Boise State Beats Washington State 31-10 as Dylan Riley Takes Over the Fourth Quarter

Dylan Riley has a nickname, and after Saturday night in Pullman, he was happy to explain it. "It's kind of hard to stop The Jet from landing in the end zone," the Boise State running back said with a smirk to close the Broncos' press conference, according to Yahoo Sports.

For three quarters, Washington State did stop him. Riley had 22 rushing yards through 45 minutes. Then he ran for 106 in the fourth quarter alone, scored from 33 and 72 yards out, and turned a 10-10 grinder into a 31-10 road win for No. 21 Boise State over Washington State at Gesa Field.

The Broncos are now 6-1 and 3-0 in the Pac-12, winners of six straight since a season-opening loss at Oregon, and bowl eligible for the 29th consecutive season. That streak is the second-longest active one in the country, behind only Georgia's 30. Washington State, playing on its homecoming weekend, fell to 1-7 and 0-4. It was the Cougars' fifth straight loss, and it eliminated them from bowl contention.

Three quarters of a fistfight

Boise State drew first blood. Facing third-and-7 on its second possession, Maddux Madsen hit freshman Rasean Jones on back-to-back throws, including a 33-yarder, to get the ball inside the 10. Sire Gaines finished it with a 9-yard touchdown run, capping a seven-play, 74-yard drive.

After that, the Broncos stalled. Four of their six drives before the fourth quarter ended in punts, according to Yahoo Sports.

The Cougars answered late in the first half with their best drive of the night. Kirby Vorhees capped a 16-play, 73-yard march with a 1-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left in the half. It was initially ruled short and awarded after review, per The Associated Press. Boise State answered with a 54-yard drive, and Canaan Moore's 28-yard field goal made it 10-7 at the break.

Washington State tied it in the third quarter when Jack Stevens drilled a 47-yard field goal with 5:53 left in the period. Ten apiece, on the road, in a one-score fight.

The drive that changed the temperature

The response was the biggest possession of the game, if not the flashiest. The Broncos went 70 yards in 15 plays and burned 7:14 off the clock. Madsen kept it alive with his legs, running for two separate first downs, and then found Cam Bates for a 6-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. It was 17-10.

Coach Spencer Danielson said afterward that a game like this called for touchdowns, not just field goals. "In a game like that, in those situations, we've got to be aggressive," he said, per Yahoo Sports. "But you've got to find ways to get touchdowns in a game like this."

The turning point: Phelps and the pick

Washington State's next drive did not last long. Linebacker Boen Phelps jumped an Owen Eshelman throw for the second interception of his career and returned it 13 yards to the Cougar 33. Two plays later, Riley went 33 yards to the end zone, and Boise State led 24-10 with 11:40 remaining.

Phelps knew exactly what that swing meant. "It's a game of momentum," he said, according to The Arbiter. "Those big plays definitely help and that's just something we hang our hat on. Finish, finish, finish."

The Jet lands

The last word on the scoreboard belonged to Riley. Boise State took over at its own 10, and three plays later Riley broke a 72-yard touchdown run with a little over six minutes to play. It was his fourth touchdown run of 70 or more yards this season.

Riley finished with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. According to Yahoo Sports, he now has 963 rushing yards on the year.

He also had the cleanest explanation for why the big runs came late. "It's not always gonna pop in the first quarter, second quarter, because sometimes you've gotta wear a team out," Riley said. "It's all just a testament to our team going out there and finishing."

Madsen keeps the streak alive

Madsen did not need to be spectacular. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown, according to Field Level Media, and added 34 yards on four carries. He also did not throw an interception, again. He now has 14 touchdown passes and zero picks this season, making him the only quarterback in the nation with 10 or more touchdowns and no interceptions, per Boise State.

Jones led the receivers with five catches for 69 yards.

A defense that showed up

The quieter story was Boise State's defense, which held Washington State to 53 rushing yards and 244 total yards. Lopez Sanusi had a career-high two sacks, Jayden Virgin-Morgan added one, and Phelps and Virgin-Morgan shared the team lead with six tackles apiece. The Broncos finished with four sacks. Derek Ganter Jr. also knocked away a fourth-and-goal pass intended for Branden Ganashamoorthy, according to The Arbiter.

Danielson pointed straight at the defense's growth. "Two weeks ago when we played Fresno State, that was not our best outing on defense," he said, per Sports Illustrated. "We tackled way better, found a way to finish in the red zone, and just really proud of what we were able to do."

The numbers that matter

Boise State outgained Washington State 407 to 244 and ran for 258 yards, while the Cougars held a slight edge in possession, 30:48 to 29:12. The full breakdown is in the Broncos' official box score (opens in a new tab), and Boise State's game recap (opens in a new tab) has the rest of the notes.

For Washington State, Eshelman made his second straight start and went 21-of-40 for 191 yards with an interception, and he also led the team in rushing with 33 yards, per Field Level Media. Ganashamoorthy caught four passes for a team-high 58 yards, and Keith Brown led the defense with nine tackles. The Cougars went 6-of-17 on third down, per The Spokesman-Review.

What it means

For Boise State, this was a checklist win. Danielson picked up his 30th career victory, becoming the eighth Bronco head coach to reach that mark. It was the program's first win in Pullman and the sixth straight game with 30 or more points, the first time since 2014 that the Broncos have scored 30-plus and won six straight. Boise State moved up to No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 22 in the coaches poll this week, and per AP, it sits even with Oregon State atop the Pac-12. Next on the schedule was a Halloween night home game against Texas State.

For Washington State, The Spokesman-Review saw some encouraging signs in the first season under coach Kirby Moore, and the coach said effort was not the issue. "I thought our players had great energy. Effort was there throughout the game," Moore said. The problem was the fourth quarter. "Our execution wasn't good enough in the second half," Moore said. "Obviously, we didn't take care of the ball there in the second half." Next on the schedule was a trip to San Diego State on Saturday, Oct. 31, with Colorado State and Texas State still to come. The Washington State game recap (opens in a new tab) has the Cougars' side.

The last word

Danielson summed up the night the way coaches who just survived a road trip usually do. "Today wasn't perfect, it never is, right? But I'm proud of our guys battling, staying in the fight," he said.

That is about right. Boise State did not play its best football for three quarters in Pullman. It did not have to. When the game got tight, the Broncos had a quarterback who does not turn it over, a linebacker who changed the momentum and a running back who only needed 15 minutes. Boise State turned a coin flip into a 21-point fourth quarter.

Sources: Boise State Athletics recap, postgame notes and box score, Washington State Athletics recap, The Associated Press, Field Level Media, The Spokesman-Review, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, The Arbiter and KBOI. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Boise State Athletics/Kenna Harbison.