Live coverage: The latest as No. 9 BYU football plays at No. 21 Boise State – Deseret News

BYU vs. Boise State has become an annual college football tradition and this year, the game holds even more weight.

It’s the first time both teams are ranked in the national polls when they meet — the Cougars are ranked No. 9 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls, while the Broncos are No. 21 in the AP and No. 23 in the Coaches.

On top of that, BYU comes into the game sporting a 7-0 record after beating Western Kentucky 41-10 last week. The Cougars are hoping to stay in the discussion for a New Year’s Six bowl, or even keep some slim hopes open for a College Football Playoff bid.

A victory over Boise State would go a long way toward getting BYU a high-profile bowl matchup this year.

The Broncos, meanwhile, are 2-0 with wins over Utah State and Air Force and looked dominant in both games.

Boise State has BYU’s number in Boise — the Broncos are 5-0 over the Cougars on the blue turf. Boise State also holds a 7-3 series edge over BYU.

The game kicks off at 8 p.m. MST — the start time was slid back 15 minutes by TV — and will be televised on Fox Sports 1. Follow along with the game action in our live coverage below.

Live coverage

11:27, fourth quarter

BYU 45, Boise State 3

BYU capitalizes on a short field after Khyiris Tonga blocks a punt, and a 1-yard score by Neil Pau’u gives the Cougars a 42-point lead.

End of third quarter

BYU 38, Boise State 3

A few notes from a dominant third quarter:

• BYU put up 230 yards of offense on its three touchdown drives in the third, and 179 of that came through the air
• The Cougars averaged 12.8 yards per play in the quarter, while Boise State averaged 3 and had 45 yards of total offense
• Zach Wilson completed 8 of 10 passes in the third as the Cougars scored 22 points

1:26, third quarter

BYU 38, Boise State 3

While the Broncos are on their fourth-string quarterback, the Cougars are simply humming on offense. This time, Zach Wilson leads a 72-yard drive that ends with a 20-yard touchdown run by Lopini Katoa. Wilson has completed 19 of 25 passes for 302 yards.

6:57, third quarter

BYU 31, Boise State 3

The Cougars are really opening this one up, as Zach Wilson delivers a 20-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Rex, his second score of the quarter, to make it a four-score game. The Cougars drive 72 yards in six plays, and Wilson completes 3 of 4 passes for 64 yards while tossing a 39-yarder to Dax Milne and a 5-yarder to Rex on a fourth-and-2 right before the score.

12:48, third quarter

BYU 23, Boise State 3

Zach Wilson shows off his arm strength on a scoring drive to start the second half, hitting Dax Milne for a 38-yard pass on third down, then throwing 38 yards to Gunner Romney on the next play.

He capped the five-play, 86-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Rex, and the Cougars are in charge. Wilson, despite some struggles, is now 15 of 19 passing for 210 yards and a touchdown.

End of second quarter

BYU 16, Boise State 3

A few notes from the first half:

• BYU failed to score on two Boise State turnovers, particularly damaging considering the Cougars started with the ball inside the Broncos 40 on both turnovers. On the final play of the half, Zach Wilson threw a 22-yard pass to Dax Milne, but with no timeouts and facing a fourth down, the Cougars wasted too much time and ran out the clock when a field goal was possible

• Neil Pau’u and Tyler Allgeier had nice first halves for the Cougars. With Boise State bottling up Dax Milne, Pau’u caught four passes for 47 yards, while Allgeier had 94 rushing yards — including the opening 86-yard TD run — on six carries
• Outside of Allgeier’s 86-yard run, the offenses have been relatively even. BYU has 245 yards of total offense, while Boise State has 141
• Bracken El-Bakri has seven tackles at the half, while Khyiris Tonga has three tackles and a forced fumble
• BYU is 1 of 5 on third down, while Boise State is 3 of 9
• The Broncos have a 19:46 to 10:14 edge in time of possession, keeping the Cougar offense from getting much momentum going

1:00, second quarter

BYU 16, Boise State 3

BYU goes on an impressive 96-yard touchdown drive right before the half, and Zach Wilson scores his eighth touchdown run of the year on a 4-yarder. The Cougars needed just 1:26 and eight plays to score on the drive.

4:30, second quarter

BYU 10, Boise State 3

The Cougars squander a chance to add to their lead after true freshman Caleb Christensen intercepted Cade Fennegan, setting BYU up at the Boise State 39. BYU struggled to move the ball, though, and Zach Wilson tripped and lost 8 yards on a fourth-and-4 play to give the ball back to the Broncos. At this point, Jack Sears hasn’t returned and it appears Fennegan will be who the Broncos have to go with at quarterback.

14:54, second quarter

BYU 10, Boise State 3

The Cougars cap their second drive with a 47-yard Jake Oldroyd field goal. BYU drives 52 yards on 11 plays to make it a touchdown game again.

End of first quarter

BYU 7, Boise State 3

A few notes from the opening quarter:

• BYU has outgained the Broncos 147 yards to 79, and has a fourth down in field-goal territory to start the second quarter
• Boise State has the more accurate passing game — Jack Sears and Cade Fennegan have combined to go 7 of 9 for 63 yards, while Zach Wilson is 4 of 7 for 46 yards
• Boise State is 2 of 5 on third down, BYU is 1 of 2
• The Cougars are averaging 12.2 yards per play, Boise State is averaging 4.2

3:27, first quarter

BYU 7, Boise State 3

The Broncos respond to BYU’s touchdown, though Boise State quarterback Jack Sears left with an injury. In came third-stringer Cade Fennegan, who led the team down for a 39-yard Jonah Dalmas field goal to get the Broncos on the board on a 16-play, 53-yard drive.

11:41, first quarter

BYU 7, Boise State 0

BYU typically has fallen behind early on the blue turf against Boise State. Not this time, though, as Tyler Allgeier runs for a career-long 86-yard run and a touchdown on the Cougars’ second play from scrimmage to cap a 95-yard drive.

On their first drive, the Broncos got into BYU territory with a pass on their first play following the opening kick, but the Cougar defense responded and quickly shut down the possession.

Pre-game

Here are a few links to stories you may want to read prior to or during the game:

Deseret News BYU football beat writer Jay Drew provides a few personnel updates:

A look at the signature blue turf at Boise State before tonight’s game:

Both teams arrive at Albertsons Stadium: