quarter: Boise State 20, New Mexico 17. Broncos will begin the fourth quarter with a fresh set of downs at the UNM 8. 

BSU on the move: Broncos open a huge drive with a 28-yard Dylan Riley carry and a 17-yard completion to Ben Ford. 

UNM field goal: As the rain picks up, the BSU defense holds and forces a field goal attempt. Luke Drzewiecki converts from 29 yards out. Boise State 20, New Mexico 17, 4:20 remaining in the third. 

Lobos driving: Keagan Johnson hauls in a 21-yard gain on third down to set UNM up with a first-and-10 at the BSU 13. Layne has delivered two nice throws on this drive. 

BSU field goal: Back-to-back false starts kill a promising drive, but Boomer drills a 50-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 20-14 lead. That was a nice draw on the long Boomer field goal. 

Underway: Boise State, leading 17-14, begins the second half at its own 25. 

Halftime recap

UNM defense shines: Lobos have 10 tackles for loss and four sacks so far. They have been active and physical up front.  

BSU stats: Broncos have out-gained New Mexico 187-62 and are plus-two in turnovers but only lead by three points. Madsen is 15 of 22 passing for 134 yards with a touchdown. BSU has just 53 yards rushing on 30 carries.  

Second quarter recap

End of half: Boise State 17, New Mexico 14. Broncos will get the ball to start the third quarter.

Broncos OL struggles: Madsen is sacked on back-to-back plays. UNM has four sacks tonight (10 total tackles for loss) and has been whipping the Broncos’ OL for most of this game. Very odd to see. 

Fourth-down conversion: Madsen finds Ford for a seven-yard gain on fourth-and-three near midfield. Broncos are 4 of 5 on fourth down tonight. 

Lobos punt: UNM gets hit with multiple penalties and punts it back to BSU. Malik Sherrod has a nice 24-yard punt return that is wiped away by a hold. Broncos take over at their own 30 with 2:06 to go in the half. 

Touchdown Broncos: On third-and-goal from the 6, Madsen finds Ben Ford in the right flat for his fourth touchdown of the season. That was a solid drive for the Broncos, who retake the lead at 17-14 with 3:20 left in the half. 

Touchdown Lobos: Dorian Thomas takes a pop pass from Layne and punches it in for a one-yard touchdown, silencing Albertsons Stadium. New Mexico 14, Boise State 10, 10:30 remaining in the half. All 14 Lobos points have come off BSU mistakes. 

Huge penalty: The BSU defense appeared to get another three-and-out, but Virgin-Morgan is called for an unsportsmanlike penalty to extend the drive. Another self-inflicted wound by the Broncos. 

UNM injury: Damon Bankston, the Lobos’ lead running back who just had the kickoff return touchdown, is down on the field after a first-down carry. It appears he has an upper-body injury. 

BSU punt: Following the special teams TD, Boise State immediately goes three-and-out. New Mexico is suddenly in this game with the ball at its own 42, trailing 10-7. 

Touchdown Lobos: Damon Bankston takes the kickoff about five yards deep in the end zone and houses it up the left side. Wow. Boise State’s coverage unit was really, really poor on that play. Boise State 10, New Mexico 7. 

First quarter recap

Touchdown Broncos: On the final play of the quarter, Sire Gaines punches it in from two yards out. Boise State 10, New Mexico 0. It was a dominant 15 minutes of football for the Broncos. 

Big play Broncos: Madsen connects with Chris Marshall for a 23-yard gain to the New Mexico 30. Madsen put that one on the money. 

Lobos punt: The BSU defense forces a three-and-out with strong coverage in the secondary. Really good start for the defense. Broncos will have it at their own 26 when play resumes. 

Turnover on downs: Boise State opts to go for it on fourth-and-five from the 27, and Maddux Madsen is sacked. I’m a little surprised the Broncos didn’t send Boomer out there for a field goal. Lobos take over at their own 32, trailing 3-0. 

BSU interception: A’Marion McCoy picks off Layne at the Boise State 37. Not a great throw from Layne on that third-down play. The BSU defense has two quick takeaways in this one. 

BSU field goal: New Mexico’s defense keeps Boise State out of the end zone, but Boomer converts a 24-yard field goal to give the Broncos an early 3-0 lead. 

First-play fumble: New Mexico gets a delay of game penalty before running a play, and Jayden Virgin-Morgan gets a strip sack of Jack Layne on the first play. Marco Notarainni falls on the ball at the New Mexico 18. What a start for the Broncos. 

Underway: Colton Boomer’s kickoff goes into the end zone. New Mexico begins at its own 25. 

Coin toss: Boise State wins the toss and defers to the second half. New Mexico will get the ball first tonight. 

Pregame recap

Kickoff time: Late start here as the Iowa/Wisconsin blowout is still on FS1. Not sure why FOX isn’t making the switch, but Boise State and New Mexico should start soon on FS2.  

Betting odds: Boise State was a 16.5-point favorite for most of the week, but late money has come in on New Mexico to drive the line down to 14.5 points. I can’t fault bettors for backing the Lobos and head coach Jason Eck in this spot. 

Injury update: Five Broncos will miss tonight’s game: defensive backs Davon Banks and Jaylen Webb, linebackers Chase Martin and Syncere Brackett-Lambey and offensive lineman Hall Schmidt. Banks and Schmidt are key reserves for Boise State.

Odds are courtesy of FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Bob Lundeberg
BOB LUNDEBERG

Bob Lundeberg is a reporter for Boise State Broncos On SI. An Oregon State graduate, Bob has lived in Idaho since 2019 and is an avid hiker and golfer.

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