BYU Cougars vs Boise State Broncos Match Player Stats On Oct 20, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 21, 2016

BOISE -- Fourteenth-ranked Boise State kept its perfect season alive by surviving a wild Thursday night contest on the blue turf of Albertsons Stadium.

Star tailback Jeremy McNichols scored twice and racked up 249 yards from scrimmage as the Broncos held on for a 28-27 victory over BYU.

Boise State, which overcame a season-high five turnovers, survived by blocking a field goal with 15 seconds left -- and then denying two desperation plays because the kick came on second down.

McNichols totaled 140 yards on the ground -- including a go-ahead 4-yard touchdown with 10:37 remaining -- while adding 109 yards and another score through the air. Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien threw for 442 yards and three TDs, helping overcome two pick-sixes by the BYU defense.

BYU was outgained 571-322 in total offense, but the Cougars hung tough by scoring the two defensive touchdowns and blocking a first-quarter field-goal attempt.

Boise State led 21-17 at the half, but BYU recaptured the lead by scoring the only points of the third quarter. After the Broncos turned it over on downs near midfield, Cougars quarterback Taysom Hill capped a 58-yard drive with a 1-yard run to make it 24-21.

Turnovers continued to plague Boise State, with Akilian Butler muffing a punt and Thomas Sperbeck losing a fumble to bring the count to five through three quarters.

The Cougars cashed in the Sperbeck fumble, with Rhett Almond kicking a 37-yard field goal to make it 27-21 in the opening moments of the fourth.

Boise State responded with a gutsy, 90-yard drive, with McNichols barreling in to reclaim the lead. The one-point margin would stand, as David Moa got a hand on Almond's 45-yard attempt with 15 seconds left. After BYU recovered the blocked kick, the Broncos forced two incompletions by Hill, including a Hail Mary heave to the end zone as time expired.

Hill finished 21 of 42 for 187 yards.

BYU returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the first half, but Rypien countered with 317 yards passing and three TDs as the Broncos took a four-point lead into halftime.

Boise State started with a bang. On the third play from scrimmage, Rypien motioned McNichols out of the backfield and fired a perfect strike deep down the middle of the field for a 76-yard touchdown.

After a BYU punt, the Broncos quickly marched 58 yards in eight plays, capped by Rypien's 12-yard strike to Sperbeck for a 14-0 lead. Sperbeck wound up with nine catches for 109 yards.

BYU punted again, and the Cougars were reeling after a 56-yard completion from Rypien to Sean Modster. But three big plays by the BYU defense changed the complexion of the game.

The first was a blocked field goal, with a long return that set up a Rhett Almond field goal to trim the deficit to 14-3.

On the next play from scrimmage, linebacker Fred Warner stepped in front of a deep Rypien pass, tiptoed along the sideline and broke multiple tackles on his way to a 69-yard touchdown return.

Late in the second quarter, the BYU defense struck again, with Dayan Lake grabbing a tip-drill interception and racing 50 yards untouched to put the Cougars on top 17-14.

BYU forced a third first-half turnover when McNichols fumbled after a long run, but the Cougars turned it back over on downs. Rypien responded with a perfectly orchestrated 2-minute drill, firing a 36-yard bullet to a leaping Cedrick Wilson to give the Broncos the halftime lead.

NOTES: BYU starting running back Jamaal Williams did not enter the game in the first half, though he was in uniform on the sideline. No reason was provided for his absence. Williams leads the Cougars with 165 carries for 942 yards and 10 touchdowns. ... BYU also was missing starting right OT Thomas Shoaf and DT Merrill Taliauli. ... Boise State played without starting right OT Mario Yakoo ... Boise State senior Thomas Sperbeck set a new school record for career receiving yards on a 20-yard grab in the first quarter. The previous record of 3,063 yards was held by Titus Young, a second-round NFL draft pick in 2011.