2018 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game

The 2018 Mountain West Conference Championship Game was played on Saturday, December 1, 2018, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, to determine the 2018 football champion of the Mountain West Conference (MW). For the second consecutive year, the game featured the West Division champion Fresno State Bulldogs visiting the Mountain Division champion Boise State Broncos. The game was broadcast nationally by ESPN for the fourth consecutive year.

2018 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Fresno State Bulldogs Boise State Broncos
(10–2) (10–2)
19 16
Head coach: 
Jeff Tedford		 Head coach: 
Bryan Harsin
APCoachesCFP
252325
APCoachesCFP
192022
1234OT Total
Fresno State 73306 19
Boise State 70063 16
DateDecember 1, 2018
Season2018
StadiumAlbertsons Stadium
LocationBoise, ID
MVPAlexander Mattison (Offense, Boise State)
Mykal Walker (Defense, Fresno State)
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersSteve Levy (Play-By-Play)
Brian Griese (Analyst)
Todd McShay (Sidelines)
2018 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Mountain Division
No. 23 Boise State x  7 –1     10 –3  
No. 22 Utah State  7 –1     11 –2  
Wyoming  4 –4     6 –6  
Air Force  3 –5     5 –7  
Colorado State  2 –6     3 –9  
New Mexico  1 –7     3 –9  
West Division
No. 18 Fresno State x$  7 –1     12 –2  
Nevada  5 –3     8 –5  
Hawaii  5 –3     8 –6  
San Diego State  4 –4     7 –6  
UNLV  2 –6     4 –8  
San Jose State  1 –7     1 –11  
Championship: Fresno State 19, Boise State 16 (OT)
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

Both Boise State and Fresno State finished the conference season with a 7–1 record. Boise State earned the right to host the championship due to their win over Fresno State on November 9 in Boise.[1] After also meeting twice during the 2017 season, this was the fourth time the two teams met in a span of 372 days.

The 2018 championship game was the sixth edition of the event. In the 2017 championship game, Boise State defeated Fresno State 17–14. The two schools also met in the 2014 game.

In a low-scoring game on a snow-covered field, the teams played to a 13–13 tie through regulation. In overtime, Boise State was held to a field goal, while Fresno State scored a touchdown to win, 19–16.

Teams

Fresno State
Main article: 2018 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

The Bulldogs finished the season 10–2 overall record, with a 7–1 conference record to be champions of the West Division. Their only conference loss came to Boise State. Fresno State enters the game ranked No. 25 in the College Football Playoff rankings and AP poll.

Boise State
Main article: 2018 Boise State Broncos football team

Boise State finished with a 10–2 overall record, with a 7–1 conference record, with their only conference loss coming to San Diego State. The Broncos tied Utah State for first place in the Mountain Division. However, the Broncos won the head-to-head meeting to be crowned Mountain Division champions as the Mountain West does not recognize co-champions in a two-way tie. Boise State enters the game ranked No. 22 in the College Football Playoff rankings, No. 19 in the AP poll, and No. 20 in the Coaches poll.

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP FRES BSU
1 9:03 3 20 1:08 FRES Michiah Quick 15-yard touchdown reception from Marcus McMaryion, Asa Fuller kick good 7 0
1 1:56 15 75 7:07 BSU Sean Modster 10-yard touchdown reception from Brett Rypien, Haden Hoggarth kick good 7 7
2 3:20 10 51 3:32 FRES 44-yard field goal by Asa Fuller 10 7
3 11:07 9 43 3:53 FRES 38-yard field goal by Asa Fuller 13 7
4 8:01 7 87 3:09 BSU Alexander Mattison 34-yard touchdown run, Haden Hoggarth kick blocked 13 13
OT 6 19 BSU 23-yard field goal by Haden Hoggarth 13 16
OT 5 25 FRES Ronnie Rivers 1-yard touchdown run 19 16
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 19 16

[2]

Statistics
1 2 3 4OT Total
No. 25 Bulldogs 7 3 3 06 19
No. 19 Broncos 7 0 0 63 16
Statistics[3]Fresno StateBoise State
Total Yards 288 350
Passing Yards 170 125
Rushing Yards 118 225
First Downs 14 22
Penalties 6-50 6-50
Turnovers 2 1
Time of Possession 23:58 36:02

References
  1. "MOUNTAIN WEST ANNOUNCES NEW FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP HOST DETERMINATION PROCEDURE". Mountain West Conference. July 23, 2018.
  2. http://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=401056700
  3. "Fresno State vs. Boise State - Team Statistics - December 1, 2018". ESPN. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
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