BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Taylen Green threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another, Boise State’s defense intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter and the Broncos held off a late rally to beat Utah State 42-23 on Friday afternoon.
Boise State (9-3, 8-0), undefeated in conference play for the third time in four years, will host Fresno State in the Mountain West Conference championship game on Dec. 3.
Utah State (6-6, 5-3) has lost 19 of its last 20 games against Boise State, the last victory coming in 1996 in Boise.
Despite the lopsided final score, the Aggies had a chance to steal the game, driving to the Boise State 11 with less than two minutes left before the wheels came off.
Cooper Legos, who completed 23 of 40 passes for 306 yards and rushed for 51 more, rallied Utah to within 28-23 before making a pair of steals in the final 1:28, including a pick-six.
Green, who completed 14 of 23 passes for 224 yards, capped the game for the Broncos with a 91-yarder with 1:09 remaining. Seyi Oladipo intercepted Legos’ final pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown with 31 seconds left.
George Holany added 82 yards on the ground for Boise State. Calvin Tyler Jr. led Utah State with 65 yards rushing.
FOR TAKE AWAY
Utah State: The Aggies finished third in the Mountain West Division, right where they were picked to finish. Considering they lost senior starting quarterback Logan Bonner to injury midway through the season, winning three of their final four games to become bowl eligible will bode well for coach Blake Anderson next season, his third at the helm programs.
Boise State: It’s no secret that the mid-season hiring of former NFL and Boise State coach Dirk Koetter as offensive coordinator sparked the Broncos’ offensive turnaround. In the offseason, coach Andy Avalos must find a replacement for Koetter, who said he is only in the position on an interim basis.
However, Avalos should have no shortage of eager candidates with the return of rookie quarterback Tylen Greene and running back Ashton Gianta.
FURTHER
Utah State is eligible for the tournament and will await its bid to find out its next opponent.
Boise State will host Fresno State on Saturday, Dec. 3 in the Mountain West Conference championship game.
___
For more on AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Subscribe to the AP Football Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2
