Boise State vs. Hawaii Football 2009

Broncos Return to Site of Last Regular Season Setback

Oct 21, 2009

The last time the Boise State Broncos played at Hawaii, they fell to the Warriors 39-27 and were denied a Western Athletic Conference football championship.

The Broncos haven’t lost a WAC game since. Actually, they haven’t dropped a regular-season game since that 39-27 setback on Nov. 23, 2007, in Honolulu.

So when Boise State plays at Hawaii again – on Saturday, Oct. 24 – the Broncos will put an 18-game regular-season winning streak and a nine-game WAC win streak on the line.

But there’ll be plenty of other things at stake. Coach Chris Petersen’s Broncos (6-0 overall, 1-0 WAC) are No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Because of their less-than-daunting regular-season schedule, their chances to move up will be limited – and unimpressive performances could cause them to drop.

And Boise’s last two victories – over UC Davis and Tulsa – were not overpowering. In fact, the Broncos fell a spot to No. 6 in the AP rankings after their hard-fought 28-21 triumph over Tulsa last week.

They’ll be facing a Hawaii team that’s trying to end a four-game skid – three of the defeats coming after quarterback Greg Alexander was lost for the season to a knee injury. The Warriors (2-4, 0-3) are coming off a 35-23 loss at Idaho.

Boise State has won seven of 10 games vs. Hawaii, including a 27-7 decision in Boise, Idaho last season. The 11th meeting between the schools is scheduled for 8 p.m. PST, and will be telecast in Idaho on KTVB. In Hawaii, it will be available on Oceanic Pay-Per-View.

Despite its recent struggles, Hawaii boasts a passing offense that ranks No. 3 in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision at 371.33 yards per game.

Coach Greg McKackin’s Warriors, who seldom run the ball, are averaging a very healthy 443.2 yards of total offense but only 23.7 points. They’ve been hurt by turnovers, with 17 in their six games. They’ve also given up 19 sacks.

The injury to Alexander was a huge blow, as the senior led the nation in passing yards before being injured in a loss to Louisiana Tech. He’s been replaced by sophomore Bryant Moniz. In four appearances, including two starts, Moniz has completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 788 yards and three touchdowns. He’s been intercepted twice.

The main receivers for the Warriors have been Greg Salas, Kealoha Pilares and Rodney Pilares. Salas has made 42 catches for 791 yards and five touchdowns, and Pilares has 41 catches for 369 yards. Bradley is averaging 18.5 yards per reception, making 31 grabs for 575 yards and five TDs.

The leading rusher is Leon Wright-Jackson, who’s run just 26 times for 149 yards.

It’s been a struggle for the Hawaii defense, which is yielding 29.7 points and 405.7 yards per game. The Warriors are allowing more than 200 yards per game in both rushing and passing.

The unit is led in tackles by defensive back Spencer Smith and linebacker Blaze Soares, who have 48 apiece. Smith has also come up with an interception and broken up five passes.

Linebacker Corey Paredes spearheads the pass rush, posting 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks among his 36 total tackles. DB Mana Silva leads the Warriors with three interceptions and has also forced three fumbles. Other leaders include linebacker R.J. Kiesel-Kauhana (39 tackles), and DB Tank Hopkins (5 pass breakups).

The Warriors have traditionally been tough at home, but in their last game at Aloha Stadium, they were steamrolled 42-17 by Fresno State.

Broncos Rank No. 7 in FBS Scoring

Boise State is averaging 38.2 points per game, ranking seventh in the FBS. They’re also gaining 429.5 yards per contest, including 237.7 thru the air.

Sophomore Kellen Moore continues to direct the offense with great precision. He’s completed 69.5 of his passes for 1,404 yards and 16 touchdowns, with just two interceptions. He leads the FBS in passing efficiency with a 171.2 rating.

Moore has a pair of strong receivers in Austin Pettis (32 catches, 441 yards, 7 TDs) and Titus Young (31 receptions, 361 yards, 4 TDs). Young has also run for three TDs, and leads the Broncos with seven touchdowns overall.

Another strong one-two punch is the running back tandem of Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin. Avery’s rushed for 539 yards and a TD on 5.8 yards per carry. Martin has run for 309 yards and four TDs – most of that coming since he took over injured D.J. Harper during the fourth game of the season.

The Broncos had managed just six sacks over their first five games, but managed four against Tulsa. Defensive end Ryan Winterswyk had two of those, and he leads his team with five on the year. The junior also paces Boise with eight tackles for loss.

Boise is allowing only 15.5 points and 277.3 yards per game. One reason is a secondary that features cornerback Kyle Wilson and safety Jeron Johnson, who leads the team with 31 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups.

Defensive tackle Billy Wynn is second in the team in tackles with 25, and also has 6.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Other standouts include linebacker Hunter White, linebacker J.C. Percy, defensive tackle Chase Baker (18 tackles) and DBs Winston Venable and George Iloka.

White is third on the team with 22 tackles, Iloka, Venable and Percy have 21 apiece, and Baker has 18.

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