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This Day In Sports…November 9, 2018:
Boise State enters a game on the blue turf as an underdog for the first time in 13 years—and responds. The Broncos rallied past No. 16 Fresno State 24-17 on ESPN2 to reclaim the Milk Can and climb back into the AP Poll, as they scored three straight touchdowns in the second half after falling behind the Bulldogs 17-3 early in the third quarter. Alexander Mattison scored the first two TDs, and the clincher came on a 49-yard pass on a third-and-eight from Brett Rypien to true freshman Khalil Shakir. The last time Boise State had been a home underdog was in the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl against Boston College.
To Fresno State, Mattison was like a kink in the neck that distracts you from doing your best work. He wore down the Bulldogs with 144 yards on 30 carries, and incredibly, not one of them went for 15 yards or more. Mattison had four attempts that gained between 10 and 14 yards, and 10 carries that went for five to nine yards. Those were the ones that ate away at the ‘Dogs and moved the chains, especially in the second half when the Broncos scored those three straight touchdowns. This against a Fresno State defense that had allowed seven points or less in four of its five previous Mountain West games.
There had been an ominous stretch midway through the night for Boise State, and the Broncos’ ability to overcome it spoke to their intestinal fortitude. After Rypien’s only interception of the game with 1:14 left in the half, Fresno State marched down for a field goal and a 10-3 lead. Then the Bulldogs got the ball to start the second half and went 69 yards in their first three plays. Moments later came the touchdown that made it 17-3. Some wanted to say “dagger”, while others said “a lot of time left in this game.” The crowd of 33,118 chose the glass half-full stance and turned up the volume, helping with the outcome.
Boise State, ranked 19th, and Fresno State, ranked 25th, met again in the Mountain West championship game four weeks later, with the Bulldogs avenging the Milk Can loss with a 19-16 overtime win that captured the MW title trophy. It was the reverse of what happened the year before, when Fresno State beat Boise State 28-17 in the regular season finale in Fresno. The two teams turned around and played again the following week on the Blue, and the Broncos rallied for a 17-14 victory to take the Mountain West crown.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
