Weber State's slim chance of returning to the NCAA Division 1-AA football playoffs was dashed Saturday night when Patrik Schmidle's 27-yard field goal attempt with 30 seconds remaining went wide.
Weber, which fell to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big Sky, had a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime on Schmidle's kick. The missed boot secured Boise's 24-21 victory.Boise State quarterback Travis Stuart threw for 211 yards and scored the winning touchdown from 1 yard out with 4:49 remaining.
Weber State led for most of the game before a Boise State rally in the fourth quarter. The Broncos trailed 21-13 going into the final quarter, but Stuart shook off an arm injury to guide the Bronco's to their fifth straight win after two losses to open the season. Boise State is 3-1 in league play.
The Broncos gained control with 11 unanswered points in the 4th quarter. Early in the final period Mike Dodd kicked a 49-yard field goal, his third of the game, to cut the Wildcats' lead to 21-16. Then eight minutes later, Stuart directed the game-winning, 80-yard drive, capping the march with his 1-yard touchdown run.
Stuart hit 31 of 42 passing attempts while Weber State All-American quarterback Jamie Martin passed for 256 yards en route to setting two conference records. Wildcat running back Dwight Richards rushed for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns.
During the game, Martin became the Big Sky's leader in career touchdown passes with 80, and career total offense, vaulting one pass past former Idaho QB Ken Hobart for both records. Martin has now has 11,126 yards of total offense for his career.