Doug Martin and Jeremy Avery both
topped 100 yards rushing as #6 Boise State stormed past Utah State 52-21 last
night in an ESPN nationally-televised game from Logan.
The win enabled Boise State to tie
modern college football records for the most wins in an eight-year period and
most wins in a decade. The Broncos are now 91-11 since 2002, tying
Nebraska for the most wins in an eight-year period since 1898.
Nebraska's famous teams from 1993-2000 also had 91 wins.
Boise State also tentatively moved
ahead of Oklahoma in the battle for most wins this decade and tied Florida State (1990's) for the modern record for wins in a decade with 109. Two
early college football teams from the 1890's, Pennsylvania (124 wins) and Yale
(116 wins) hold the #1 and #2 spots. Oklahoma began the season with 102
wins while Boise State had 98. But the Broncos have caught them with an
unbeaten 11-0 season to date, while Oklahoma has won six of ten.
Oklahoma is currently 108-23 this decade while Boise State is 109-17.
The famous Nebraska teams of the 1990's were 108-16-1.
Martin ran for 121 yards and four
touchdowns while Avery had 116 yards and two scores for the unbeaten Broncos,
who scored 28 points in the second quarter to put the game away. Coach
Chris Petersen's team outgained the Aggies 572-363, with 323 of that coming on
the ground..
Avery's hot running in recent weeks has allowed him to become the 10th player
in school history to top 1,000 yards. Avery's 1,008 yards this
season rank 16th all-time at Boise State. He is in range of #11 Cedric
Minter (1,060 yards in 1980), Ian Johnson's 1,041 yards in 2007, Rodney
Webster's 1,037 in 1983, Jon Francis (1,025 yards in 1984) and Minter's 1,012
yards in 1979. Avery also passed David Mikell's career rushing total of
2,268 for sixth place all-time. Avery now has 2,319 yards with at least
three games this season and his senior year to go. He recorded his eighth career
100-yard rushing game last night to tie Mikell (2000-2003) for eighth
place.
The Bronco win sets up a showdown next
Friday night for the Western Athletic Conference title between Boise State and
Nevada. Both teams are currently 6-0 in league play.
Quarterback Diondre Borel's mobility
allowed the Aggie offense to have some early success as they matched Boise
State 14-14 midway through the second quarter. Borel was 18-30 for 201
yards passing and gained several key first downs with his scrambling and
ability to avoid tacklers.
Shea McClellin's interception of a
Borel pass at the Utah State 48, however, enabled Boise State to score first on an
eight-yard pass from Kellen Moore to tight end Tommy Gallarda. Utah State
came right back with a 22-yard touchdown from Michael Smith.
Martin's first touchdown of 17 yards put the Broncos back in front 14-7.
After Robert Turbin's touchdown tied
the game with 6:28 left in the half, Boise State marched 73 yards in four
plays. Titus Young made a diving catch at the two for a 56-yard
reception from Moore and Martin took it in for a 21-14 lead. On the
ensuing possession, Ryan Winterswyk recovered an Aggie fumble at the nine-yard
line and Avery scored on the next play.
The Bronco defense held firm on the
next Utah State possession, giving the Bronco offense 1:43 with which to
work. Starting at their own 17, Moore guided the team down the field,
helped by a 17-yard Martin run on third down. Martin scored again from a
yard out with just five seconds remaining to give Boise State a 35-14 halftime
lead. The Broncos needed just four plays and 71 yards to extend the lead
to 42-14 as Avery broke loose for 32-yard TD.
Borel came into the game as the WAC's
total offense leader, but managed just 23 yards on 15 carries thanks to sacks by
McClellin, Chase Baker and Billy Winn. Winn's sack was his fifth of the
year. He needs 5.5 more to tie Joe O'Brien (1994) for fifth place all-time at Boise State.
The tenacious Bronco defensive line play was crucial to the victory.
Martin's four touchdowns put him in a
tie for third place all-time with 24 points in a single game. Martin is
the 21st Bronco to do that; Ian Johnson (vs. Oregon State in 2006) and Jon Helmandollar (vs. Louisiana Tech in 2004) both scored 30 points.
Moore finished 15-29 for 233 yards
and a touchdown. It was Moore's 33rd scoring strike of the season, which
ties him with legendary Jim McMillan, who threw 33 in 1974, for second place
all-time at Boise State. Only Bart Hendricks, who tossed 35 in 2000, is
ahead of him.
Moore passed McMillan for fifth place
in career total offense as well. Moore now has 6,241 while McMillan totaled
6,115 from 1971-1974. Tony Hilde (10,138 from 1993-1996),
Hendricks (10,039 from 1997-2000), Ryan Dinwiddie (9,984 from 2000-2003) and
Jared Zabransky (9,119 yards from 2003-2006) are ahead of the Bronco
sophomore.
Moore passed Hilde's 1995 total of 2,761 and is currently in
10th on the single-season list with 2,785 yards. He passed Zabransky
(2,562 passing yards in 2005), Hendricks (2,746 yards in 1999) and Hilde's
2,787 yards in 1994 for sixth place. Moore has thrown for 2,791 yards
this season.
Moore, who holds the school record for completions in a season with 281 set
last year, now has 218 this season. He passed the best seasons by
Hendricks (210 in 2000) and Zabransky (206 in 2004) and is now also third
behind his record pace of last season and Dinwiddie's 276 in
2003.
Young led Boise State in receiving with five receptions for 102 yards, his
fifth game this season over 100 yards. Austin Pettis had four catches for
69 yards, but he failed to get in the end zone for the first time this
season. Pettis tied Billy Wingfield (62 catches in 2002) and passed Ryan
Ikebe (61 receptions in 1996) and Kipp Bedard (60 catches in 1981) for 10th
place on the single season receptions list. It is a tightly-bunched group
ahead of him--with six catches, Pettis will be in fourth place. Seven more
Pettis receptions will move him into a tie with Mike Wilson (1990-1993) for
fourth place on the career receptions list with 159.
Kyle Brotzman booted home all seven extra points and a career long
52-yard field goal for the Broncos. Brotzman passed Nick Calaycay (2002)
and Brock Forsey (both 2000 and 2001), each with 96 points, for 13th place for
points in a season. Brotzman now has 98. Kyle is now just two
field goals behind Mike Black's career record of 51, set from 1988-1991.
Brotzman tied last year's total of 50 extra points for eighth place in that
category.
Coach Petersen’s team is now tied or #1 for the best record this season (11-0), over the last
two seasons (23-1), three seasons (33-4), four seasons (46-4), seven seasons
(79-10), eight seasons (91-11), nine seasons (99-15), 10 seasons (109-17), 11
seasons (119-20), 12 seasons (125-25) and 13 seasons (129-32).
A game Utah State team fell to 3-8
overall and 2-5 in the WAC. The Aggies will challenge Idaho next week in
the season finale.
