Broncos Pounded by Dawgs..

Boise State hasn't felt the sting of defeat for nearly 18 months.. that was until today. On a beautiful Saturday in Seattle, the Broncos allowed Washington to control the first half of the game then stymie the vaunted Bronco offense for the second half as the Huskies held on for a 24-10 win.

Boise State may have had the longest win streak in the nation and been favored by 3, but somebody forgot to tell UW Freshman Phenom Jake Locker.

Locker, in his homefield debut, led Washington in both rushing and passing, and scored a TD both ways as well, and the Husky Defense stymied a Bronco Offense that had scored 49 points in the first half last week.

The Broncos seemed to be able to move the ball between the 20's, especially in the second half as they out gained the Huskies 384 yards to 341 yards.. but Washington's defense showcased their 'bend but don't break' mentality as they held the Broncos scoreless despite 2 trips into the redzone late.

Boise State's original gameplan, that of hard running Ian Johnson behind the experienced and talented Boise State OLine, was supplanted late in the 2nd quarter for a more effective passing attack by Bronco QB Taylor Tharp.

Bronco Fans showed up in force in Seattle
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Tharp, the first Redshirt Senior to ever start at Boise State, threw for 281 total yards, however his 0 TD's and 3 INT's were ultimately more important to the outcome of the game.

The loss moved Boise State to 0-13 all time in games played on the road at BCS opponents. 

Bronco fans can take some solace, however, in the game. Boise State's defense, which started out struggling to contain Locker, stiffened in the 2nd quarter and held Washington's dual-threat attack scoreless in the second half.

Taylor Tharp also showed that he does indeed offer the Broncos a better passing attack than they've had in recent years. 

True Freshman Titus Young showcased his big-play ability with yet another long reception (43 yards) down to the Husky 1 yard-line, leading directly to a Bronco TD. Fellow Bronco WR Jeremy Childs proved that he is indeed 'the man' in the Bronco's passing game, catching 9 passes for 89 yards.

Ultimately, however, Boise State's mistakes led to them leaving many points on the field. A holding call led to a kickoff return for a TD being nullified. Tharp threw 2 INT's deep in UW territory, one when at the 21 trying to squeeze a pass to Vinny Perretta, and another at the Washington 10 intended for Jeremy Childs. All-American Tackle Ryan Clady uncharacteristically had 4 false-starts and gave up a sack. True Freshman Jason Robinson lost his man on a trick Halfback pass by UW's Louis Rankin, leading to an easy TD for the Huskies, and sure handed Austin Smith and All-American Marty Tadman crashed into each other, allowing UW to score their final TD of the afternoon.

Boise State is now left to learn from their mistakes and move onto their next opponent, yet another undefeated team, the 2-0 Wyoming Cowboys who mosey into Bronco Stadium next Saturday.

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