LIHU‘E — It was projected to be a shootout, except only one side seemed to have a working rifle. In a battle for the top spot in the Western Athletic Conference, Boise State put an end to Hawai‘i’s six-game win
LIHU‘E — It was projected to be a shootout, except only one side seemed to have a working rifle.
In a battle for the top spot in the Western Athletic Conference, Boise State put an end to Hawai‘i’s six-game win streak in emphatic fashion, blowing out the Warriors 42-7, Saturday in Boise, Idaho.
The one-sided game was a mismatch from the start, as Boise quarterback Kellen Moore picked apart the Warrior secondary to the tune of a 507-yard passing day. Moore was 30 of 37, which included a stretch in the first half where the lefty gunslinger completed 19 straight, and threw for three touchdowns.
“It was a complete team effort,” Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. “All three phases were good. We have tremendous respect for Hawai‘i. We just happened to be hitting on all cylinders today and I’m glad, because we need to do that to do what we want to do.”
It was all part of a game that saw the Broncos, who currently sit in fourth place in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, outgain the Warriors 737-196.
Running back Jeremy Avery carried 10 times for 92 yards and three touchdowns.
Two impressive Boise State drives were actually stopped by Mana Silva interceptions.
“Shoot, they could have had a lot more points,” Hawai‘i coach Greg McMackin said, referring to Silva’s interceptions, both coming deep in Boise State territory.
“We’re going to have to look at the film and see what our execution was like. It wasn’t very good. But I’m not so sure that Boise State didn’t have something to do with that,” he added.
The Warriors (7-3, 5-1 WAC) were unable to get their vaunted aerial attack in gear from the outset, as Moniz finished the day 17 of 28 for just 127 yards.
Receiver Greg Salas, who entered the game as the nation’s leading receiver with 1,236 yards, was taken completely out of the game, catching just two balls for 10 yards. Salas had not had fewer than seven receptions in any game this season.
Kealoha Pilares, who came into the game sitting in fifth nationally with 945 receiving yards, did not play as he was nursing a sore hamstring.
Moniz, who still leads the nation in passing yards with 3,374, was unable to find his comfort level on the disorienting blue field that the Broncos sport. The Boise pass rush got to Moniz for seven sacks in the game.
The 196 yards of total offense for UH was its lowest output since a 174-yard day in 1998 against SMU.
Running back Alex Green had the lone score for the Warriors, breaking a 54-yard run to paydirt with just 1:36 remaining in the game to avoid the shutout. Green had 107 yards on 10 carries for his third career 100-yard game. He leads the team with 13 touchdowns on the season (12 rushing, one receiving).
The Broncos got the scoring spree started with a first quarter run by Jeremy Avery from 14 yards out, though Hawai‘i trailed by just a 6-0 margin at the end of the first quarter.
Moore then hit the gas and fired a 12-yard strike to Tyler Shoemaker to take a 13-0 lead early in the second. Avery scored his second of the game on a four-yard run to give Boise a 21-0 lead, which it took into halftime.
Moore struck quickly and from deep in the second half, giving his team a 28-0 lead with a 43-yard pass to Austin Pettis. The lead ballooned to 35-0 when Titus Young went for an 83-yard reception, still with 8:47 to play in the third quarter.
Avery got into the end zone for his third touchdown of the day early in the fourth with a 19-yard scamper and a 42-0 lead.
Boise State (8-0, 4-0) has now won 22 straight, the longest active winning streak in major college football.
“Today was a big game with a big opponent with the TV exposure,” Moore said. “It was our opportunity to show our best brand of football, and I think we played pretty well.”
The three touchdown passes he threw set a new school record as he reached 85 for his career.
“It’s a pretty cool deal,” Moore said. “The records are something I might realize a little bit more later.”
Silva’s two interceptions of Moore give him 13 for his UH career, which ties the school mark with Keone Jardine and Kevin Millhouse. He now has intercepted at least one pass in five of the past six games.
Silva now has seven on the season, two shy of the team record held by Walter Briggs (1989).
Quotes provided by an Associated Press report.
