2019 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game

The 2019 Mountain West Conference Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 7, 2019, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, to determine the 2019 champion of the Mountain West Conference (MW).[2] The game featured the Mountain division champions Boise State and the West division champions Hawaii, and was the conference's seventh championship game.

2019 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Boise State Broncos (9–4) (11–1) 10 31 Head coach:  Nick Rolovich Head coach:  Bryan Harsin AP Coaches CFP 19 17 19
1 2 3 4 Total Hawaii 3 0 0 7 10 Boise State 3 14 14 0 31
Date	December 7, 2019
Season	2019
Stadium	Albertsons Stadium
Location	Boise, ID
MVP	Jaylon Henderson (offense) and Sonatane Lui (defense), Boise State
Favorite	Boise State by 14.5[1]
Referee	Cooper Castleberry
Attendance	23,561
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), and Lauren Sisler (sideline)

2019 Mountain West Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mountain Division
No. 23 Boise State xy$		8	–	0					12	–	2
No. 22 Air Force		7	–	1					11	–	2
Utah State		6	–	2					7	–	6
Wyoming		4	–	4					8	–	5
Colorado State		3	–	5					4	–	8
New Mexico		0	–	8					2	–	10
West Division
Hawaii xy		5	–	3					10	–	5
San Diego State x		5	–	3					10	–	3
Nevada		4	–	4					7	–	6
San Jose State		2	–	6					5	–	7
UNLV		2	–	6					4	–	8
Fresno State		2	–	6					4	–	8
Championship: Boise State 31, Hawaii 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The 2018 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game featured Mountain Division champion Boise State against West Division champion Fresno State in the conference's sixth championship game. The Bulldogs upset the Broncos in overtime.[3]

Teams

The 2019 MW Conference Championship Game was contested by the Boise State Broncos, Mountain Division champions, and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, West Division champions. The teams have met 16 times previously, with Boise State holding a 13–3 edge in the series. The teams' last meeting came earlier this 2019 season; Boise State won, 59–37. Hawaii's last victory in the series came in 2007, when they defeated BSU 39–27.[4] This will be the teams' first meeting in the MW Championship.

Boise State

Boise State clinched its spot in the Championship Game after its November 23 win over Utah State.[5] This is Boise State's third consecutive and fourth overall appearance in the Championship Game. Boise State continues to represent the Mountain division for three consecutive MW Championship Games since the first game in 2013 and the first school to host the game for three years in a row.[6] The Broncos compiled a 2–1 record in the game, winning in 2014 and in 2017.

Hawaii

Hawaii earned its spot after clinching the West Division title on November 23 with a win over San Diego State.[7] This will be Hawaii's first appearance in the title game.[8]

Game summary

2019 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawaii	3	0	0	7	10
No. 19 Boise State	3	14	14	0	31

at Albertsons Stadium • Boise, Idaho

• Date: Saturday, December 7, 2019
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST (2:00 p.m. MST)
• Game attendance: 23,561
• Referee: Cooper Castleberry
• TV announcers (ESPN): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), and Lauren Sisler (sideline)
• ESPN game summary

Game information

First Quarter (6:44) HAW – Ryan Meskell 47 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 35 yards, 6:52; Hawaii 3–0) (0:30) BSU – Eric Sachse 34 yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 58 yards, 6:14; Tied 3–3) Second Quarter (1:07) BSU – Jaylon Henderson 36 yard pass to Khalil Shakir, Eric Sachse kick (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:37; Boise State 10–3) (0:14) BSU – Jaylon Henderson 36 yard pass to John Hightower, Eric Sachse kick (Drive: 2 plays, 57 yards, 0:24; Boise State 17–3) Third Quarter (1:09) BSU – Khalil Shakir 4 yard rush, Eric Sachse kick (Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 5:54; Boise State 24–3) (0:18) BSU – Jaylon Henderson 5 yard rush, Eric Sachse kick (Drive: 2 plays, 9 yards, 0:41; Boise State 31–3) Fourth Quarter (12:00) HAW – Miles Reed 21 yard rush, Ryan Meskell kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:18; Boise State 31–10)

Statistics

Statistics	HAW	BSU
First downs	16	20
Total yards	62–320	68–364
Rushes–yards	26–79	37–144
Passing yards	241	220
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20–36–1	21–31–1
Time of possession	27:53	32:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Hawaii	Passing	Cole McDonald	20/36, 241 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Miles Reed	12 carries, 87 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jason-Matthew Sharsh	7 receptions, 74 yards
Boise State	Passing	Jaylon Henderson	20/29, 212 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	George Holani	16 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Khalil Shakir	7 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD

See also

• List of Mountain West Conference football champions

References

1. "Hawai'i vs. Boise State - Game Summary - December 7, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
2. "2019 Mountain West Football Championship Game to Air on ESPN". themw.com. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
3. Kuwada, Robert. "Bulldogs make plays they often missed against Boise State, win Mountain West title". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
4. "Winsipedia - Boise State Broncos vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
5. Counts, Ron (November 24, 2019). "Boise State clinches Mountain Division title behind another career night by Holani". Idaho Statesman.
6. Tust, Jay. "Boise State will host the Mountain West Championship game for the third straight year". KTVB. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
7. Arnett, Paul (November 23, 2019). "Hawaii beats San Diego State to reach Mountain West title game". Star Advertiser.
8. Kenney, Kirk (November 23, 2019). "Aztecs see Mountain West championship game hopes end on missed FG at Hawaii". San Diego Union Tribune.