Boise State Football: 3 takeaways from 2017 MWC Championship win

2. Defense wins titles, and Boise State defense came up big on Saturday

While offense always makes for fun television, ultimately a team needs some semblance of a defense to pull out a championship. UCF, for instance, gave up 55 points to Memphis. But they also managed to get a game-sealing interception in the second overtime period to ensure their trip to a New Year’s Six bowl.

In similar fashion, an interception sealed the deal for Boise State on Saturday night in a tight contest against their erstwhile rivals. But even the Broncos were down for much of the second half, the defense kept them in the game with several critical stops along the way. In the end, the first Mountain West title in three years can be chalked up to a solid performance by the Broncos when Fresno State had the ball.

Marcus McMaryion, the transfer quarterback from Oregon State, finished just 16-of-34 for 172 passing yards and an interception. Fresno State did gain 137 rushing yards and scored twice on the ground, but that was still below their season average and couldn’t make up for the lackluster aerial output by the Bulldogs.

While they are not quite at the level of the vintage defenses of past Boise State squads, this year’s championship team still rates in the top quartile of the country. That came through loud and clear in the takedown of Fresno State on Saturday.