BOISE, Idaho -- Boise State coach Bryan Harsin hasnt hesitated to call for featured running back Jeremy McNichols to get the ball 40 times in a game.On Friday night, Harsin found hes got another talented running back in Alex Mattison. And hes only a freshman.McNichols ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns, Mattison had a career-high 100 yards rushing on 18 carries and one touchdown, and No. 24 Boise State beat San Jose State 45-31.The Broncos (8-1, 4-1; also No. 24 AP) had two players over 100 yards on the ground in one game for the first time since Nov. 8, 2014, against New Mexico.(Giving Mattison more carries) was predetermined on our part, Harsin said. We knew he was ready for his opportunity. But its not just about running the ball. Its also about being able to protect the quarterback in different looks.McNichols cant carry the ball like he has every single game. Were trying to spread the wealth a little big among those guys.San Jose State (3-7, 2-4), looking to get consecutive wins for the first time this season, finished with 495 yards of offense behind Kenny Potters 23-of-36 passing for 278 yards.After suffering a gut-wrenching loss last week to Wyoming on a safety in the waning minutes of the game, Boise State looked sluggish in the first quarter as it held a 7-6 lead.However, the Broncos got the spark they needed with a little razzle dazzle. On fourth-and-12 from their 37, Broncos punter Sean Wale took the snap and raced 29 yards for a first down.Finally after four years, I had a chance to do something so I had to make the most of it, Wale said. It was my one chance to shine, and I certainly wasnt sliding. But I didnt really know what to do once I got into the open field.Three plays later, Mattison scored on a 19-yard run to extend Boise States lead to 14-6.It couldve been a stop on downs for us if wed been able to make the play, Spartans coach Ron Caragher said. But we didnt and it changed the momentum of the game.I was very proud of this teams response after last weeks loss, Harsin said. We have to stay focused on what we can control and try to go out and play our best each and every week.San Jose State kept the pressure on Boise State, edging within 14-13 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. But that was as close as the Spartans would get as the Broncos took control of the game.Boise State learned a powerful lesson last week, and they got back to running the football and controlling the line of scrimmage behind their big offensive line, Caragher said.Boise State, which finished with 517 total yards of offense, had a season-high 298 yards rushing. McNichols performance was his seventh 100-plus yard game this season and fourth in a row.Malik Roberson led the Spartans on the ground with 109 yards and a touchdown, his second 100-yard game of the season.TAKEAWAYSSan Jose State: The loss squelched the Spartans chances of becoming bowl eligible, but they still have a chance to finish strong after a 1-5 start. Their final two opponents, Air Force and Fresno State, have combined for only two conference wins.Boise State: The Broncos no longer control their own fate in the Mountain division, but the victory keeps their hopes alive. They still need either Wyoming to lose two games or New Mexico to win out to win the division.UP NEXTSan Jose State: The Spartans take a week off before returning home to host Air Force on Nov. 19.Boise State: The Broncos will take travel to Hawaii next Saturday in a conference tilt.POLL IMPLICATIONSBoise State lost 11 spots in the poll last week after losing to Wyoming but shouldnt fall any farther this week. However, San Jose State isnt an opponent thats likely to greatly improve the Broncos standing among voters either.WALE OF A QUOTEWale was proudly showing off a big bruise on his right arm in the post-game press conference that he received when he was tackled on the fake punt play that resulted in a first down. However, he admitted he wouldnt want to get tackled every week like that. I respect those guys who get hit like that. I couldnt do it. I got a little bruise. Ill probably be at treatment tomorrow and get right. Cleveland Indians Jerseys .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Hanley Ramirez Indians Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-satchel-paige-jersey/ . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Francisco Lindor Jersey . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Jim Thome Jersey . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. DURING THE FINAL weekend homestand at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the pressing question for fans seated in Sections 26 and 27 seems to have little to do with which players the Pirates will field next year. Instead, these season-ticket holders are wondering whether Phil Coyne will be on the PNC Park roster in 2017.The ushers answer? If his legs hold out and his mind is clear, Coyne says hell be back.Topping the seniority roster for stadium ushers, Coyne, 98, has escorted fans to their seats since 1936 -- missing time only while serving in World War II -- becoming a Pittsburgh sports legend in the process. Beginning at Forbes Field, then Three Rivers Stadium and now both PNC Park and Heinz Field, Coyne has cleaned countless stadium seats with the dampened rag he carries to the stadium in a blue grocery bag.Coyne, a retired machinist who never married, grew up a stones throw from Forbes Field, where the