2020 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game

The 2020 Mountain West Conference Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 19, 2020, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada, to determine the 2020 champion of the Mountain West Conference (MWC).[4] The game featured the regular-season champions San Jose State and regular-season runners-up Boise State, and was the conference's eighth championship game.

2020 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Boise State Broncos San Jose State Spartans
(5–1) (6–0)
20 34
Head coach: 
Bryan Harsin		 Head coach: 
Brent Brennan
APCoachesCFP
252524
1234 Total
Boise State 3377 20
San Jose State 712015 34
DateDecember 19, 2020
Season2020
StadiumSam Boyd Stadium
LocationWhitney, NV
MVPNick Starkel (offensive) and Cade Hall (defensive), San Jose State[1]
FavoriteBoise State by 6.5[2]
RefereeScott Campbell
Attendance0
United States TV coverage
NetworkFox
AnnouncersTim Brando (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
2020 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 24 San Jose State y$  7 –0     7 –1  
Boise State y  5 –0     5 –2  
Nevada  6 –2     7 –2  
San Diego State  4 –2     4 –4  
Hawaii  4 –4     5 –4  
Fresno State  3 –3     3 –3  
Air Force  2 –2     3 –2  
Wyoming  2 –4     2 –4  
New Mexico  2 –5     2 –5  
Colorado State  1 –3     1 –3  
Utah State  1 –5     1 –5  
UNLV  0 –6     0 –6  
Championship: San Jose State 34, Boise State 20
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, the Mountain West suspended the season, but later decided to begin play on October 24.[3]
Rankings from AP Poll

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was played behind closed doors without fans.[5]

Teams

Boise State
Main article: 2020 Boise State Broncos football team

Boise State entered the championship game with a 5–1 record (5–0 in conference play). Their only loss of the season was to BYU, then ranked ninth in the AP Poll, in early November.

San Jose State
Main article: 2020 San Jose State Spartans football team

San Jose State entered the championship game with a 6–0 record, all in games played against conference opponents. Their closest game of the season was a 10-point win over Nevada on December 11. This was San Jose State's first appearance in a Mountain West Conference Championship Game.

Game summary
2020 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game
1 2 34Total
Boise State 3 3 7720
No. 24 San Jose State 7 12 01534

at Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, Nevada

  • Date: Saturday, December 19, 2020
  • Game time: 4:40 p.m. EST (1:40 p.m. PST)
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: NE 1 mph
  • Referee: Scott Campbell
  • TV announcers (Fox): Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (8:36) SJSU – Tre Walker 55 yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick (Drive: 3 plays, 71 yards, 1:48; San Jose State 7–0)
  • (3:31) BSU – Jonah Dalmas 51 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 44 yards, 5:05; San Jose State 7–3)
Second quarter
  • (14:46) SJSU – Matt Mercurio 24 yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 3:45; San Jose State 10–3)
  • (6:40) SJSU – Matt Mercurio 36 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 1:56; San Jose State 13–3)
  • (2:31) SJSU – Matt Mercurio 26 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 3:27; San Jose State 16–3)
  • (0:50) SJSU – Matt Mercurio 32 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 1:05; San Jose State 19–3)
  • (0:01) BSU – Jonah Dalmas 50 yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 0:50; San Jose State 19–6)
Third quarter
  • (2:48) BSU – Avery Williams 69 yard punt return, Jonah Dalmas kick (San Jose State 19–13)
Fourth quarter
  • (14:17) SJSU – Isaiah Hamilton 30 yard pass from Nick Starkel, 2-point pass good (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:31; San Jose State 27–13)
  • (10:51) BSU – Hank Bachmeier 2 yard rush, Jonah Dalmas kick (Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:26; San Jose State 27–20)
  • (3:48) SJSU – Derrick Deese Jr. 1 yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick (Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 4:30; San Jose State 34–20)

Statistics
StatisticsBSUSJSU
First downs1426
Plays–yards66–22477–498
Rushes–yards25–325–45
Passing yards221453
Passing: Comp–Att–Int20–40–032–52–0
Time of possession25:2734:32
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Boise StatePassingHank Bachmeier20/40, 221 yards
RushingAndrew Van Buren11 carries, 26 yards
ReceivingKhalil Shakir6 receptions, 85 yards
San Jose StatePassingNick Starkel32/52, 453 yards, 3 TD
RushingKairee Robinson12 carries, 39 yards
ReceivingTre Walker7 receptions, 137 yards, 1 TD

See also
  • List of Mountain West Conference football champions

References
  1. "Spartans Claim Conference Championship". sjsuspartans.com. December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  2. "ESPN Game Summary - Boise State vs. San Jose State - December 19, 2020". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  3. "WE'RE BACK". twitter.com/MountainWest. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  4. "2020 Mountain West Football Championship". themw.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  5. "Game Tracker: Boise State tries to launch 4th quarter comeback to win Mountain West Championship". KTVB. December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
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