BOISE, Idaho — Jake Haener threw for 184 yards and a touchdown, Nikko Remigio returned a punt 70 yards for a score, and Fresno State defeated Boise State 28-16 to win the Mountain West Conference championship Saturday afternoon.
Fresno State (9-4) overcame a 1-4 start to the season and a rash of injuries to win its final eight games, claiming the program’s third Mountain West crown.
“We’ve come a long way since the first part of the year when a lot of people didn’t believe in us,” Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford said. “But the staff did and the kids did. … It’s nice to see them happy.”
Boise State (9-4), which won 40-20 in the regular-season matchup between the teams, fell to 3-3 in Mountain West title games.
“We have to tip our hat to (Fresno State),” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said. “We obviously didn’t accomplish what we set out to do today, but we accomplished a lot of things this year. … And we do get one more opportunity in a bowl game.”
Haener, who didn’t play in the first meeting against Boise State due to an ankle injury, took full advantage of every miscue by the Broncos. The offensive MVP was five of eight on third downs and led two key scoring drives in the fourth quarter.
“This is the golden boy of the conference and … to come up here against one of our biggest rivals in the conference, it definitely means more,” Haener said.
Boise State controlled the game early but struggled to find the end zone, clinging to a 3-0 lead late in the first half. But that all changed when Fresno State scored two touchdowns in a span of 2:36 right before halftime.
Remigio’s electric return snaking back and forth across the field sparked Fresno State before defensive player of the game Cameron Lockridge — a former University of Hawaii defensive back — intercepted the first of two passes, returning it 25 yards to the Broncos’ 17-yard line. Three plays later, Jordan Mims scored on a 2-yard run to put the Bulldogs up 14-3. They never relinquished the lead.
After Boise State edged within 14-9 in the third quarter, Fresno State tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Jordan Mims rushed for 83 yards and a pair of scores for Fresno State.
Boise State’s Taylen Green was 17-of-38 passing for 175 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
It was the last year that the winners of two divisions, the Mountain and the West, met in the championship game. Starting in 2023, the MWC's divisions are no more and the top two teams by winning percentage will meet for the title.