Boise State scored a nice Mountain West Conference victory Saturday night, but quarterback Joe Southwick suffered a broken ankle that will keep him out of action for an undetermined amount of time. Boise State defeated Nevada, 34-17.
Southwick suffered the broken ankle on Boise State’s first offensive snap of the game. Southwick rushed for a seven-yard gain before being tackled by Nevada’s Jonathan McNeal. Grant Hedrick took over from there. After the game, Boise State head coach Chris Petersen said only that Southwick broke his ankle and is out for a while.
Hedrick managed to run the offense just fine for the Broncos. He was efficient and accurate with his pass selections, completing 18 of 21 attempts for 150 yards and used his legs to open thigns up with 115 rushing yards and two touchdown runs. Running back Jay Ajayi also stepped up to carry the offense with 222 rushing yards and three touchdowns. On this night, the running game was able to carry Boise State to a victory. If Southwick is going to miss some significant time though, they may need a few big plays from the arm of Hedrick.
Boise State remains in first place in the Mountain West Conference’s West Division but has some challenges ahead of them before thinking about a potential rematch with Fresno State in the conference championship game. Next up will be a non-conference game on the road against BYU next Friday night.