Field Level Media
Sep 1, 2018
Brett Rypien passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns as No. 22 Boise State rolled past Troy 56-20 in the season opener for both teams Saturday in Troy , Ala.
The senior completed 20 of 28 passes, and teammate Tyler Horton chipped in two fumble returns for touchdowns as the Broncos defeated the Trojans in the season opener for the second consecutive season. They prevailed 24-13 a year ago in Boise, Idaho.
The Broncos went on to win the Mountain West championship, and the Trojans went on to win the Sun Belt championship. Both teams have high hopes for similar success this season, but this game was a mismatch.
Troy's loss ended the third-longest active winning streak in the FBS at seven. UCF has won 14 straight, and Northwestern has won nine in a row.
Boise State led 35-7 at halftime, but Troy was hoping to cut into the deficit as it crossed midfield early in the third quarter. Then, Horton recovered a fumble and ran 55 yards for a touchdown and a 42-7 cushion.
B.J. Smith's 1-yard touchdown run got the Trojans within 42-14 midway through the third.
Kaleb Barker threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Deondre Douglas to cut the lead to 42-20 with 11:24 left in the game.
The comeback stalled when Horton recovered another fumble and ran 11 yards for a touchdown, and Chase Cord added a 44-yard touchdown run for Boise State to complete the scoring.
The Broncos took a 14-7 lead after the first quarter as Rypien threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to Sean Modster and 53 yards to CT Thomas.
They extended the lead to 21-7 when Alexander Mattison ran 7 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter.
Rypien threw second-quarter touchdown passes of 3 yards to Akilian Butler and 54 yards to Modster for a 28-point halftime advantage.
The Trojans' only first-half score came on a 23-yard touchdown run by Jabir Daughtry-Frye that briefly tied the score at 7.
Boise State will be tested twice more in September with road games against teams that played in bowls last season when it visits Oklahoma State and Wyoming.
--Field Level Media