Explosive plays were the story of the game Friday night as San Diego State opened up Mountain West Conference play against Boise State at Snapdragon Stadium. The two teams combined for 11 plays that went for more than 20 yards as the Aztecs and Broncos traded blows throughout the night.

Ultimately, however, it was a key late miscue that doomed the Aztecs.

Quarterback Jalen Mayden, who fumbled on the goal line to open the game, had the ball knocked loose in the third quarter with SDSU down by 3 points. The short field gave BSU an opportunity for an easy score and it needed just four plays to reach the end zone and go up by 10.

That deficit was too much for SDSU to overcome leading to a 34-31 victory for Boise State in the conference opener for both teams.

The big plays started early for the Aztecs as return man Kenan Christon ran the opening kickoff back 71 yards to put SDSU in great field position. Though that drive ultimately ended with Mayden's first turnover, the Aztecs responded with another big play as their quarterback found receiver Baylin Brooks for his first career touchdown on a 34-yard connection to go up 7-0 in the first quarter.

Mayden, who was a perfect 9 for 9 on his pass attempts in the first half, also had throws of 37, 36, 32 and 22 yards in the game. He eventually finished the night with 241 yards passing and a touchdown through the air to go with 85 yards rushing and another late score on the ground for the Aztecs.

SDSU had its opportunities to close that 10-point gap and used a 10-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jaylon Armstead early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to just 3.

However, a long Broncos 50-yard drive that was capped with a rushing score for Ashton Jeanty ended any threat for SDSU with just over 2 minutes to play.

Armstead finished the loss with 35 yards on 10 rushes and a pair of touchdowns.

The SDSU defense came up with big stops throughout the night but had problems containing the Broncos rushing attack led by running back Ashton Jeanty, who finished with 205 yards on the ground and two scores on 23 carries.

First quarter

7:37, SDSU -- QB Jalen Mayden to WR Baylin Brooks, 34-yard TD; 7-0 SDSU

Second quarter

11:58, BSU -- QB Taylen Green to WR Eric McAlister, 25-yard TD; Tie 7-7

9:13, SDSU -- K Jack Browning 22-yard field goal; 10-7 SDSU

7:13, BSU -- RB Ashton Jeanty 58-yard rush; 14-10 BSU

2:48, SDSU -- RB Jaylon Armstead 2-yard rush; 17-14 SDSU

0:22, BSU -- K Jonah Dalmas 29-yard field goal; Tie 17-17

Third quarter

4:52, BSU -- K Jonah Dalmas 27-yard field goal; 20-17 BSU

3:05, BSU -- QB Taylen Green 10-yard rush; 27-17 BSU

Fourth quarter

14:17, SDSU -- RB Jaylon Armstead 10-yard rush; 27-24 BSU

2:02, BSU -- RB Ashton Jeanty 6-yard rush; 34-24 BSU

0:42, SDSU -- QB Jalen Mayden 10-yard rush; 34-31 BSU

Mayden's fumble in the third quarter proved to be a pivotal play in what had otherwise been a close battle. The Aztecs quarterback had the ball knocked loose on a short rush attempt by Boise State defensive end Ahmed Hassanein with edge rusher Jayden Virgin recovering the ball to give the Broncos great field position at the SDSU 26-yard line.

The defense had just held Boise State to a field goal on the previous drive, but the Broncos quickly flipped the game with the short field on their side. An 11-yard run on the first play of the drive set up quarterback Taylen Green for a 10-yard score on a bootleg play to the left side of the field.

The Aztecs were never able to make up that double-digit deficit by the end of the night.

It was a breakout performance for the SDSU freshman receiver as he finished the night with 117 yards receiving on a team-high tying five catches. Brooks caught the first touchdown of the night on a 34-yard connection with Mayden who found him up the sideline. Brooks avoided a defender and turned up field as he scampered in for the score.

Later in the game he caught a pass for 37-yards eventually helping the Aztecs tack on 3 more points to their total in the second quarter. The Pasadena native became the 92nd player in program history to eclipse the 100-yards receiving mark with his performance in Friday night's matchup.

Like Brooks, the sophomore safety from Corona had a standout performance against Boise State. He ended the night with a team-high 8 tackles plus 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. His tackle for loss on Boise State quarterback Taylen Green to force third down eventually held BSU to a field goal after a long run put them in the red zone in the third quarter giving back the Aztecs some momentum.

"Butler played a lot during the whole game," SDSU head coach Brady Hoke said. "Part of that is he's getting better."

Armstead's first touchdown of the game came an impressive run. The Aztecs running back only scored from from 2 yards out, but his path to get there wasn't an easy one. The junior from Los Angeles eventually eluded five Broncos defenders on his way to the end zone. It looked like he would be kept out at one point, but eventually he powered through the last group of tacklers to get the Aztecs on the scoreboard once more. At the time, his rushing touchdown put SDSU up 3 points late in the first half. It would be one of two touchdowns on the night for Armstead.

Hoke kept it simple when speaking about why the Aztecs lost in Friday's game. The two fumbles from Mayden were costly as one took away a clear scoring chance for the Aztecs to open up the game with his fumble on the goal line while the other allowed Boise State to have a short field and build a double-digit lead in the third quarter. Penalties and poor tackling also played a key role in the loss particularly the defense's inability to contain Jeanty, who helped the Broncos finish with 241 yards on the ground. SDSU was able to out-gain Boise State, 439 to 403, but the turnovers came in tough spots for the Aztecs. A score early would have helped SDSU gain early momentum on the first drive while a score after a defensive stand could have changed the complexion of the game in the second half. Hoke said ultimately he's happy with Mayden's development despite the two fumbles Friday night.

Passing

Jalen Mayden -- 16/22, 241 yards, 1 TD

Rushing

Jalen Mayden -- 16 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD

Kenan Christon -- 12 carries, 44 yards

Jaylon Armstead -- 10 carries, 35 yards, 2 TDs

Receiving

Baylin Brooks -- 5 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD

Brionne Penny -- 5 catches, 97 yards

Mark Redman -- 1 catch, 15 yards

Logan Tanner -- 1 catch, 14 yards

Defense

Eric Butler -- 8 tackles (6 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack

Cooper McDonald -- 6 tackles (5 solo), 1 QB hurry

Zyrus Fiaseu -- 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup

Cedarious Barfield -- 3 tackles (2 solo), 1 1/2 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup

Noah Tumblin -- 3 solo tackles, 3 pass breakups