Pirates played their games in the Oakland section of town from 1909 to 1970.Everyone in Oakland, at that time and well after it, you automatically became an usher, Coyne says. So, when I was 18 and out of high school, I got on as an usher and then every year you just went.When will it be time to stop going? As long as your mind is straight, youre all right, and that can go at any time. I could have a fall tomorrow and get a good bump and that would be it. So you never know. You just have to wait until next April to see if your legs are all right and your mind is all right, and you sign up, he says.Theyre hoping to see me back. That goes on every year, says Coyne, who likes to say he has two Oreos and a glass of milk before bed each night. And I surprise them every year, too. I surprise them coming back. I tell people as long as I dont go to Heinz Field for a game thats being played at PNC Park, Ill be back.Usher Phil Coyne, 98, exits the subway on Pittsburghs North Side and walks to PNC Park three hours before game time. Coyne said its about an hour ride from his home to the stadium by public transportation.“I was born and raised in Oakland [Pennsylvania]. When I was 18 and out of high school, you know, I got on as an usher.”Another day at the ballpark: Coyne, who has been a Pirates usher since 1936, gets dressed in the mens locker room.Coyne, a retired machinist, attributes his longevity to luck -- and a late-night snack.“Two Oreos and a glass of milk going to bed. Thats what I always tell them, but its luck.”Its no surprise to learn that Coynes colleagues are all much younger than him -- but there are some who worked with him as far back as the Forbes Field years.Coyne, making sure the suds are ready for the days game, says he used to talk shop (in a sandwich shop) with longtime Pirates player and manager Danny Murtaugh, who died in 1976.Coyne does a walk-through of his sections before games, making sure everything is top-notch before the gates open and fans arrive. Perhaps his favorite fan of all time? His mother, whom he brought to a World Series game in 1960 -- though she didnt exactly enjoy it.“In 1960 for the World Series, employees were able to get two tickets. So I said to Mom, Well, you got to go to the game.”Pirates fan Sharon McCullough of Elwood City, Pennsylvania, greets Cooyne at the ballpark.ddddddddddddBeing a Bucs fan in Coynes neighborhood was mandatory -- and if you werent, well, the punishment was severe.“Yeah, I was always a Pirate fan. You had to be.”Two hours before the game, Coyne, shown rinsing the rag he uses to wipe down seats, would get to play softball at Forbes Field during the employees annual end-of-season picnic.At PNC Park, Coyne keeps all the seats clean and dry and calls the fans well-behaved. It wasnt always that way at Forbes Field.“Theres no way you can get the people off the field. You know, in them days wed go down so people wouldnt jump over the rail.”Coyne visits with Pirates fans Brad and Jamie Bonaroti, who brought their 14-month-old daughter, Kenzie, to the game. Coyne says his interactions with fans are what keep him coming back to the ballpark, year after year.“Sure enough a guy comes ... and he says, Heres your put-me-to-bed, tonight and he gives me a little package of Oreos.”A World War II veteran, Coyne sings along with the national anthem before a game. Hard to believe if youre a scholar of baseball history, but when he first started working as an usher, Hall of Fame brothers Lloyd and Paul Waner were still roaming the outfield.Coyne, of course, was at the ballpark for Bill Mazeroskis legendary walk-off home run against the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 Fall Classic.“The place went wild! I just walked away from it. I mean, there was nothing we could do.”Coyne keeps a smile on his face -- you never know when he might end up on television (or in an ESPN.com photo, for that matter), which he often does.Coyne, laughing with fans Gabby DePasquale, left, and Erin Verni, considers many of the longtime Pirates punters in his section part of his family. Some even followed him from Forbes Field to PNC Park.“We were over at Three Rivers and the section I had, I had them for a long, long time. You know, we were all family.”Phil CoyneAfter being hit by a foul ball, Tammy Shook of Cumberland, Maryland, is handed the ball by Coyne. Coyne has been at the ballpark a lot more since he retired; back when he worked in a machine shop, it was more of a weekend gig.Coyne watches Pirates fans sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame during the seventh-inning stretch. You can be sure theyre sitting (or standing) in the right spot; the experienced usher knows how to deal with fans whove gotten, um, lost.“I dont know why youre sitting down here. In this section here, they give free beer all night!”Coyne walks through the corridors at PNC Park. He has seen a few stadiums come and go. These days, he doesnt see as many players off the field as he used to.Coyne says everybody stayed in their seats when the great Ralph Kiner came to bat -- regardless of the score or the inning.What does Coyne do in the winter? Hes got family -- and football -- to help him count down the days until spring.“Oh, I keep busy ...”Coyne heads back home after a long night at the game. Hell be back again -- as long as his body (and mind) can still carry him.“As long as your mind is straight, youre all right. ... I surprise them every year, too.” ' ' '