Nov. 6, 2009

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RUSTON, La. - Kellen Moore passed for 354 yards and three touchdowns to give fifth-ranked Boise State a 45-35 win over Louisiana Tech before 23,240 fans at Joe Aillet Stadium Friday night.

Moore's 12-yard touchdown to Austin Pettis with 7:41 to play in the game gave the Broncos some breathing room as LA Tech had cut a 20-point halftime deficit down to 30-28 after a pair of third quarter scores and a five-yard touchdown from Ross Jenkins to Dennis Morris with 14:07 to play in the game.

Boise State (9-0, 4-0 WAC) sealed the win on a Jeremy Avery 44-yard touchdown run that gave the Broncos a 45-28 lead with 4:52 to play after LA Tech failed to convert a fourth and six play with just over five minutes to play in the game.

"It was obviously a great football team we played tonight," said Tech head coach Derek Dooley. "We had a good start, and then Boise State looked like the No. 5 team in the country. They stayed very aggressive on the offense. It looked like the game was going to get away from us, but I was really proud of how well we did in the second half.

"We didn't make the plays that we needed to at the end of the game, but we kept fighting the same way we've been fighting. We will eventually play out of it. I am proud of them. As long as they keep fighting, it'll pay off for us."

The first half was anything but a fight as Boise State held the Bulldogs to a mere 64 yards of total offense, with 68 of that coming on a seven-play scoring drive on the second possession of the game. Daniel Porter capped the drive with a one-yard run at the 8:14 mark, giving LA Tech an early 7-3 lead.

However, the Bulldogs managed zero first downs and had seven three-and-outs on their other first half possessions while Boise State racked up 27 points and 219 yards.

The Broncos recorded touchdowns on a two-yard pass to Richie Brockel, a 2-yard run by Doug Martin and a 40-yard pass to Titus Young as well as a 34-yard Kyle Brotzman field goal - his second of the opening half as Boise State led 27-7 at intermission.

"We definitely had a tough first half," said Tech quarterback Ross Jenkins. "We didn't play very well period. We had one good drive, but we weren't able to convert on third downs. With third (and long) your chances aren't very good."

Boise State appeared ready to put the game away on their opening drive of the third quarter when Moore made an ill-advised pass under heavy pressure from D'Anthony Smith that was plucked out of the air by Tech cornerback Josh Victorian and returned 75-yards down the Bulldog sideline for a score, cutting the deficit to 27-14.

"Throwing that interception gave them quick points," Moore said. "That certainly kept them in the game. That was just my fault. I was trying to get the ball out of bounds. Obviously, I didn't get it there and their guy made the play.

"It was a stupid thing that shouldn't have happened. I was trying to throw it away off my back foot and nothing good ever happens from that for a quarterback."

After a third Brotzman field goal upped the Broncos lead to 30-14, Tech drove 73-yards on 11 plays and scored on a nine-yard Jenkins run with 1:30 to play in the third quarter. Matt Nelson's extra point made the score 30-21 Boise State.

Dooley and Co. then pulled out some trickery as Nelson successfully converted an on-side kick that he recovered on the Tech 41-yard line. Seven plays later, Jenkins found Dennis Morris for a five-yard score on an acrobatic catch of the Boise State defender as the lead was cut to two with 14:07 to play in the game.

"You aren't judged by how you play the first 30 minutes," Jenkins said. "We knew we played as bad as we could have in the first half. As players we were upset with how we were playing. We knew we had to take a deep breath, relax and play like we know how. That's what we did."

After a Brotzman missed 31-yard field goal on the Broncos next possession, Tech took over with an opportunity to take the lead but the Broncos defense stood tall, forcing a fourth down and one from the Bulldog 29 with just over 10 minutes to play.

The Bulldogs punted the ball back over to Boise State and the Broncos drove 56-yards on five plays as Moore hit Pettis high over the middle from 12-yards out on a third down and seven play.

"It was a two-point game, and we still had (10) minutes left," Dooley said. "I just felt if we went for it and didn't' get it, they were in scoring position. I didn't think it was the smart thing to do at the time."

After an empty Tech possession, Avery put the game away with the 44-yard scamper. Avery finished the night with 146 yards rushing on 25 carries.

For Tech, Jenkins completed 10-of-19 passes for 114 yards, one score and one interception while rushing for 19 yards and one score. Porter led Tech on the ground with 92 yards on 24 carries while Morris led the Bulldog receivers with 78 yards and one score on five carries.

Defensively, freshman CJ Broades recorded a career-high 10 tackles while Victorian added nine and Deon Young and Tank Calais each tallied eight.

The Bulldogs played the majority of the game without senior safety Antonio Baker, who suffered an injury on the first possession of the game.

Tech returns to action Saturday when it travels to Baton Rouge to face LSU at 6 p.m. in a game that will be televised on ESPNU.