Playing on the bright blue turf that makes their stadium one-of-a-kind, the No. 24-ranked Boise State Broncos pushed past Brigham Young University 7-6 on Thursday night at Bronco Stadium.
The only touchdown scored by the Broncos came from the most unlikely of places, from nose tackle Mike Atkinson, who picked off a pass from BYU quarterback Riley Nelson and took it into the end zone for a 36-yard score.
"We always talk about getting interceptions and taking it to the house," said Atkinson to the Associated Press. "We always talk about it happening, but it rarely does. You don't really think when it's happening, you just react."
Both offenses struggled mightily in the game, especially BYU, who only were able to generate 200 total yards of offense.
The Broncos forced five turnovers, including three interceptions and two fumbles, and kept BYU out of the end zone until the final minutes of the game
BYU took a gamble after scoring on an 11-play, 95-yard drive. Quarterback Taysom Hill replaced Nelson and brought the ball in on a four-yard touchdown run, after which head coach Bronco Mendenhall decided to go for the win on a two-point conversion rather than the tie.
Hill took the snap and rolled outside while under pressure, but his pass into the end zone was knocked down by linebacker JC Percy.
"I wanted to win," Mendenhall said. "We had momentum for the first time in the game, moving the ball offensively. We wanted to capitalize on it. I'd do it again."
Although the defense was stout for the Broncos, the offense was another story. Quarterback Joe Southwick, who is replacing record-setting quarterback Kellen Moore, had a tough game, throwing for 145 yards on only 15 completions. The team also rushed for only 116 yards, including 112 from DJ Harper.
The Broncos also had issues converting on fourth down, attempting five times and failing each time.
"I'm ecstatic for what happened on" defense, Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. "We have to go back to the drawing board on the other side. That happens sometimes."
Coming into the game, the BYU defense was allowing only 14.3 points per game and was holding opponents to less than 60 yards on the ground.
Late in the game, Hill helped energize BYU, and finished with 72 yards rushing and their only touchdown. Mendenhall downplayed any controversy at the position for the next game.
"Riley is our quarterback," Mendenhall said after the game. "I want him to be healthy and I want him to be able to look me in the eye and tell me, 'Coach, I am absolutely ready.' I don't have any different feelings about him than I did going into this game."
Boise state had been one of the most successful college programs in recent years, winning 93 games since 1999, including a win in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma. Behind quarterback Kellen Moore, the team was 50-3 between 2008 and 2011, making Moore the winningest quarterback in division-one history.
This season the team has had to replace starts like Moore and has struggled, losing their first game to Michigan State 17-13.
Boise will next play on the road on Sept. 29 at New Mexico, while BYU will play against Hawaii on Sept. 28.
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