Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty began the weekend with a message from a legend and capped an impressive Friday night at Albertsons Stadium by hoisting a couple of trophies.
NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders had some words of encouragement for the Heisman Trophy contender before Friday’s Mountain West Championship game in Boise, Idaho.
“Hey @AshtonJeanty2 – wishing you good luck tonight,” Sanders wrote on Twitter/X. “My fans can gripe, but records are meant to be broken & I am rooting for you.”
Sanders, one of the greatest Detroit Lions of all time, set the NCAA record with 2,628 rushing yards in 1988 at Oklahoma State.
Jeanty is still a few yards shy of that one, but he racked up 209 yards and a touchdown to lead the No. 10 Broncos to a 21-7 win over No. 20 UNLV.
The win marked Boise State’s second straight Mountain West title and its record sixth championship since joining the conference in 2011. The Broncos have won five outright titles since 2014. They also shared the title with Fresno State and San Diego State in 2012. TCU, BYU, and Utah all won four titles before leaving the conference. All three now compete in the Big 12.
Jeanty didn’t just hoist the Mountain West trophy in front of 36,663 fans, which is the most that has attended the title game in its history, breaking last year’s record of 31,473. He also took home the Offensive MVP trophy thanks in large part to a 75-yard touchdown run that gave the Broncos a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.
He got some help from quarterback Maddux Madsen, who finished the game 18-of-27 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown and added a rushing touchdown. The defense also harassed UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams all night, holding him to 110 passing yards and sacking him six times. Safety Seyi Oladipo was named Defensive MVP after leading Boise State with 10 tackles and notching a sack and a forced fumble.
What’s Next?
Boise State didn’t just continue its dominance of the Mountain West on Friday. The Broncos also locked up a likely top-four seed in the College Football Playoff and a first-round bye.
The playoff expanded to 12 teams this year. The five highest-ranked conference champions earn automatic berths and the remaining seven highest-ranked teams fill out the field.
Boise State was No. 10 in the latest CFP rankings, but the Broncos were the No. 4 seed, which means they would secure a first-round bye as the fourth highest-ranked conference champion. In that scenario, their next game would be in the quarterfinals on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1 against the winner of an opening-round game.
The Broncos will learn their fate during the CFP selection show at noon ET Sunday on ESPN.
The season isn’t over for UNLV. With Boise State heading to the playoffs, the Rebels will likely represent the Mountain West in the LA Bowl on Dec. 18.
Did Ashton Jeanty Lock Up The Heisman?
Jeanty notched his sixth 200-yard rushing performance of the season and broke a couple more Boise State records on Friday.
He is now Boise State’s all-time leading rusher, passing Cedric Minter, who posted 4,475 rushing yards between 1977 and 1980. Jeanty is now No. 1 in program history after racking up 4,665 yards in just three seasons.
He also scored his 29th rushing touchdown of the season, breaking Jay Ajayi’s single-season program record. Jeanty is now tied with Ajayi and Brock Forsey with 50 career rushing touchdowns, which ranks No. 2 in program history. He also holds Boise State records for rushing yards in a season and rushing touchdowns in a game.
Jeanty is just the fourth running back to score 50 career touchdowns in Mountain West history. He leads the nation with 2,497 rushing yards and has at the very least locked up a spot in the Heisman Trophy ceremony, which is scheduled for Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Four finalists are expected to be announced on Monday. Jeanty possibly will be joined by Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
