Boise State Football Beats Tulsa
No. 5 Broncos Survive Toughest Game of Season, 28-21
Kellen Moore passed for three touchdowns, and the Boise State made a game-saving defensive stand as the No. 5 Broncos stopped Tulsa 28-21 in a non-conference football matchup Wednesday night in Tulsa, Okla.
Boise State improved to 6-0 with its tightest victory of the season. Tulsa became the first team to come within 10 points of the Broncos in 2009.
The Golden Hurricane (4-2) pulled within 28-21 on G.J. Kinne’s 55-yard touchdown pass to Slick Shelley with 9 minutes, 29 seconds remaining, and had two more possessions. But Tulsa failed to move beyond its own 41-yard line on either drive.
The outcome was sealed when a scrambling Kinne underthrew a wide-open Charles Clay on a fourth-and-six play from the Tulsa 39 with 37 seconds left.
Moore completed 22 of 32 passes for 187 yards, and Doug Martin rushed 23 times for a career-high 116 yards for the Broncos, whose closest game previously had been their season-opening 19-8 win over Oregon on Sept. 3.
By remaining undefeated, Boise State remained in contention for a Bowl Championship Series bowl berth. But it’s doubtful that the tight victory over the Conference USA team gained them any extra points with the BCS, which will release its first standings of the season Monday.
The Broncos, who held an 18-14 halftime lead, seemed on the verge of breaking away in the third quarter, as they effectively utilized running backs Martin and Jeremy Avery to pound at the host team. But the Golden Hurricane relied on some stubborn defense to stay in the ballgame.
Boise State Builds 14-Point Lead
On its first possession of the second half, Boise State drove 66 yards on 11 plays and took a 25-14 lead when tight end Tommy Gallarda hauled in his second TD reception of the night – a 2-yarder from Moore with 9:44 left in the third quarter.
Boise’s next drive was a 12-play, 77-yarder, but this one ended on the Tulsa 1. Broncos coach Chris Petersen opted to play it safe on fourth-and-goal, and Kyle Brotzman’s 18-yard field goal made it 28-14 with 2:54 remaining in the third. The Broncos wouldn’t score again, being forced to punt on their next four possessions.
The Golden Hurricane offense finally broke through in the fourth after being shackled for more than two quarters. Kinne connected with Shelley for a 36-yard pass to give Tulsa a first down at its own 45, then found the senior behind the Boise secondary on the next play for the 55-yard score.
After an exchange of punts, Tulsa started what would be the final drive from its own 35. Kinne was pressured into an incompletion by defensive end Ryan Winterswyk on first down, and then ran for six yards on second.
Winterswyk then made his second sack of the night, pulling Kinne down for a two-yard loss to force a fourth-and-six play from the 39. Facing pressure again, Kinne fired a low pass that fullback Clay failed to corral while sliding back toward the ball. Boise State took possession with 37 seconds left and ran out the clock.
Teams Set Brisk Early Scoring Pace
Tulsa took a 7-0 first quarter lead thanks to a Boise special teams gaffe and a bit of trickery. DeAundre Brown recovered a muffed punt by Broncos return man Kyle Wilson on the Tulsa 47, and on the next play, Tulsa receiver A.J. Whitmore took a pitch, rolled to his right and a hit a wide-open Damaris Johnson for a 53-yard TD.
The Broncos responded with a 68-yard drive capped by an 8-yard TD pass from Moore to Gallarda. Receiver Austin Pettis took the snap on the PAT, and hit tight end Kyle Efaw for the 2-point conversion, and Boise led 8-7 with 4:00 left in the first.
But the Golden Hurricane retaliated with a 74-yard TD march ending in Kinne’s 15-yard pass to Trae Johnson, putting Tulsa up 14-8 with 16 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Boise State went up15-14 with a 78-yard drive highlighted by Moore’s 17-yard touchdown toss to Pettis at the 11:03 mark of the second quarter. The defending Western Athletic Conference champions increased the margin to 18-14 on a 27-yard field goal by Brotzman with 36 seconds left in the half.
Tulsa Sophomore Makes 18 Tackles
The Broncos finished with 380 yards of offense – 59 less than their average entering the contest. And their 28 points were 12 fewer than what they had been averaging.
Tulsa defensive back DeAundre Brown had helped slow the Broncos a game-high 18 tackles. DBs James Lockett and Dexter McCoy added 11 tackles apiece and linebacker Mike Bryan had 10.
Jeron Johnson recorded a team-high eight tackles, and fellow defensive backs Venable and George Iloka added six apiece as Boise held Tulsa to 295 yards. The Golden Hurricane had been averaging 414.2, but held the ball for less than 25 minutes.
The elusive Kinne went 14-for-27 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns, but had just 15 yards rushing on 14 carries. Shelley finished with three catches for 99 yards. Damaris Johnson, Tulsa’s explosive sophomore flanker, had five catches for 59 yards, and four rushes for a team-high 43 yards.
Boise's Avery had 16 carries for 73 yards, and Pettis made four catches for 63 yards. Broncos receiver Titus Young made five receptions, but was limited to 31 yards.
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