BOISE No. 10 Boise State defeated No. 20 UNLV21-7 on Friday night to win the Mountain West for the second time in a row, and Ashton Jeanty ran for 209 yards and a touchdown to earn a College Football Playoff spot.
If Boise State (12-1) stays ahead of the Big 12 champion and finishes among the top four conference winners, it is virtually guaranteed a first-round playoff bye.
According to Boise State coach Spencer Danielson, they discussed their goals for the season while playing tug-of-war on the field in January without their clothes on. They worked hard to achieve their goals of making it to the collegiate playoffs and winning a conference championship.
Jeanty, who was given the opportunity to make his Heisman case, delivered an incredible 75-yard touchdown run. He tied LaDainian Tomlinson’s FBS season record with his fifth touchdown run of 70 yards or more this season.
In addition, Jeanty moved up to fourth place on the FBS season running tally, surpassing 1981 Heisman winner Marcus Allen of USC. He still needs 132 more to surpass record-holder Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State.
Maddux Madsen ran for another Broncos score after throwing a touchdown ball.
UNLV (10-3) had not been held below 23 points this season and came into the game ranked seventh in the country in scoring offense with an average of 38.7 points.
According to UNLV coach Barry Odom, “I have been in championship games before and come up on the wrong end of them.” However, you keep learning from them, advance your company, and figure out how to return to a game like this and win.
But when it came to Boise State, who gave his squad two of their three losses, Odom wasn’t holding back.
Odom wished everyone who came here believing they would win the game luck. They rank among the top collegiate football teams at the moment, in my opinion. Additionally, I believe they will represent this conference very well. They are designed to run.
Boise State relied extensively on Madsen in the first quarter as a result of UNLV packing the box with eight or nine defenders early in the game. And he delivered, finishing six of his first seven throws, including one that put Latrell Caples ahead 7-0 from 22 yards out.
With 2:40 remaining in the first half, Madsen scrambled for a 14-yard touchdown run, using his legs to put the Broncos ahead 14-0.
Boise State recovered possession of the ball after a fast stop, allowing Jeanty to do his magic. He broke through the defense’s teeth two plays later and ran to the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown run, giving the Broncos a 21-0 lead with 29 seconds remaining in the half.
Ashton Jeanty, a running back for Boise State, (center), safely celebrates while holding up the championship trophy. Following their game versus UNLV in the Mountain West championship football game on Friday, December 6, 2024, in Boise, Seyi Oladipo (left) and Boise State President Marlene Tromp (right) pose. (Photo by Steve Conner/AP)AP
At the Boise State 5, Kylin James sprinted 86 yards before being run down by Seyi Oladipo, giving UNLV a chance to rally late in the third quarter. However, the Rebels failed to score and lost four yards on the following four plays.
Greg Burrell’s 31-yard rush with 9:06 remaining put the Rebels in the end zone for the first time.
Hajj-Malik Williams led UNLV’s offensive effort with 56 running yards and 110 throwing yards.
KEY LESSONS
UNLV: as UNLV had only seven victories in the three seasons prior to Odom’s arrival, the program is on the right track as he led the Rebels to their first 10-win season in 40 years. The Rebels should challenge for the Mountain West championship if he keeps up his strong recruiting and transfers portal development from this season.
Boise State: After going undefeated and defeating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2006, the program’s fan base has been waiting for this moment, and first-year coach Spencer Danielson has delivered. However, this club now has the opportunity to go one step further and defeat one of the best in the sport during the playoffs.
UPCOMING
To find out who it will face in the College Football Playoffs and when, Boise State will be waiting for the selection show on Sunday.
— Associated Press | Jason Chatraw
AAC championship: No. 24 Army 35, Tulane 14
Midfield was celebrating the first conference title in Army history, and Bryson Daily made it apparent that the festivities would not last long.
Next week, the Black Knights will aim for yet another trophy.
beat Navy, according to Daily.
For the Midshipmen or pretty much anybody, he and the Black Knights should be a formidable opponent.
