Bad beat: In 40-second span, 17-point underdog Utah State goes from near-upset to not covering spread vs. Boise State

Sam Cooper
·College football writer
Updated ·2 min read
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If you thought last week’s Stanford-Cal bad beat was brutal, wait until you see this one.

Boise State hosted Utah State on Friday and closed as a 17-point favorite at BetMGM. Deep into the fourth quarter, it looked like Utah State might pull off an outright upset.

Instead, one of the worst beats of the season would transpire if you backed the Aggies to stay within the 17 points.

Utah State trailed 21-0 late in the first half and 28-10 late in the third quarter, but battled back and had a chance to take the lead in the final minutes of regulation. Trailing 28-23, USU drove all the way to the Boise State 11-yard line. However, Boise State ended up getting a stop on fourth down to keep the lead at 28-23 with just 1:28 left in regulation.

At that point, Boise State was backed up deep in its own territory and trying to do what it could to run out the clock. The Broncos did more than that.

On the second play of the ensuing possession, Boise State quarterback Taylen Green reeled off a 91-yard touchdown run. That highlight-reel run increased Boise State’s lead to 35-23 with 1:09 remaining.

If you backed Utah State, the Aggies were still covering the spread — until disaster struck.

With Utah State’s offense back on the field, Cooper Legas threw incomplete passes on first and second down. On third down, Legas was sacked to set up a fourth-and-17 with 43 seconds remaining.

Legas went to the air yet again and was picked off by Boise State’s Seyi Oladipo. Oladipo proceeded to return that interception 48 yards for a back-breaking touchdown.

That pick-six, and the subsequent extra point, made Boise State’s lead 42-23 — a 19-point advantage.

If you were on the Boise State side, you were elated that the Broncos somehow covered the spread. If you backed the underdogs, you were crushed at the inexplicable turn of events.

Oh, and there were still 31 seconds to play. This time, Utah State was content to just run the ball twice to end the game. Brutal.

So to recap: Utah State was 11 yards away from taking the lead with under 90 seconds to play. Utah State then allowed a 91-yard touchdown run and a pick-six to lose by 19.

Unbelievable.

BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Cooper Legas #5 of the Utah State Aggies takes to the air to avoid the tackle of safety Seyi Oladipo #23 of the Boise State Broncos during second half action at Albertsons Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 42-23. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Cooper Legas #5 of the Utah State Aggies takes to the air to avoid the tackle of safety Seyi Oladipo #23 of the Boise State Broncos during second half action at Albertsons Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 42-23. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)