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BSU-NIU: Rypien shines in Poinsettia Bowl

Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien (4) an NCAA college football game against San Jose State Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from the Boise State’s 55-7 win over Northern Illinois in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Boise State

– QB Brett Rypien (+4.6) ended his impressive freshman season with an excellent game. Rypien was seven of eleven for 90 yards and a touchdown (+3.0) under pressure, and earned a +4.5 grade on passes thrown 10+ yards. Boise State’s offense is in good hands moving forward as Rypien’s +19.1 overall grade this season leads all freshman quarterbacks.

– Boise State earned an eye-popping +18.8 run defense grade in this game, holding Northern Illinois to 2.0 yards per carry. LB Tyler Gray (+3.9 run defense grade, three stops) and DT Armand Nance (+3.6 run defense grade, three stops) were the top performers against the run. DE Kamalei Correa (+3.0) and DT Sam McCaskill (+3.2) each earned green grades (greater than +1.0) for both run defense and pass rushing.

– The Broncos running backs put up huge numbers despite some poor run blocking in front of them. Five players earned red grades for run blocking, but Boise State was still able to rush for 277 yards, thanks to strong performances by HB’s Jeremy McNichols (+5.1), Ryan Wolpin (+0.6) and Kelsey Young (+0.6). McNichols was also a threat in the passing game, catching all five of his targets for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Top Performers:

LB Tyler Gray (+5.2)
HB Jeremy McNichols (+5.1)
QB Brett Rypien (+4.6)
DT Armand Nance (+4.0)
WR Shane Williams-Rhodes (+3.9)

Northern Illinois

– QB Ryan Graham (-6.6) totaled just 38 passing yards, and did not complete a single pass of more than 10 yards. Graham also struggled under pressure, completing none of his three passing attempts and being sacked five times. WR Kenny Golladay was Graham’s top target, but Golladay was completely shut down by Boise State CB Jonathan Moxey (1-9 for 3 yards, one dropped pass).

– Nothern Illinois’ offense was a disaster in this game, especially on the ground. The Huskies totaled 25 carries for just 49 yards, and earned a -10.2 run blocking grade as a team. TE Desroy Maxwell and RG Josh Ruka were the worst offenders, earning run blocking grades of -3.8 and -2.0, respectively. The Huskies also fumbled twice, and did not force a single missed tackle.

– The Huskies’ defense was better on a snap by snap basis than the 55 points allowed might indicate, but they clearly did not do enough to make up for their non-existent offense. The defense actually finished with a +4.9 run defense grade, and six of the team’s front seven defenders earned green grades. However, they did miss 10 total tackles as a team, with LB Renard Cheren and S Brandon Mayes combining for seven of them.

Top Performers:

LB Jamaal Payton (+2.3)
DT Ben Compton (+2.1)
DT Russell Chambers (+1.9)
DE Austin Smaha (+1.5)
DE Perez Ford (+1.1)

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