‘We know he really cares’: Boise State, interim coach stay in conference title hunt

When Spencer Danielson held his first team meeting as Boise State’s interim head coach, he asked the players to give him two weeks.

Former Boise State coach Andy Avalos was fired with two games left in the regular season. The Broncos had a 5-5 record and two losses against Mountain West teams. Their chances of earning a trip to the conference championship game were dependent on other teams losing, but Danielson knew their only shot included winning the two games in front of them.

As it turns out, Boise State’s players did more than give their interim coach two weeks. They did their part to earn another week of practice and a spot in the conference title game.

Boise State wrapped up the regular season with a 27-19 win over visiting Air Force on Friday, knocking the falling Falcons out of the race and quite possibly earning the Broncos another shot at a championship.

“(These players) had every reason to put their heads down and not go to work, and they haven’t flinched,” Danielson said. “It’s the resiliency of these leaders, this team and this staff, and that’s why they deserve all the credit and why I’m so proud of them.”

Boise State coaching search: Will a former Bronco return or will school break new ground?

Now attention turns to UNLV’s regular-season finale against San Jose State on Saturday. If the Rebels (9-2, 6-1) win, Boise State will travel to Las Vegas for the championship game next Saturday, Dec. 2. If San Jose State (6-5, 5-2) wins, computer rankings will determine which teams play for the title.

The Broncos (7-5, 6-2 MW), who defeated the Spartans this year but did not play UNLV, will be watching the game and waiting, but linebacker Andrew Simpson said they’re looking at it as if they’re already in.

Both UNLV (34.75) and Boise State (64) were ahead of San Jose State (71.25) in the computer tally heading into the weekend.

“This is why we came to Boise State, to win championships,” Simpson said. “We’re happy to see our goal is still in front of us, and we’re going to do everything in our power to capture that.”

Boise State’s winning streak

The Broncos’ appearance in the title game didn’t seem possible three weeks ago. A loss to Colorado State on a last-second Hail Mary and a setback against Fresno State left the season in peril.

Boise State then reeled off three straight wins to get back into the title picture. And helped complete the collapse of Air Force, which lost three straight league games to end the season. And watched Fresno State lose two in a row, including at home to 23-point underdog New Mexico.

All the while, the players never lost faith in one another, Simpson said. And running back Ashton Jeanty said Danielson lit a fire under the Broncos that could carry them to their sixth appearance in the Mountain West title game in the past seven years.

They last won the championship in 2019.

“We know he really cares about us and has our best interest in mind always,” Jeanty said of Danielson, the team’s defensive coordinator. “There aren’t too many coaches or people in this game like that.”

‘He’s a great leader.’ Is Boise State’s next head football coach already on staff?

Jeanty jump-starts the offense

Friday was senior day at Albertsons Stadium, but Jeanty, a sophomore, stole the show.

He racked up 225 yards from scrimmage and became the first Boise State player to tally more than 100 yards rushing and receiving in a game since Jeremy McNichols did it in 2016. Jeanty is just the sixth player in program history to achieve the feat.

Jeanty led the Broncos with 107 rushing yards and a career-high 118 receiving yards. He finished the regular season with 1,113 rushing yards.

“He’s a young man who worked his tail off to get healthy,” Danielson said of Jeanty, who missed two games with an injury before returning last week against Utah State. “He’s lived in the training room, worked hard at practice, and found a way to come out on this field and do what he did.”

Jeanty found the end zone on a pair of explosive plays Friday. He hauled in a screen pass from quarterback Taylen Green in the second quarter and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown. He also put his shoulder down and burst through the middle of the defense for a 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

He said he enjoyed showing off his speed and agility on his first touchdown, but he always gets a kick out of running over defenders the way he did on the second.

“Mentally, that gets in a defender’s head, because you physically dominated them,” Jeanty said.

Jeanty sparked the offense Friday.

Boise State’s first two trips into Air Force territory netted the Broncos just 3 points, thanks to a 38-yard field goal from Jonah Dalmas. The second drive ended when Green was intercepted on the Falcons’ 1-yard line.

The Broncos took a page out of Air Force’s playbook to get the offense rolling. The Falcons (8-4, 5-3 MW) are known for chewing up the clock with long scoring drives, but it was Boise State that put together a 12-play, 90-yard drive that took 6 minutes off the clock. It ended with a 12-yard touchdown run by Green that put the Broncos up 10-0 in the second quarter.

Green finished the game 13-of-17 for 228 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

“Seeing him come back from a couple of turnovers and continue to lead his team and make big-time throws is why I’m so proud of him,” Danielson said.

Broncos stay up in second half

Boise State went into halftime with a 17-6 lead, but Air Force battled back in the second half.

Fourth-string quarterback John Busha scored on a 1-yard run to cut the Broncos’ lead to 17-12 early in the third quarter. He replaced Ben Brittain, whose first career start was cut short when he was injured late in the first half. Air Force’s top two quarterbacks, Zac Larrier and Jensen Jones, were unavailable for the game because of injuries.

Air Force running back Dylan Carson later scored on a 2-yard run to cut Boise State’s lead to 24-19 with 1:49 left in the third quarter. He led the Falcons’ triple-option rushing attack with 132 yards on 12 carries.

The Broncos got some breathing room late in the fourth quarter thanks to a 52-yard field goal from Dalmas, and cornerback Kaonohi Kaniho sealed the win with an interception on the Falcons’ final drive.

Simpson said the defense had something to prove in the fourth quarter.

“We haven’t come through in the past, so we were excited to have another opportunity to show each other and Bronco Nation that we can hold it down and do what we’ve got to do when the game is on the line,” he said.

There has been no confirmation from Boise State or Danielson that he’s a candidate to be the Broncos’ next head coach. He’s certainly shown to have the players’ love and support. After Friday’s win, a video surfaced showing Danielson crowd-surfing in the locker room celebration, and that was after he was leaping off the blue turf and pumping his fist late in the game.

Danielson said he isn’t thinking about his future right now, though. He is simply thinking about lighting a fire under his players for one more week.

“I love these kids and I love this place,” Danielson said. “I’m very passionate about that, and these players are my focus.”

NOTES

▪ The announced attendance at Friday’s game was 36,390, the largest crowd for a regular-season finale at Albertsons Stadium in program history. Boise State also set a new program record this year with an average announced attendance of 35,867 at home, breaking its previous record of 35,404, which was set in 2012.

▪ Boise State edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein has recorded at least one sack in eight straight games. That is the longest streak in the country. He leads the Broncos with 12 sacks, and he’s the first Boise State player to get more than 10 in a season since Curtis Weaver posted 13.5 in 2019.

▪ Dalmas is the first Boise State kicker to hit three field goals of at least 50 yards in a season since 2002.