HONOLULU — Ashton Jeanty shone brightly with 237 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, propelling No. 17 Boise State to a convincing 28-7 victory against Hawaii on Saturday night.
The win improved the Broncos’ record to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference, marking their fourth consecutive triumph following a narrow defeat against then-No. 3 Oregon earlier in the season.
Conversely, the Rainbow Warriors, with a record of 2-4 and 0-2 in conference play, have endured four losses in their last five outings.
Jeanty, who currently leads all of FBS in rushing, had a stellar performance with a season-high of 31 carries amounting to 217 yards. Remarkably, this marks the third game of the season where he has surpassed the 200-yard rushing threshold, and the fifth of his career.
Boise State began their game on a high note, concluding their first three possessions with points scored. Jonah Dalmas successfully converted field goals of 24 and 23 yards, sandwiching Jeanty’s electrifying 54-yard touchdown run that placed the Broncos ahead 13-0 with 7:06 remaining in the first half.
This impressive 54-yard effort saw Jeanty exploit a gap on the right side before sprinting along the edge, making it to the end zone unscathed. Notably, this was his seventh touchdown run of 50 yards or more this season.
Entering the matchup, Jeanty boasted an average of 10.9 yards per carry and 206.3 rushing yards per game. At the conclusion of the first quarter, he had already amassed 93 rushing yards on just eight carries, and by halftime, those numbers rose to 115 yards on 15 carries.
Hawaii managed to score with 3:24 left in the second quarter, courtesy of a 28-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Schager to Tylan Hines.
Following a quiet third quarter, Boise State finally extended their lead with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Maddux Madsen to Jeanty early in the final period. In the game’s closing moments, Madsen connected with Austin Bolt for a 44-yard touchdown pass.
Madsen concluded the night with 17 successful passes out of 25 attempts, accumulating 217 passing yards.
In terms of defensive performance, Boise State’s team has showcased a strong offensive presence throughout the season yet has faced challenges on the defensive end, particularly against the pass. As of Saturday, their opponents had averaged nearly 280 passing yards per game, placing them 123rd nationally. Hawaii ended the match with 264 passing yards.
On the other hand, Hawaii has shown some defensive prowess under their first-year defensive coordinator, Dennis Thurman. The Rainbow Warriors currently lead the Mountain West Conference in scoring defense, allowing just 19.0 points per game, along with top honors in total defense at 309.4 yards per game, managing to restrict Boise State to their least scoring output this season.
As for the impact of this game on rankings, following No. 16 Utah’s defeat to unranked Arizona State, Boise State is likely to climb a position or two in Sunday’s AP Top 25 release.
Looking ahead, Boise State will enjoy a 13-day break before their next game against UNLV on October 25.
Hawaii, meanwhile, will be on the road to face Washington State next Saturday, marking their inaugural trip to Pullman, Washington.
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