The Broncos shut down the high-powered Hawaii offense and the Hawaii defense most definitely did not do the same to the Broncos. In a game that was more lopsided than the final score, Boise State came away with a 42-7 win and the lead in the WAC. As it should be!
Join me after the jump for a recap of the game, and share your thoughts on the Broncos win in the comments. How did Boise State look to you? What were your favorite parts from the win? Let's discuss.
Top Five plays
- Tyler Shoemaker TD catch from Kellen Moore. Quadruple coverage with a man in his face? Sure, why not?
- J.P. Nisby sack on 4th down. Hawaii didn't do much in the first half, to say the least. The one time they did have an opportunity to do something was on the drive that ended with a fourth down try - a fourth down try that Old Man Nisby ate alive.
- Titus Young TD catch from Kellen Moore. /hyperventilating from awesomeness
- Austin Pettis TD catch from Kellen Moore. Hawaii might want to defend the middle of the field on 3rd and long. Just saying.
- Kellen Moore deep ball to Geraldo Hiwat. It wasn't the most perfect deep ball, but it was great seeing Hiwat make a deep play if for nothing else than to make me feel a little more comfortable about Boise State's receiving corps next year. Also, I liked that Boise State was going for the jugular there.
It was over when ...
Kellen Moore hit a wide open Titus Young for an 83-yard TD to make it 35-0. It was probably over a lot earlier than this. But Moore's pass was the backbreaker in an afternoon of backbreakers. As good as Hawaii's offense can look at times, a 35-point deficit was definitely too much (a 14-point deficit would have been too much today).
Recap
That was not so much a WAC championship as it was a typical WAC game.
The Broncos easily dispatched of Hawaii in what was billed as one of the Broncos' toughest games left, winning 42-7 behind the strength of a dominant defense and a record-setting Kellen Moore.
Moore threw for 507 yards, which was a career high and third-most in team history. Three Bronco wide receivers had at least 99 yards. Jeremy Avery scored three times.
And that was only half the story.
The other half was the Boise State defense, which hopefully doesn't get lost when this game gets wrapped. Hawaii came in with the No. 1 offense in the country and left the third quarter with barely over 100 total yards. Bryant Moniz had zero time to throw (and all it typically takes is two seconds in the quick run-n-shoot). I could count missed tackles on one hand. The Bronco defense came to play, and the Hawaii offense didn't.
Statistics
Passing
Kellen Moore 30-for-37, 507 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing
Doug Martin 17 carries, 55 yards
Jeremy Avery 10 carries, 92 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
Austin Pettis 8 catches, 122 yards, 1 TD
Titus Young 5 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD
Tyler Shoemaker 5 catches, 99 yards, 1 TD
Knee-jerk reactions
I could watch Boise State run the hurry up offense all day for the rest of eternity, it was that awesome ... Complete 19 straight passes: Achievement unlocked ... Would this game have been 35-0 at halftime without those two turnovers? ... Strange that Hawaii has been the team to slow down Boise State's run game the most this year (in the first half at least) ... I guess it's easy to look good against the run when you look so terrible against the pass ...
I take back any worries I ever had about Boise State's pass defense ... Seriously, great pass defense ... Kealoha Pilares not playing much probably helped, but still - Iloka on the slot and Thompson and Taylor on the corners were excellent ... In the first five minutes of the game, you could tell that Hawaii was in for a long day with how the Boise State defensive line was owning the Hawaii offensive line ... Well done on the 2-point option by Pettis, which I guess makes up for the poor job on the missed 2-point pass (presumably by Pettis
Kellen Moore throws for 500 yards in three quarters, so all interceptions are forgiven ... I'd rather not talk about TCU right now ... Faraji Wright did well subbing for Joe Kellogg, same with Gabe Linehan making the most of his opportunity with Tommy Gallarda out of the lineup ... Bryant Moniz: Overrated? ... I'm not entirely sure WAC officials know how instant replay works ...