No. 11 Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty ends Oregon State’s 2024 season with a convincing win

BOISE – Oregon State will not bowl for the first time in four years.

That became official when Ashton Jeanty rushed for 226 yards and No. 11 Boise State’s defense slowed the Beavers 34-18 on Friday afternoon at Albertsons Stadium.

Oregon State (5-7) needed to win Friday to be eligible. Things picked up after Boise State scored touchdowns on its first two drives to take a 14-0 lead. The Beavers made a modest rally in the second half, but a 17-point deficit was too much to overcome.

Oregon State posted its first full losing season — there were just seven games in 2020 — since 2019, when the Beavers were 5-7. Oregon State’s offseason begins next week with National Signing Day on Wednesday, followed by opening day of the transfer portal on Dec. 9.

The Beavers’ offense had little response except for an 83-yard touchdown run by Anthony Hankerson. OSU had 342 yards of offense, including just 226 through the air.

Hankerson rushed for 110 yards, increasing his season total to 1,082 yards, marking the 19th 1,000-yard season in school history. His 83-yard touchdown run in the second quarter is the fifth-longest in OSU history and the longest since Ryan Nall’s 89-yard run against Washington State in 2016.

OSU junior receiver Trent Walker caught four passes for 52 yards. Walker has 81 receptions this season, the sixth-highest single-season total in school history. Darrius Clemons finished the game with eight catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Boise State (11-1) kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive by winning its 10th straight game. The Broncos host the Mountain West Conference championship next Friday against either UNLV or Colorado State.

Jeanty was a workhorse, rushing 37 times for 226 yards and a touchdown. Jeanty has 2,288 rushing yards this season.

Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen worked on OSU’s defense, passing for 195 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 37 yards and another score.

Aside from a few plays, the first half was all Boise State. The Broncos led 21-7 at halftime, scored on three of their five first-half possessions and racked up 272 yards of offense.

Boise State’s possessions in the first quarter resulted in touchdowns and a 14-0 lead. The Broncos got a 14-play, 81-yard opening drive when Madsen hit Austin Bolt with an 11-yard touchdown pass. After an OSU three-and-out, Boise State increased the lead to 14-0 when Jeanty broke through up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown.

Oregon State’s defense responded by repelling Boise State on its next attack. The Beavers then stopped a Broncos drive late in the second quarter when Skyler Thomas Jeanty forced a fumble and Nikko Taylor recovered at the OSU 8.

Two plays later, the Beavers cut the deficit in half when Hankerson ran 83 yards for a touchdown with 1:48 left before halftime. It was too much time for Boise State, which quickly gained 75 yards and took a 21-7 lead when Madsen threw to Latrell Caples 6 yards for a touchdown.

The third quarter became a kicking contest as Boise State’s Jonah Dalmas hit field goals of 43 and 29 yards and OSU’s Everett Hayes hit a 37-yard throw. The Broncos took a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

Oregon State cut the deficit to 27-18 when Darrius Clemons capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown reception with 11:51 left. Clemons caught a short pass and then made two great moves to get past the BSU defense and into the end zone.

Madsen capped the scoring with a 3-yard keeper with 58 seconds left.

Oregon State is scheduled to open its 2025 season on August 30 against California at Reser Stadium.

– Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, [email protected] or @nickdaschel.

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