BOISE, Idaho — The Boise State Broncos had their win streak snapped on Saturday when they hosted BYU. The Cougars scored a touchdown with under two minutes to go in the game, making the score 31-28. The Broncos could not mount a comeback after that score.
“There are no moral victories," said head coach Andy Avalos after the game. "We set out tonight to protect The Blue and we didn’t get it done. But, we can learn a ton from it.”
The Bosie State defense struggled on Saturday, which had become a rarity in the season. BYU amassed 532 total yards on a Boise State defense that had been ranked high in several defensive categories.
On the other end of the ball, the offense was able to have some success. Redshirt Freshman Taylen Green threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns hitting eight different receivers in the process.
Although Green and the offense were unable to score with less than two minutes left, they did reach the endzone earlier in the fourth quarter to grab the lead.
“Every time he steps out on the field, every time he has a new drive, it’s a new experience," said Avalos about Green's performance. "We want to keep growing. He’s going to grow from this.”
With BYU headed to the Big 12, the two teams have no more scheduled games against each other. Next season will end an annual match-up that had lasted for over a decade.
Now at 6-3, the Broncos are still undefeated in conference play. Their goal of winning a Mountain West Championship is still very much attainable. Although, that doesn't do much to soften the blow of a loss for the players.
“It’s not like (The Mountain West Championship) not in the back of our minds but at the end of the day, we lost today so it doesn't really matter about that right now," said Safety JL Skinner. "We’re in the moment of losing and we’re just trying to figure out ways so that way this doesn’t happen again. But, of course, the Mountain West Championship is still on our mind. We still know that but it just hurts losing so we want to learn from this and continue to move forward in our journey in the Mountain West."
