Boise State Broncos Vs. UNLV Rebels: What We Learned and What We Already Knew

In the 2023 Mountain West Championship rematch, the Boise State Broncos defeated the UNLV Rebels 29-25. As expected, the run game was the focus of this matchup, with two run-heavy offenses matching up. Neither team disappointed. What was especially fun to watch was the battle between UNLV’s defense and Ashton Jeanty (aside from the beating Jeanty took).

What We Already Knew

The Boise State Broncos go as Ashton Jeanty goes

If you only watched the first quarter of the game, you would have seen that UNLV had Ashton Jeanty bottled up and the Boise State offense, outside of a long run by Maddux Madsen, was stuck in neutral. Once Jeanty and the BSU running game wore down the defense, they started to take chunk plays here and there. Chunk plays opened up the passing game a bit and helped Boise State take the momentum of the game.

Turnovers would be the difference maker

Ask any analyst and they’d tell you that they expected turnovers to be the difference maker in this game. We didn’t think the Broncos would be the ones to win the turnover battle. The UNLV Rebels ranked 6th, with a turnover margin of 11. The Boise State Broncos ranked 50th, with a margin of 2. Not a good omen for Broncos fans, but they won the turnover battle in this game and it was a game changer.

Hajj-Malik Williams is a beast

He put on a show with his arm and legs. He initiated multiple big plays, starting with his 50-yard scamper on UNLV’s first drive. His 105 rushing yards were more than double the total rushing yards of the Rebels’ running back. If it wasn’t for Boise State’s ferocious pass rush, this game would have ended quite differently. Like Madsen, he’s an efficient quarterback but he also has greater big-play ability. than Madsen which makes him hard to defend.

What We Learned

Maddux Madsen has been throwing sticks of butter all year long

The butyraceous nature of the football led to Madsen overthrowing a wide-open receiver in the end zone during the third quarter. But it doesn’t really matter, because receivers often drop the ball anyway like they did on the very next play. Two missed throws/catches led to a field goal in the red zone. Madsen is an incredibly efficient quarterback and it works for Boise State. But if they want to take their game to the next level and win a playoff game, they need to stick some double-sided tape to their receivers’ gloves. To give props where they are due, the Broncos passing game stepped up and moved the ball and scored when it really mattered.

These teams have legit defenses

These defenses aren’t just a matter of playing easy opponents. For the UNLV Rebels, their run defense ranked 20th coming into this game. While Ashton Jeanty still rushed for 128 yards, his performance was a far cry from his average game this year. Credit to Jackson Woodard and the Rebels’ defense for doing what most defenses can’t. On the other side, the Boise State Broncos ranked 1st in the country in sacks and only added to that lead with 6 sacks. Hajj-Malik Williams was running for his life for the majority of the game.

These teams are contenders

When the clock hit zeroes, many UNLV fans were likely wondering, “what in the world happened?”. They should have won that game. They shot themselves in the foot a few times but were impressive in all phases of the game. Because of the nature of the college football scene, UNLV’s chances at making the playoffs dropped significantly but they could certainly still pull off a conference championship.

Boise State just keeps winning. When their style of play doesn’t work, they make adjustments. The way that Spencer Danielson and Dirk Koetter adjusted after a first quarter of running into a wall was beautiful. Whether they have a commanding lead or are behind late, they just seem to find a way to win. There’s energy and passion in this team.

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