Broncos dominate second half in runaway winBoise State's Sire Gaines. | Boise State AthleticsIn this story:In a critical non-conference game between Group of 6 College Football Playoff contenders, Boise State erased a two-touchdown first-half deficit and closed Saturday’s game on a 35-3 scoring run to secure a 38-20 victory over Memphis at Albertsons Stadium. Here are four takeaways from the Broncos’ (1-1, 0-0 Pac-12) come-from-behind win over the Tigers (2-1, 0-0 American).1. Broncos get off the matTrailing 17-3 late in the opening half, the Broncos were in rough shape until quarterback Maddux Madsen connected with Akeem Wright for a 37-yard fourth-down touchdown. Safety Travis Anderson then intercepted Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes on a deep ball to end a promising Tigers drive. Dylan Riley exploded for a 71-yard gain on the next play from scrimmage, and Rasean Jones finished it off with a 19-yard fly sweep touchdown to tie the game. The four massive plays, which all occurred in just 81 seconds of game action, helped swing the momentum to the Broncos at the end of the half. Sire Gaines put Boise State up 24-20 midway through the third quarter on an 11-yard touchdown run up the gut. The Broncos then poured it on with a 72-yard Cam Bates punt return TD and a one-yard Madsen plunge, extending the lead to 38-20 early in the fourth quarter. The impressive 35-3 scoring run helped Boise State coast to victory at Albertsons Stadium. 2. Commitment to the run pays offOffensive coordinator Nate Potter leaned on the Broncos’ talented running back duo of Riley and Gaines down the stretch, and the decision could not have worked out better. Riley led the way with 19 carries for 206 yards while Gaines added 93 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. As a team, the Broncos finished with 47 carries for 357 yards and three touchdowns. The strong running game sucked the life out of Memphis during the second half.3. Explosive play issues resurfaceAfter surrendering 378 yards through the air last week to Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and nine explosive plays overall, the Boise State defense had a rough opening half against Memphis. Hunter Tipton beat Sherrod Smith for a 41-yard gain on the Tigers’ opening drive, and the senior tight end then got behind the defense for an 87-yard play-action touchdown that put Memphis up 7-3 late in the first quarter. Midway through the second period, Jaylin Carter exploded up the middle for an 80-yard touchdown. Another Tipton catch—this time for a 37-yard gain—helped the Tigers grab a 20-17 halftime lead. Tipton had a massive day, hauling in nine passes for 229 yards. The defense did regroup to pitch a shutout after the break, but defensive coordinator Erik Chinander has plenty to clean up heading into next week’s matchup with South Dakota. 4. Mixed day for Boise State’s College Football Playoff hopesSaturday’s victory over Memphis solidified Boise State’s position as the Group of 6’s top College Football Playoff candidate. Unfortunately for the Broncos, last week’s 34-27 loss at Oregon doesn’t look as strong after the sixth-ranked Ducks turned around and suffered a humiliating 39-31 defeat at Oklahoma State on Saturday.The Cowboys, who snapped a 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents, out-gained the Ducks 554-281 overall while dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. In two weeks, Oregon will likely fall from preseason No. 2 to outside the top 25 in the AP Poll. While the Ducks don’t appear to be a national title contender, Boise State’s CFP resume remains in good shape through two weeks. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished 8 minutes ago