Three Ashton Jeanty numbers to watch on Saturday vs. Wyoming

When Boise State pays a visit to Laramie on Saturday to take on Wyoming, not only are the Broncos expected to continue their unbeaten season in Mountain West play but it could also be another big week for Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman Trophy campaign.

Boise State, ranked 12th in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, has won eight straight games to move to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play. Heading into Saturday’s tilt, the Broncos are a 22.5-point favorite against Wyoming, according to the BetMGM odds accessed on Nov. 19. The host Cowboys are 2-8 on the season (2-4 in Mountain West play) and have lost four of their last five games.

On paper, playing in Laramie not only sets up well for Boise State but Jeanty as well. The junior running back leads all FBS rushers with 1,893 yards on the ground this season. Combine that with his 26 rushing touchdowns and it’s easy to see why Jeanty is currently second behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter in the odds to win the Heisman.

With Wyoming ranked 10th out of the Mountain West’s 12 teams in rushing defense, giving up an average of 201.2 yards per game, here are three numbers to watch from Jeanty on Saturday.

2,000

Jeanty needs 107 yards to reach the 2,000-yard mark this season. That would put him in some rare company in NCAA history as he would become just the 30th player to reach the milestone while leading FBS in rushing. The 2,000-yard mark would be a stamp on Jeanty’s Heisman resume and certainly seems to be in play this Saturday as he has not been held to less than 127 yards in any game this season.

By the way, Jeanty is already the Boise State single-season rushing leader, so what he does in the next two regular-season games will only add to his legacy.

In the first five games of season, Jeanty broke at least one run per game of 64 yards or more. However, since that stretch, Jeanty’s longest run is 54 yards, and he hasn’t logged a 50-yard run in his last four outings.

Last week in a loss at Colorado State, Wyoming’s defense gave up runs of 32, 38 and 46 yards to three different rushers as part of a 248-yard rushing effort by the Rams. On the season, Wyoming has only had two games where the longest run was under 20 yards, so the big play on the ground has been a problem for the Cowboys all season.

Will this be the week that Jeanty looks to add another long touchdown run of 50 yards or more to his Heisman highlight reel? It certainly seems possible.

Jeanty has scored at least three touchdowns in six of Boise State’s 10 games this season, including back-to-back weeks with three touchdowns heading into Saturday’s game. Could this be another week with three or more touchdowns for Jeanty?

Wyoming has surrendered 30.9 points per game this season and opponents have a total of 18 rushing touchdowns, a number that puts the Cowboys in the middle of the Mountain West rankings in that category. Five of those rushing touchdowns allowed, however, came on Nov. 2 in a, 49-45, Wyoming win at New Mexico, a game where the Lobos rolled up 412 yards rushing. Those are recent numbers that should have Jeanty and the Broncos salivating.