The Boise State football program has made its name beating big-time opponents.
Le’Veon Bell made sure Michigan State didn’t become the Broncos’ latest victim.
Bell rushed for two touchdowns and delivered the best performance of his career to lead the No. 13-ranked Spartans to a 17-13 victory over No. 24 Boise State on Friday night at Spartan Stadium.
Bell rushed for a career-high 210 yards and had two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 8:12 remaining in the fourth quarter to lift MSU.
The junior became the first Spartan tailback to eclipse the 200-yard rushing mark since Javon Ringer did on Sept. 20, 2008, against Notre Dame. He had 44 carries – tied for the fourth-most in MSU history.
Bell, who also had a career-high seven catches for 65 yards, put the Spartans ahead early, scoring a 1-yard run on the opening drive.
Both teams then traded field goals with the Broncos capitalizing on an interception by Jamar Taylor to get on the board with Michael Frisina’s 23-yard field goal with 4:39 left in the opening quarter. Dan Conroy added a career-long 50-yard field goal at the 1:39 mark in the first.
Boise State scored 10 unanswered points in the second quarter to take the lead. Jeremy Ioane returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown and Frisina added a 19-yard field goal to give the Broncos their first lead at 13-10.
That lead stood until Bell’s fourth-quarter touchdown.
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Chris Petersen and the Broncos didn’t go down easily. As expected the Spartan D, and the run game would have to step up big while Maxwell and his receivers gain experience. Le’Veon Bell…wow! Great Spartan win!
where was caper in the 2nd half? hill got the minimal backup carries in the second half whereas caper got them in the first. Another injury? I hope not…
What a game, an instant classic, love those Spartans!
In person, Mr Bell was indeed impressive. O line finally got their act together in the 4th. Agent 86 had more time than he thought. Needs to clear the mechanism. Great game in a pressure cooker, folks. (we were supposed to win)
Happy for the W against a good team. Positives to build on and work still to be done. Next week should provide a chance to get the offense firing on all cylinders. Bell’s health will need to be protected by improvements in the passing game before we get into the meat of the schedule.
Non sibi sed patriae! Roll Tide! Go Green!!
I was very happy our team found a way to win tonight, when it appeared they did not have it in them. For the longest time, Andrew Maxwell looked like he was going to give the game away with interceptions. In fairness to Maxwell, our receivers could not hold onto the ball, and they screwed up several turnovers. Our defense did a great job, and really came up strong in the clutch. The outcome was fantastic, as Boise State it does not give up a loss easily. Think about the number of losses they have during the last five years. The Spartans just put one on them in the opener. That constitutes a great night.
Hey fantastic day with all the usual suspects, thanks for dropping by the tailgate and enjoying a tenderloin sandwich. Chris, you missed out.
Sorry I missed it. Let me know if you’re up this way for the ND game.
Here’s something for you guys to chew on: MSU’s defense did all of this damage without a tackle from William Gholston. His stats: one pass breakup (second BSU drive) and one QB hit (that resulted in a 15-yard roughing the passer call).
I really couldn’t tell if he was double teamed very often, either.
It was a great sandwich. Thank you!
The Best – Tina