Boise State Football: Takeaways from Mountain West title loss to Fresno State

2. Alexander Mattison kept Boise State in the game

Alexander Mattison has been a rock for Boise State over the course of the season. When he topped 100 rushing yards this year, a feat which happened five times throughout 2018, the Broncos have won the game. That was also true of the game where he went over 100 all-purpose yards in rushing and receiving against BYU.

It was also true in the previous time that Boise State and Fresno State met in the Battle for the Milk Can. In that November showdown, Mattison racked up 144 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 30 carries. The workhorse back had another strong day on the ground against the Bulldogs in the Mountain West championship, going off for 200 yards and a touchdown on 40 carries, and he was largely the catalyst that willed the Broncos to overtime against their rival.

Mattison was at risk of failing to reach the end zone for the first time since their mid-October trip win over Nevada in Reno, before he busted off a 34-yard run for a game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. Other than that carry, though, Fresno State mostly prevented backbreaking gains by Mattison.

That inability to turn his hard-earned yards into points was costly for a Boise State team that needed help in the snow. He fell flat in overtime when they needed him most, but Mattison can’t be blamed for the loss.