Boise State rolls to 54-13 win over UTEP

BOISE, Idaho — Boise State rolled to a 54-13 win over UTEP on Friday night as the Broncos' Hank Bachmeier threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, and Stefan Cobbs added a special teams touchdown and a 61-yard scoring reception.

UTEP appeared primed to put up a fight early despite being 25-point underdogs. But six turnovers along with a defense prone to yield big plays ultimately doomed the Miners.

“You can’t beat a team in this kind of environment unless you play really good football, and obviously we didn’t play well enough to beat [Boise State]. Not to take anything away from them, they played a great game,” UTEP head football Coach Dana Dimel said. “But we didn’t play well and had way too many turnovers. We did a lot of good things offensively in the first half until the very end there when we threw the pick and they ended up getting a score out of that.”

The Miners fell to 2-1 before a bye week and then hosting New Mexico in a rivalry game. Boise State's record improved to 1-1 as it gave first-year coach Andy Avalos his first win and the program’s 20th straight home opening victory.

With the score tied 3-3 in the first quarter, Cobbs wove through traffic after fielding a punt before breaking out of the swarming UTEP coverage team and racing 81 yards for a touchdown.

Bachmeier took over from there, hitting seven different receivers in leading the Broncos on six consecutive scoring drives. Andrew Van Buren also rushed for a pair of touchdowns for the Broncos.

Quarterback Gavin Hardison led the Miners with 15-of-24 passing for 223 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

THE TAKEAWAY

Boise State: The Broncos showed just how explosive their offense can be, something they will need if they intend to take down Oklahoma State next weekend. With 12 plays going for more than 15 yards, Boise State kept UTEP on its heels all night long. For a defense that’s still coming together, the team’s success this season in big games will hinge upon its ability to strike big and often.

UTEP: After falling behind quickly Friday night, the Miners abandoned their running game, the strength of their offense. They’ll need to keep turnovers to a minimum and avoid falling behind early if coach Dana Dimel hopes to see success in conference play.

UP NEXT

• UTEP will return to action at home against New Mexico on Sept. 25.
• Boise State will host Oklahoma State on Sept. 18.