Rypien leads Boise State to 34-14 win at Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Playing in hazy conditions caused by smoke from a forest fire burning the area, Boise State's Brett Rypien burned another defense to record his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game this season.

Rypien completed 28 of 42 pass attempts for two touchdowns and 342 yards in leading the Broncos over Wyoming 34-14 on Saturday.

Boise State (3-1, 1-0 Mountain West Conference) scored on four of their first six possessions in the first half to gain a 24-0 halftime advantage and were never threatened the rest of the game.

Rypien entered the game as Boise State's career leader in 300-yard games and now has 18. Also, he has yet to throw an interception this season after four games, which is a school record.

"Once we realized that we could run by them a little bit, on the outside there, we started to get some one-on-one opportunities, we took advantage of them and then it kind of opened things up," Rypien said.

Broncos coach Bryan Harsin credited Rypien's success to how he prepares before each game.

"He's very focused, very intentional about what he does, and I think it shows up on the field," Harsin said. "He's as consistent week to week as I've been around."

A.J Richardson caught six passes for 113 yards and one TD, a 21-yard score. John Hightower caught the other TD pass from Rypien.

As tiny specks of ash floated into War Memorial Stadium from a wildfire in the region, Wyoming (2-3, 0-1) could muster little offense against the Boise State defense. The Cowboys, who have lost 12 of 13 contests against the Broncos, managed just 12 total net yards in the first quarter and 73 for the half. Wyoming converted just two of 11 third-down attempts during the game and gave up five sacks.

Nico Evans led the Cowboys with 141 yards on 12 carries, including a 75-yard TD run on the first play of the third quarter.

"If you go against a good team like Boise you can't start slow," Evans said. "The one thing we told ourselves is if we wanted to win we had to start off fast, and we just didn't do that tonight."

Tyler Vander Waal completed 15 of 25 passes for 214 yards and one TD, but most of the success coming when the game was no longer in doubt.

THE TAKEAWAY

Boise State is hoping to re-establish itself in The AP college football poll with the road victory. The Broncos had been ranked No. 17 earlier but fell out of the poll after losing to Oklahoma State 44-21 back on Sept. 15. Since 1996, when the Broncos joined the FBS ranks, they have returned to The AP poll after being dropped in the same season four times.

Harsin said he was proud to see his team bounce back after the loss to Oklahoma State.

"That is how you want to see your team respond," he said.

Wyoming is left licking its wounds after a disappointing start to a season in which it had hoped to contend for a conference title behind a strong defensive unit, despite having to replace quarterback Josh Allen, who is now starting for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. But with its offense struggling, the Wyoming defense has been worn down during games.

Boise State's offense held the ball for more than 40 minutes, compared to less than 20 minutes for the Cowboys offense.

Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said his team played marginally "at best" and need to play with better discipline.

"We've got some good ability, but I think we've got to make sure our guys are playing with some confidence, but the other thing we've got to do is we're playing some undisciplined football and that goes on my shoulders," Bohl said.

BOUNCE BACK BRONCOS

Under fifth-year coach Harsin, Boise State has not lost two straight road games in the same season.

UP NEXT

Boise State returns home Saturday to play San Diego State in another conference matchup.

Wyoming travels to league opponent Hawaii on Saturday for the first of two games on the road over the next couple of weeks.

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