Utah State vs. Boise St Recap: Riley Clears 90 as Boise Covers

Boise State beat Utah State 37-18 at home and had this one in hand by the second quarter. Dylan Riley scored on a 5-yard run, Maddux Madsen found Matt Wagner for an 11-yard touchdown, and Riley broke a 33-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0. Jake Ripp added a 21-yard pick-six before halftime, and Boise led 28-10 at the break. Madsen completed 17 of 21 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Three DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

What cashed

Boise State ML (-1450 at DraftKings): CASHED

• Our read: Boise State was a 19.5-point home favorite over a 1-3 Utah State team. At -1450 this was a parlay anchor, not a standalone play.
• What happened: Boise won by 19 and never trailed. It outgained Utah State 429 to 345 and converted 8 of 13 third downs.
• Worth watching: Big home favorites against struggling teams are fine parlay legs. The price means the value is in what you pair them with.

ALT: Boise State -10.5 (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED

• Our read: The main line was -19.5. Utah State was 1-3, and QB Grady Brosterhous had 6 interceptions against 4 touchdowns. Boise RB Dylan Riley had 592 yards through four games.
• What happened: Boise covered by 8.5. It got tighter than the halftime score suggested. A Rasean Jones fumble set up Utah State at the Boise 30, and Brosterhous hit Eli Wood for a 31-yard touchdown plus a two-point conversion to cut it to 31-18 with 9:32 left. Boise answered right away with a 3-play, 75-yard drive, and Madsen's 11-yard touchdown pass to Ben Ford restored a 19-point lead.
• Worth watching: Trimming nine points off a big spread gave room for a late push like this one. That gap is worth checking when the main line is near 20.

ALT: Dylan Riley 90+ rushing yards (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED

• Our read: Riley had 206, 198 and 138 rushing yards in his previous three games on 19 to 28 carries. With Boise a 19.5-point favorite, we expected a run-heavy second half.
• What happened: Riley finished with 18 carries for 93 yards and two touchdowns, 3.5 yards over. This was the closest of the three. He had 69 yards on 11 carries at halftime, but the second half was slower than we expected: 7 carries for 24 yards. A 6-yard run with 11:33 left took him from 87 to 93, and that was his last carry.
• Worth watching: Riley's 33-yard touchdown run did a lot of the work. Boise only ran him seven times after the break, so his carry count is the number to watch when Boise is way ahead.

How the game played out

Boise scored touchdowns on its first three drives, going 89, 70 and 78 yards. Utah State's Javen Jacobs was the best runner on the field by yards, with 139 on 10 carries, including a 64-yard run, and he also caught a 1-yard touchdown pass. After halftime, Boise's drives ended in a field goal, a punt, a fumble, a touchdown and a turnover on downs.

Trends to watch

• Madsen was efficient, averaging 11.6 yards per attempt with no interceptions.
• Utah State's biggest damage came on the ground, with 169 rushing yards on 33 carries.
• Boise was flagged just twice for 25 yards.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. New to these markets? Read up on the moneyline and parlays, or see more at the college football hub.