Heisman Trophy front-runner Ashton Jeanty rushed for 128 yards and one touchdown to help No. 17 Boise State notch a 29-24 victory over UNLV on Friday night in a Mountain West showdown in Las Vegas.
Maddux Madsen was 18-of-33 passing for 209 yards and one touchdown and also added a rushing score for the Broncos (6-1, 3-0). Matt Lauter caught a touchdown pass for Boise State, which defeated UNLV for the eighth straight time.
Hajj-Malik Williams completed 12 of 21 passes for 179 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for the Rebels (6-2, 2-1). He also rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts.
Jaden Bradley and Kaleo Ballungay caught touchdown passes for UNLV, which last beat a ranked opponent in 2008 (Arizona State).
Jeanty carried the ball a career-high 33 times but had trouble finding holes in a UNLV defense that was intent on stopping him. Though he topped 100 yards for the seventh straight time this season, his long run was just 16 yards while raising his national-leading rushing yardage total to 1,376.
Jeanty plunged in on fourth-and-goal from the UNLV 1-yard line to give the Broncos the winning points with 12:38 remaining in the game. The ensuing 2-point conversion pass was incomplete.
UNLV scored two third-quarter touchdowns to take a 24-23 edge.
Williams scored on a 5-yard run to start the second half and pull the Rebels within three. Jonah Dalmas answered with a 29-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 23-17 lead.
UNLV moved ahead on Williams’ 34-yard scoring pass to Bradley with 1:03 remaining in the quarter.
Dalmas (37 yards) and UNLV’s Caden Chittenden (28) traded field goals early in the game before Williams tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to the wide-open Ballungay to give the Rebels a 10-3 lead with 4:30 left in the opening quarter.
Dalmas kicked a 44-yard field goal with 9:22 left in the second quarter but the Broncos scored two late touchdowns during a 17-point quarter for a 20-10 halftime lead.
Madsen scored on a 7-yard scramble with 1:50 left to give Boise State a three-point lead. Then Adrian Simpson intercepted Williams’ pass and returned it 25 yards to the UNLV 7, setting up Madsen’s 2-yard pass to Lauter with six seconds remaining.
