Mountain West Championship 2014: Game Grades, Analysis for Boise State Broncos

The No. 22 Boise State University Broncos outlasted the Fresno State Bulldogs 28-14 en route to a Mountain West Conference championship Saturday night.

Boise State jumped out to a 28-point lead but cooled off during the second half. Regardless, the Broncos are likely headed to a New Year's Eve bowl game against a Power Five opponent.

Positional Unit	1st-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A-	A-
Run Offense	A	B
Pass Defense	B+	B+
Run Defense	A	A
Special Teams	A-	A
Coaching	A-	B+

Pass Offense: Boise State didn't need to rely on the passing attack, but Grant Hedrick connected with his targets on 9 of 16 attempts for 155 yards. He scrambled when necessary and was sacked just once.

Run Offense: Though Jay Ajayi raced to a 70-yard performance during the opening 30 minutes, he failed to gain a yard in nine second-half carries. Hedrick waltzed in for two touchdowns on designed runs, but Boise State will need a dominant performance from its offensive line to upset an eventual postseason opponent.

Pass Defense: Donte Deayon intercepted Brian Burrell in the end zone, Tanner Vallejo recorded a pick-six and Beau Martin sealed the victory by snaring a swing pass with less than two minutes remaining. The defense, which recorded four sacks, surrendered 30 of 45 completions but allowed just three passes to gain more than 20 yards.

Run Defense: The Broncos completely stonewalled a team that entered the night averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game, limiting Fresno State to 70 yards and three first downs on 41 carries. They shut down outstanding running back Marteze Waller, holding him to a season-worst 1.5 yards per carry.

Special Teams: Punter Sean Wale averaged 40.1 yards over seven attempts, and Dan Goodale buried all four extra points. Jeremy McNichols only had two chances to run back a kickoff, and no Broncos player officially recorded a punt return. Most importantly for Boise, though, was that nobody on special teams screwed up.

Coaching: Defensive coordinator Marcel Yates shied away from blitzing, though Boise State was clearly most successful when pressuring Burrell. Despite the second-half struggles, head coach Bryan Harsin led his alma mater to an 11-2 record and a major bowl game during his first season as head coach, and that's a major accomplishment.

Follow Bleacher Report college football writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.