Boise State football survives Nevada on the road

Boise State football and Nevada played a late-night thriller in Reno on Saturday night. Here’s what we learned from the Mountain West showdown won by the Broncos.

Brett Rypien threw three interceptions in victory. Ty Gangi threw for more than 300 yards in defeat. All night long in the late-night Saturday game in Reno, Nevada threatened to take down Boise State for the first time since Colin Kaepernick outperformed Kellen Moore in the 2010 edition of the rivalry.

The Broncos dominated time of possession, holding the ball more than 10 minutes longer than Nevada. Boise State committed 10 penalties to four for the Wolf Pack, losing 108 yards in the process. And the hosts won the turnover battle, forcing a fumble in addition to Rypien’s picks.

Ultimately, though, Boise State did enough on Saturday to end their losing skid and prevent a larger freefall as they emerged victorious 31-27 on the road. Rypien atoned for his trio of turnovers by going 28-of-38 for 299 yards and a pair of passing touchdowns. The quarterback added another 24 net yards rushing the ball, putting him over 300 total for the day.

Meanwhile, John Hightower needed only two carries to pile up 90 yards. That included an 88-yard touchdown burst. While Hightower had a breakout game, Alexander Mattison was once again the workhorse in the backfield as the Broncos finished with 207 rushing yards as a team.

Gangi finished the night with 304 passing yards in the loss, going 24-of-42 with two touchdowns and one interception. It was on the ground where Boise State’s defense emerged superior to the Wolf Pack, as they held Nevada to 82 rushing yards on the night.

It isn’t the type of win that is about to vault Boise State back into the New Year’s Six picture among the Group of Five, but it is a solid recovery after a disappointing loss to San Diego State in Week 6.

Bryan Harsin’s crew has a short turnaround before their October 19 home showdown on Friday night against Colorado State. Nevada will begin to prepare for their trip to the islands to face Hawaii in Mountain West play.