Boise State Football beats Troy to stay atop Group of Five race

Tyler Horton leads a strong Boise State defensive effort

Boise State’s defense tapered off a bit late, and ultimately they gave away 379 total yards and 20 points of offense to their Sun Belt hosts. There were certainly a few miscues, as one is prone to expect this early in the season. Generally, though, the Broncos put in a reliable performance that bodes well for their long-term prospects of remaining among the top 25 teams in the country.

Where the Broncos excelled was in getting the ball away from the Trojans and scoring on defense. Boise State generated an interception and two fumble recoveries. And both fumbles were returned for touchdowns by cornerback Tyler Horton, who scooped up the loose balls for touchdowns of 55 and 11 yards.

It was the best game of the senior’s career. Horton matched last year’s season total for fumble recoveries in one afternoon of action and tripled his career touchdown total on fumble recovery returns. It was a sublime performance by a defensive back that has been a disruptive force for several years in Boise.

But he was hardly the only difference-maker for the Broncos. Tony Lashley picked off Kaleb Barker on the first play of the second quarter, part of a day where the Troy quarterback managed 211 yards on 20-of-29 passing.