Broncos put perfect mark on line in bout with Aggies
Logan, UT (Sports Network) - Winners of 10 straight games, the sixth-ranked Boise State Broncos now turn their attention to the Utah State Aggies in Western Athletic Conference action at Romney Stadium in Logan.
The Broncos have this meeting and battles against Nevada and New Mexico State still remaining in the regular season and after that the squad is expecting to get an invite to a quality bowl event. However, not only is BSU fighting the rest of the WAC, the squad is also competing against TCU in the BCS standings, so the road will not be a smooth one.
Last weekend, the Broncos turned in another strong offensive performance with a 63-25 win against Idaho for in-state bragging rights.
As for the Aggies, they managed to stop a two-game slide last Saturday with their 24-9 win over the San Jose State Spartans at home. Unfortunately, at 3-7 overall and just 2-4 in league play, Utah State will have only a meeting with Idaho left on the schedule for next week.
Last season, BSU picked up an easy 49-14 win versus USU, which means the Broncos now leads the series by an 11-4 margin.
Against the Vandals last weekend, the Boise State offense again exploded as Kellen Moore threw for 299 yards and five touchdowns, while receiver Austin Pettis turned his eight catches into four scores and 123 yards for the victors. Also having a strong game at receiver was Titus Young with six grabs for 101 yards and a touchdown as well.
"We're very pleased with how we played in the second half," said head coach Chris Petersen after the victory. "Idaho is a very good second half team. The one thing we'd been saying all week about those guys is they play hard and they fight to the end. For us to come out in the second half and do a nice job was pleasing." For the second time this season, Kyle Wilson dialed up the defense for the Broncos and returned an interception for a touchdown, earning him some more credit as he contends for all-conference honors again this season.
"He made a nice play on the ball," noted coach Petersen. "The ball was pretty well thrown, it wasn't just a gimmie. What's nice about when Kyle catches it is he plays like a running back as well. Whether it's a punt return or interception, he puts those jets on and goes." In the previous five home dates against the Vandals, Boise State set the bar rather high with an average of just under 60 ppg, so the blowout victory was not much of a surprise for the program.
With the outstanding effort the Broncos assumed the top spot in the nation in scoring, averaging a whopping 43.6 ppg through 10 games. In terms of total offense, coach Petersen is looking at a unit that generates 444.3 ypg, even while they have their issues in the red zone.
Moore remains the top-rated quarterback in the land with a rating of 172.49. Taking nearly every snap for the Broncos, Moore has tossed 32 touchdowns and been picked off just three times which makes the BSU offense almost unstoppable.
For the Broncos, it just isn't about offense though, because the defense has been taking care of opponents on a regular basis, limiting them to just 16.9 ppg to rank first in the WAC and 15th in the nation this week.
Robert Turbin scored on a pair of runs in the first half and that was all the Aggies needed in their 15-point home win against SJSU. Turbin finished the contest with 190 yards and those two touchdowns on 24 carries, while quarterback Diondre Borel chipped in with a mere 50 yards through the air. But really, the Aggies didn't need any assistance from the passing game because the defense was easily handling San Jose State as it moved to 3-1 at home and assured themselves of a winning record in their stadium for the season.
"It is a tremendous victory," said USU head coach Gary Andersen after the game. "To be able to get to 3-1 at home ensures what I think is special to the seniors, to have a winning record at home. That was one of our goals and we were able to get that done today." The USU secondary gave up 245 yards through the air, but not a single receiver made it into the end zone, that lone TD for the visitors was reserved for Lamon Muldrow who was also the leading rusher for the group with his 46 yards.
However, on a much larger scale, even though the Aggies limited the output of the SJSU runners last week, the fact remains that Utah State is still one of the weakest teams in the country when it comes to halting such attacks. After 10 games the group ranks eighth in the conference and 110th in the nation with 200.8 ypg allowed. The pass defense is slightly better with 235.1 ypg permitted, which means there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Now up to 201.1 ypg on the ground, thanks in large part to Turbin who is generating 112.2 ypg and now ranks third in the WAC, the Aggies have made themselves into a force running the football. Borel also contributes in that area as the second-leading rusher, but what the team needs more of is him putting the ball in the hands of his receivers with even more regularity.
11/18 11:09:38 ET
