Three takeaways from Boise State’s blowout win over UNLV

Boise State continued its dominance over UNLV with a decisive 56-31 Mountain West victory on Saturday at Albertsons Stadium.

It was the Broncos’ (5-2, 3-0) fourth win over the Rebels (6-1, 2-1) since December 2023, including the last two MWC championship games.

Here are three takeaways from Boise State’s 16th consecutive victory at Albertsons Stadium.

1. Offensive explosion

Head coach Spencer Danielson has wanted the efficient Boise State offense to be more explosive.

Facing one of the worst defenses in the MWC, the Broncos ripped off chunk play after chunk play on a chamber of commerce day in Boise.

Boise State had 14 plays of 19 or more yards — eight passes, six runs — en route to 558 yards of total offense. The Broncos averaged 8.9 yards per rush (33 carries, 294 yards) and 11 yards per pass against a porous UNLV defense.

Five of the explosive plays came in the third quarter as Boise State outscored the Rebels 21-0 to turn a four-point halftime advantage into a 49-24 lead. Maddux Madsen had touchdown passes to Sire Gaines (20 yards) and Chris Marshall (32 yards) in the third while A’Marion McCoy returned an interception 60 yards for a TD, his second pick-six of the season.

Dylan Riley paced the explosive attack with a career-high 201 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Riley had runs of 65, 49, 31 and 27 yards in the win.

Madsen missed some throws but hit plenty of open receivers, finishing 14 of 23 passing for 253 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

The Rebels had plenty of chunk plays of their own while piling up 476 total yards, but the Boise State defense forced seven punts and held UNLV scoreless in the second half until the final minutes.

2. First-quarter dominance

As a run-first team, getting off to strong starts is crucial for Boise State.

The Broncos have thrived in the opening quarter this season, outscoring opponents 79-16 through seven games.

Boise State held a 14-3 lead after 15 minutes against the Rebels, getting early touchdowns from Gaines and Cam Bates. Gaines powered in a two-yard run while Bates scored from 35 yards out on a creative misdirection reverse play that fooled the UNLV defense.

The Broncos have led after the first quarter in six games this season. Their one deficit was a narrow 6-0 hole at Notre Dame.

3. Self-inflicted wounds

Boise State’s 28-24 halftime advantage could’ve been much bigger with cleaner play in all phases.

With the Broncos leading 14-3 early in the second quarter, a poor Madsen throw was deflected and intercepted by Laterrance Welch. The Boise State defense got an immediate three-and-out, but Malik Sherrod muffed the punt, which was recovered by UNLV in the red zone.

Jai’Den Thomas punched in a one-yard touchdown to give the Rebels some life at 14-10.

The Broncos also missed numerous tackles, including two golden chances to stop DeAngelo Irvin Jr. for a small gain on a bubble screen late in the first half. Irvin Jr. turned the play into a 60-yard gain, and Anthony Colandrea later ran in an eight-yard touchdown to make it a four-point game at halftime.

Boise State’s defense and special teams played much cleaner after the break, but the unforced errors allowed UNLV to hang around for a half.