The Broncos came out firing on all cylinders, opening up a 28-0 first quarter lead and cruising to the 12th straight win against the Vandals. Kellen Moore was great, the defense was outstanding, and the Vandals really never had a chance.
After the jump, share your thoughts on the rivalry and the game. I'll have a recap and some early analysis in a bit.
Top Five plays
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Chris Potter's 76-yard punt return TD. Potter is the epitome of shifty, which sure helped him break through three or four waves of Vandal tacklers. But then he had the jets to get all the way and not be caught. Shifty jets? Sure, why not.
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Doug Martin's 8-yard TD run. When is an 8-yard TD run not just an 8-yard TD run? When you steamroll Shiloh Keo, the Vandal's best defensive player, five yards backward into the end zone, that's when.
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Titus Young's 58-yard TD catch. Moore and Young are getting good at that.
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Jeron Johnson's blocked punt. Just when things looked really bad for the Vandals, things got a lot worse when Johnson blocked a first quarter punt deep in Vandal territory. The block, coupled with Potter's big return, must have made fake punts a pretty rational choice at that point.
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Jarrell Root's blindside sack of Nathan Enderle. I'm not sure why, but I really lived vicariously through that hit.
It was over when ...
Titus Young hauled in a 58-yard TD pass from Kellen Moore. A 21-0 first quarter deficit was bad enough. The long TD bomb to make it 28 points was the end of it.
Recap
Oh, so this is why Coach Pete doesn't care to play this game any more.
The Vandals were outplayed, outclassed, and outperformed in all three phases of the game, especially so during one of the most lopsided first quarters you'll see. Boise State breezed to a 52-14 win, and it was never close.
Chris Potter opened the scoring with a weaving, bouncing 76-yard punt return, Doug Martin and Jeremy Avery added touchdown runs, and Titus Young scored on a long pass from Kellen Moore in a big first quarter. Moore finished the game with three touchdowns total, and Martin ran for 117 yards on 16 carries.
Defensively, the Broncos were their typical dominant selves. Brandyn Thompson picked two passes - one on the Vandals' second drive of the game and another in the fourth quarter long after Nathan Enderle had found the bench. Aaron Tevis added an interception, and the Bronco line was wreaking havoc in the backfield all night.
Statistics
Passing
Kellen Moore 19-for-26, 216 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
Rushing
Doug Martin 16 carries, 117 yards, 2 TDs
Jeremy Avery 5 carries, 25 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Titus Young 5 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD
Austin Pettis 2 catches, 31 yards
Knee-jerk reactions
I think the Broncos passed the eye test on ESPN tonight ... Idaho's most competitive moment of the night probably came during that pregame brouhaha of sorts ... Did you see who got one of the sealing blocks on Doug Martin's second quarter TD run? TE Ryan Winterswyk ... About the only thing that went wrong in the first quarter was Kyle Brotzman's failed onside kick ... Speaking of which, a first quarter onside kick?! I approve! ... What was up with Shiloh Keo wearing a blue and orange arm wrap? ...
Welcome to the prolific Bronco receiving corps, Gabe Linehan ... Also, where does one get "Wild One" tattooed on the inside of each arm because I have been meaning to get "OBNUG" tattooed somewhere? ... Nathan Enderle: He's all yours, NFL ... I guess there's a reason why Boise State's backups are backups ... Faraji Wright is doing a great Joe Kellogg impression ...
All hail Robb Akey, his fake punt gameplan worked like a charm ... Also, it helps when the team you're fake punting misses a couple tackles at the line of scrimmage ... Kickoff coverage was much better tonight ... At this point, has Robb Akey's stomach surpassed Robb Akey's mustache? ... Letter chest painting fail, Idaho fans. You might want to stand next to each other in order for any length of time ... I know I'm missing so many more moments from this one, so help me out in the comments ...