On Friday, December 6, 2024, in West Point, New York, Army quarterback Bryson Daily (13) responds to a touchdown against Tulane in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game. (Photo by Adam Hunger/AP)
In West Point, New York, No. 24 Army defeated Tulane to finish a flawless debut season in the league, and Daily ran for four touchdowns to tie the record for the American Athletic Conference championship game.
Kanye Udoh ran for 158 yards and scored, including a 72-yard pass that set up a Daily touchdown. In their inaugural round of the league, the Black Knights (11-1) dominated AAC opponents with their bruising, clock-eating running style, which they executed flawlessly in the title game. Daily contributed 126 yards on the ground for the team. In its 134-year history, Army won their first conference championship.
The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy matchup against Navy next Saturday is the Black Knights’ final regular season game and the one they want the most.
Army coach Jeff Monken stated, “We are looking forward to the biggest game of the year, which is coming up in eight days.”
Daily’s rushes were five, three, four, and seven yards. With four rushing touchdowns this season, the 221-pound quarterback broke the AAC mark of 25 set by Navy quarterback Will Worth in 2016. In ten straight games, the conference player of the year has ran for multiple touchdowns.
The Black Knights had competed as an independent from the start of their program in 1890, with the exception of a disastrous run in Conference USA from 1998 to 2004. This week, Monken stated that Army believed that in order to have a route to college football’s expanded postseason, it had to be in a conference.
The Black Knights must have been thrilled with the choice as cadets streamed from the stands to join players in a midfield celebration.
Tulane (9-4) was competing in its third straight AAC championship game and had lost the previous two. Darian Mensah threw two touchdown passes for the team. The Green Wave’s 17-game conference winning streak came to an end on Thanksgiving night when they lost to Memphis at home, eliminating their aspirations of hosting.
They were even more unsteady on Friday, making poor field goal attempts on their opening two drives, then making a mess of a kickoff and having a ball intercepted in their own territory on the following two drives.
Then, in the second half, when Army had TD drives of 11 and 16 plays, Tulane could hardly get the ball.
“You don’t do yourselves any favors when you start slow like we did, missing two field goals early,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said, adding that it’s extremely difficult to overcome once they gain a lead, say a couple of scores.
— AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney
Conference USA championship: Jacksonville State 52, Western Kentucky 12
In Jacksonville, Alabama, Tre Stewart ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns, and Tyler Huff passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third as Jacksonville State easily defeated Western Kentucky to win its first Conference USA title.
In just its second season as an FBS member, Jacksonville State (9-4) defeats the Hilltoppers (8-5) 19-17 in the regular-season finale and wins the league title.
Jacksonville State responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive for the game-winning touchdown after Lucas Carneiro started the scoring with a 54-yard field goal on the first drive. The Gamecocks had a lead they never gave up as Huff broke loose for a 48-yard run to give them first and goal at the 8-yard line. Huff then hit Sean Brown for the final six yards.
After stopping Caden Veltkamp on fourth and one at the Western Kentucky 42, Jacksonville State had a 14-3 lead after just six plays to reach the end zone. At the WKU 37, Tyler Huff kept the drive going by hitting Stewart for seven yards on fourth and five. He then delivered a 26-yard fade to a wide-open Cam Vaughn for the touchdown.
Carneiro converted a 44-yard field goal as the half was coming to an end, giving the team a 28-6 lead after Stewart scored on two short runs in the second quarter. Stewart scored his third touchdown early in the fourth quarter with a 29-yard run, while Huff added a 3-yard dash to the goal zone in the third quarter.
Huff rushed 23 times for 167 yards and completed 11 of 15 throws for 176 yards. Stewart grabbed three catches for 54 yards and rushed 27 times. Vaughn gained 91 yards on four receptions.
Veltkamp passed for 141 yards and a touchdown for the Hilltoppers on 18 of 30 passes. Elijah Young gained 108 yards on 19 carries.
The Associated Press
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