Vintage Boise State performance leads to Las Vegas Bowl win over Oregon

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 | 6:45 p.m.

Boise State running back Ryan Wolpin motioned out wide and briefly looked back before abruptly turning towards the line of scrimmage in unison with his three teammates at receiver.

The choreography momentarily froze the Oregon defense, helping clear the path for Wolpin to run in a one-yard touchdown after a backwards pass from quarterback Brett Rypien. From its first drive Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium in the Las Vegas Bowl, Boise State put on a showing that fit with the reputation it’s developed in turning into one of college football’s most consistent programs.

The Broncos were inventive on offense, mixing everything from minor flair like on Wolpin’s first score to more elaborate trick plays such as double passes and reverses. They didn’t all work, but more than enough succeeded in helping Boise State build a massive first-half lead that it never relinquished in a 38-28 victory over Oregon.

“That was one thing we talked about all week having to do: Start fast,” Rypien said.

The Broncos were able to accomplish that, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter before the Ducks had two first downs. They were up 24-0 midway through the second quarter before Oregon had ever gained 24 yards on a drive.

Boise State’s defense was opportunistic — another staple of the program — in creating four first-half turnovers including an interception returned 53 yards for a touchdown by freshman safety Kekaula Kaniho.

The upset victory meant Boise State finished the season with an 11-3 record and accomplished its two goals from the beginning of the year in winning the Mountain West Conference championship and a bowl game.

“I’ve been around Boise State football longer than anybody, and I’ve been a part of great teams,” Boise State coach Brian Harsin said. “I can tell you this right now: You can focus on records all you want, but this football team and the type of character they have and this coaching staff is as good as we’ve ever had at Boise State.”

In front of an announced attendance of 36,432 fans, Boise State improved to 4-0 in the Las Vegas Bowl, tying Utah (4-1) for the all-time wins lead in the game. The Broncos are now 8-4 in bowls dating back to their memorable 2006 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma, including 3-1 with Harsin as its head coach.

In all three of those bowl wins, Boise State built an early 24-point lead.

“It’s just an honor to get the opportunity to play at Boise State,” senior receiver Cedrick Wilson said. “Personally, it feels good that all the hard work I’ve done paid off.”

Wilson, who was hobbled by an ankle injury, won the game’s MVP honors and set the school’s single-season receiving yards record by hauling in 10 catches for 221 yards. He scored Boise State’s second touchdown when Rypien found him on a drag route for a 26-yard score.

Perhaps more importantly, he twice extended drives with long third-down catches in the second half when the Ducks had cut the lead to 10 points.

“He does a lot of things, very dangerous,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said of Wilson. “He made some plays in critical situations.”

Cristobal bemoaned the Ducks not being able to take advantage of the swing they created late in the first half with a pair of defensive touchdowns that totaled 186 yards.

First, with less than a minute to go, sophomore linebacker Troy Dye recovered a Rypien fumble and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. Rypien connected on a long pass to Wilson on the next drive to get back to the 7-yard line, but then threw an interception in the end zone.

Oregon senior safety Tyree Robinson converted on his stated goal coming into the game of scoring with a 100-yard return to make the score 24-14 at halftime.

“The vibe on the sideline was not very good but the leaders stepped up,” Harsin said. “The guys that were involved were able to shake it off. We’re a second-half time in our mind.”

Rypien calmed the Broncos’ nerves to start the second half by directing a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that again featured Wilson making the biggest play — a diving 30-yard catch near the sideline. Rypien put up 362 yards on 21-for-38 passing, easily outdueling Oregon’s more decorated Justin Herbert, who had 223 yards on 26-for-36 passing.

Herbert was unable to lead Oregon’s offense to points until the fourth quarter with Boise State’s defense controlling the game.

“Going into the game, we had a lot of respect for them because they have playmakers all over the field,” said Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, an NFL Draft prospect who racked up 11 tackles and a sack. “To have a performance like that against that type of offense is pretty special.”

Herbert’s first touchdown was a 24-yard pass to Brendan Schooler that once again sliced Boise State’s lead down to 10 points. But the Broncos broke out of an offensive lull and went 86 yards on 11 plays in a drive that consumed more than five minutes and ended with Wolpin’s second one-yard touchdown.

Much like Wolpin’s first score, it was a combination of synchronization, as four players including himself shifted across the line, and determination, as he lowered his head and powered past the goal line.

Those two factors are always present with Boise State.

“We came in here with a lot to prove,” Harsin said. “That’s our team. That’s our mentality.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.