Ashton Jeanty runs for 128 yards and winning TD, No. 17 Boise State beats UNLV 29-24

LAS VEGAS -- Ashton Jeanty, nan nation's starring rusher, didn't play up to his standards but still rushed for 128 yards and nan winning touchdown to thief No. 17 Boise State hit UNLV 29-24 connected Friday nighttime successful a crippled pinch College Football Playoff implications.

Jeanty's 1-yard TD tally connected fourth-and-goal pinch 12:38 near put nan Broncos (6-1, 3-0 Mountain West) successful beforehand for good.

Maddux Madsen passed for 209 yards and a touchdown arsenic Boise State kept live it hopes of making nan College Football Playoff. The Broncos are vessel eligible for nan 27th consecutive season, nan nation's longest progressive streak. They besides are 28-1 coming aft disconnected weeks since 2001.

“That UNLV squad is legit,” Madsen said. “That defense played difficult and accelerated until nan end. We talked each week astir really it was going to beryllium a heavyweight fight. Their 1 nonaccomplishment was Syracuse successful overtime. That crippled was going to beryllium tough.”

The Rebels (6-2, 2-1) needed a triumph to enactment successful realistic contention for a playoff spot.

“I americium devastated for our squad that we couldn’t find a measurement to triumph that one,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said. “Our guys battled. We’ve sewage a really bully team. So does Boise. There is nary consolation. We mislaid nan game.”

Jeanty's output was his 2nd lowest of nan season, conscionable a gait amended than his capacity successful a blowout triumph complete Portland State. He averaged astatine slightest 7 yards per transportation successful each of his anterior games this season, but was held to 3.9 yards per effort by nan Rebels.

“You talk astir an absolute warrior,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “Every azygous (yard) was earned. He's nan champion shot subordinate successful nan country.”

UNLV's Hajj-Malik Williams passed for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushed for 105 yards and a TD.

This crippled was played earlier an announced crowd of 42,228 astatine Allegiant Stadium, breaking a 22-year-old grounds for attendance for a UNLV location game. The erstwhile precocious occurred Aug. 31, 2022, erstwhile 42,075 watched nan Rebels play Wisconsin astatine Sam Boyd Stadium, wherever nan crippled was called midway done nan 4th fourth because of a powerfulness outage. That was UNLV’s location stadium until moving into Allegiant successful 2020.

The Broncos appeared to return power pinch 2 touchdowns successful nan last 1:50 of nan first half to spell up 20-10.

Madsen scored connected a 7-yard tally erstwhile nan mediate opened up for him for nan first TD. Then linebacker Andrew Simpson intercepted a walk to springiness Boise State nan shot astatine UNLV's 7-yard statement and group up Madsen's 2-yard touchdown walk to tight extremity Matt Lauter connected fourth-and-goal. It's only nan 2nd touchdown nan Rebels person allowed aft a turnover.

The Rebels instantly trim nan shortage to 3 points to unfastened nan 2nd half, but remained successful pursuit mode nan remainder of nan way. UNLV past retook nan lead astatine 24-23 pinch 1:03 near successful nan 3rd 4th erstwhile Williams deed Jaden Bradley connected a spell way for a 34-yard touchdown strike.

That lead was short-lived, pinch Boise State going backmost successful beforehand early successful nan 4th quarter.

UNLV wide receiver/return master Jacob De Jesus near nan crippled successful nan first half pinch an unspecified injury.

Boise State: Jeanty is nan 2-1 Heisman favourite astatine BetMGM, done his chances mightiness person taken a hit, particularly for those looking for immoderate logic not to springiness their apical ballot to a Group of Five player. BYU backmost Ty Detmer successful 1990 is nan past subordinate to triumph nan grant from extracurricular a powerfulness conference. Jeanty has different opportunities to make an belief pinch voters and he will request to make nan astir of those. Danielson said immoderate doubters should “watch nan film” because of UNLV's swarming defense that made limiting Jeanty its priority.

UNLV: Untimely penalties were particularly costly successful nan Rebels' different loss, to Syracuse, and 2 fourth-quarter calls were peculiarly harmful against nan Broncos. An unsportsmanlike punishment connected near tackle Jalen St. John each but killed 1 drive, and a protect holding telephone connected cornerback Tony Grimes extended a Boise State bid that different would've ended successful a punt. The Broncos alternatively ran disconnected nan last 8:07.

The Broncos astatine slightest assured themselves of remaining successful spot alternatively than perchance falling retired of nan rankings. UNLV could person gotten backmost into nan Top 25 pinch a victory, but earnestly damaged its chances of making nan canvass this season.

Boise State: Hosts San Diego State connected Friday.

UNLV: At Hawaii connected Nov. 9.

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