Well that escalated quickly.
Boise State's thumping of Wyoming was as fast as it was fierce and there were plenty of players to praise ... much more than just three. I do my best to pick the top three performers from the Broncos' 51-6 win, as well as the No. 1 goat, after the jump. Let me know who gets your three stars in the comments.
Naming three stars of the game is a hockey tradition that I am ripping off for Bronco postgame coverage. More info here, if you're interested.
Star No. 3: Doug Martin
Large portions of this game belonged to Martin (and by extension, the offensive line) who ran angry, hard, and effective against the Cowboys. His second quarter touchdown was well-earned. Martin gained 57 of the Broncos' yards on that drive, part of his 145 total yards in little more than one half of work.
Star No. 2: Kellen Moore
If you throw for 350 yards, you are pretty much going to get a star from me. Especially if I have a wall poster of you in my bedroom. Moore was his usual prolific self, shredding the Wyoming defense on deep passes, short passes, and any other pass he wanted to throw. Give the offensive line credit for giving him all day to throw (or make sandwiches). Give Moore credit for taking advantage.
Star No. 1: Pete Kwiatkowski
Did I totally cheat by giving this star to a coach and not a player? You bet I did. But you have to give the man credit for gameplanning to perfection against a Wyoming offense that can cause headaches. Plus, Kwiatkowski did it after an up-and-down game against Virginia Tech where the Broncos showed some weaknesses in different aspects of the game.
There were no weaknesses on Saturday night, least of all in defending against Carta-Samuels. Wyoming's biggest offensive threat was a non-factor, and his rushing skills - a part of his game that could have caused Boise State problems judging on how they defended Tyrod Taylor - hardly factored in. Great gameplan, great execution by every Boise State defender (especially the line), and a blowout win.
The Goat: Wyoming RB Robert Herron
Herron had a chance for a big 1st down pickup on Wyoming's first drive, but he dropped the pass, Wyoming punted, everything else that could go wrong did go wrong, and the rout was on. Was Herron's drop the most egregious error of the night by the Cowboys? No, but it was the first. Sorry, Robert Herron. You should save your mistakes until at least the third quarter. The CBS College Sports announcing crew is adequately tanked by then, so far fewer people will notice your flubs.
(Note: I was tempted to give the goat horns to Austin Pettis for his poor sportsmanship on the end zone flip, but I didn't. I'll let Coach Pease deal with him, which I'm sure he already has.)
Your turn
Who were your three stars of the game? Any other goats stand out to you? Leave your thoughts in the comments.