Boise State Broncos Remain Undefeated
BSU Football Team 9-0 after 45-35 Victory at Louisiana Tech
Nov 6, 2009
Kellen Moore passed for 354 yards and three touchdowns, and Jeremy Avery added 146 yards and a clinching TD in the final period as No. 7 Boise State defeated the Bulldogs 45-35 at Ruston, La.
Coach Chris Petersen's Broncos (9-0 overall, 4-0 WAC) remained undefeated, but only after blowing most of a 27-7 halftime lead. The margin of victory was the second smallest of the season for Boise State.
Louisiana Tech (3-6, 2-4) lost its third straight and fell for the fourth time in five games. The Bulldogs trailed just 30-28, when tight end Dennis Morris reached over Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson to snare a 5-yard touchdown pass from Ross Jenkins with 14 minutes, 7 seconds left to play.
And the Bulldogs appeared to have all the momentum after the Broncos' next drive led to a missed 31-yard field goal by Kyle Brotzman. But the Boise State defense stiffened, and the Broncos offense delivered the two back-breaking scores.
Moore hit Austin Pettiis with a 12-yard touchdown pass, capping a five-play 56-yard drive. The sophomore QB then connected with Tyler Shoemaker on a 2-point conversion toss to push Boise's lead 38-28 with 7:41 remaining.
After Louisiana Tech's next drive was stopped on downs, Avery broke free for a 44-yard score to hike the margin to 45-28. Tech's Myke Compton scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 2:49 left, but the Bulldogs never got the ball back.
Interception Sparks Louisiana Tech Comeback
Moore completed 28 of 45 passes, but threw just his third interception of the season. It was returned 75 yards for a touchdown by Louisiana Tech's Josh Victorian early in the third quarter, and that brought the host team within 27-14.
The Broncos drove 63 yards to set up a 25-yard field goal by Brotzman — his third of the game. But Tech responded with a 73-yard march highlighted by a 9-yard touchdown sprint by Jenkins. The Bulldogs then recovered Matt Nelson's onside kick, and put together a 59-yard drive ending in the TD reception by Morris.
Yet when it got to be crunch time, the Bulldogs were unable to stop Boise. The Broncos finished with 507 yards of total offense, outgaining Louisiana Tech by a 2-to-1 margin. The Bulldogs had only 250 yards.
Broncos Build 20-Point Halftime Advantage
The Bulldogs did look good early, mounting a 68-yard drive and taking a 7-3 lead on Daniel Porter's 1-yard TD run. Boise State bounced back with a 34-yard Brotzman field goal and claimed a 13-7 lead on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Moore to Richie Brockel.
One play after a 59-yard punt return by Wilson, Doug Martin scored on a 2-yard run to make it 20-7 with 13:52 remaining in the second quarter. The lead ballooned to 27-7 on a 40-yard TD pass from Moore to Titus Young with 7:35 to go in the half.
Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley used both Jenkins and freshman Colby Cameron at quarterback in the first half, but the offense sputtered. It finally gained some spark with Jenkins at the controls in the the second half.
Louisiana Tech Statistical Leaders
Jenkins completed 10 of 19 passes for 114 yards with one interception, and rushed eight times for 19 yards. Porter ran 24 times for 92 yards, and Morris caught five passes for 78 yards.
Porter played after suffering concussion suffered last week vs Idaho. Phillip Livas — Tech's standout receiver and return man — saw action despite an ankle injury, but was not a major factor.
Safety C.J. Broades posted 10 tackles to lead the Tech defense. Victorian added nine and fellow DB Deon Young had eight. Tech's tackling leader, linebacker Adrien Cole, returned to action after missing last week's game because of a concussion. He had five tackles.
Boise State Statistical Leaders
Avery rushed 25 times en route to his 146-yard performance. He's run for 782 yards in 2009, but strangely enough, the rushing TD on Friday night was only his second of the season.
Receivers Pettis and Young each had big nights. Pettis came up with nine catches for 105 yards, and Young made eight receptions for 110 yards. Tight end Kyle Efaw added four catches for 70 yards.
For Boise State's defense, safety Jeron Johnson tallied 12 tackles, and nickel man Winston Venable chipped in seven. Wilson had an interception, and Byron Hout and Billy Winn recorded sacks.
