Broncos Beat Bronco: Cougars Blue It, Riley Nelson Benched

The Broncos had abandoned kicking field goals after a miss midway through the first quarter, repeatedly going for it on fourth down. They failed to convert any of those attempts, but it did suggest that had BYU tied the game in the fourth, they would have had a decent chance at seeing overtime. BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall made the opposite call, and an incomplete pass on the two-point attempt sealed the game for Boise State.

Rankings Ramifications: Boise State’s position at the bottom of the rankings is a precarious one, and this performance isn’t likely to help them hold on.

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Check the national college football scoreboard right here, and look through SB Nation’s many excellent college football blogs to find your team’s community.

I’m not sure if this is the first official FAT GUY TOUCHDOWN of the college football season, but the 6’, 306-pound Mike “Bacon” Atkinson surely qualifies. I mean that in the greatest way possible. He’s even a No. 99. And from Canada. And was once drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. What a treat.

I did not finish typing that before the fourth turnover occurred. It appears Tayson Hill will be taking over.

Boise State has finished in the top five in scoring offense for three years in a row. BYU is the school of Ty Detmer, LaVell Edwards and like a thousand quarterback of the year award winners. Both schools contributed mightily to the legacy of the fading WAC, the nation’s finest-ever conference for late-night scoreboard mayhem.

So when Boise State coach Chris Petersen was asked at halftime what he was most disappointed with regarding his scoreless Broncos against the scoreless Cougars ...

Boise State special teams, am I right? Were it not for special teamery, Kellen Moore would’ve famously finished his college career approximately one million and oh. Already tonight against BYU, the Broncos have missed a field goal and done ... this while deep in their own territory in a scoreless first half:

We greatly appreciate the boldness, as always, but that poor blocker was simply unprepared for what struck him. There are basically only two conclusions to arrive at here:

For more on Cougars football, visit BYU blog Vanquish The Foe. For more on Broncos football, visit Boise State blog OBNUG, plus SB Nation Denver. And you should probably start reading Big East Coast Bias.