College Football’s Fifth Quarter: First Saturday of 2018 doesn’t disappoint

5. Boise State leaves Troy blue

When Boise State and Troy was announced as a week one matchup I was pretty excited for the chance to see two of the premier Group of Five’s battle it out for the in-road to the playoff. Then the whistle blew and the Broncos proved they’re the best of the rest in the FBS college football world. Boise State exploded to a 35-7 halftime lead and finished off the Trojans 56-20 on Troy’s home field in Alabama.

The Broncos coach is alumnus Bryan Harsin and he knows the inner workings of the BSU program like no other.

Starting quarterback Brett Rypien threw for over 300 yards and tossed four touchdowns with zero interceptions. Rypien averaged 10.9 yards per attempt in a shocking blowout as Troy is known for defense and being the southern giant killer to Boise’s western version of the same ilk. The Broncos run game was a work in progress averaging only 3.8 yards per carry but Alexander Mattison ran the football 15 times for 56 yards and a score.

Wide receiver Sean Modster caught seven balls for 167 yards and two touchdowns just torching the Troy defense. Troy head coach Neal Brown has to find an answer after being slaughtered by the Broncos. Troy has an easy week two against the Florida A&M Rattlers before heading to Lincoln to face Nebraska. The Broncos host UConn before taking on Oklahoma State on the road in their put me in the playoff matchup. The Broncos have proven why they deserve to be in the conversation, now they have to run the table to make a stand.