-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Broncos roll past the Pack
Archive
Comments
Story
The BSU vs. Nevada match-up has been hyped up lately as the “new rivalry” that Boise State fans have to look forward to since the Idaho contest has lost much of its luster and intensity.
That newfound rivalry may be in jeopardy already if the next couple of years turn out like Saturday night for Nevada.
Not only did BSU hand the Wolf Pack their 6th loss of the year, but they also dominated the Pack in every aspect of the game from the opening kick-off to the closing seconds.
Boise State wasted little time making a statement Saturday night as they dismantled Nevada 49-7 and improved their record to 4-1 in WAC and 5-3 overall.
“We came ready to play,” said sophomore quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie. “We wanted to come out and play a full game and that’s exactly what we did.”
Having beaten Fresno State the week earlier, it would have been easy for BSU to get caught up in the excitement and overlook a team like Nevada. After all, it’s not every day these players get to turn on ESPN and hear the commentators hailing praise to Boise State.
So when the time finally came for Saturday’s game there were many questions as to how well this team would perform and if they would be ready. It took the Broncos 2 minutes on their first possession to answer every one of them.
Ryan Dinwiddie showed his ability to run the ball as he engineered the first touchdown strike. On 3rd and 1 he broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and turned it into a 26-yard gain, followed up by a run of 8 yards into the end zone to give the Broncos the first lead of the game. Total drive: 50 yards on six plays in 2:09.
They would never look back the rest of the game as the situation was already out of control for Nevada. Tim Gilligan showed his toughness as he returned back from the infamous hit at the Fresno game and gave the Bronco’s great field position when he fielded a punt and returned it to Nevada’s 37-yard line for a 26-yard return. That opened the door for another touchdown as running back David Mikell found pay dirt on a 1-yard touchdown romp. Total Drive: 37 yards on six plays in 2:16.
On the pursuing kickoff, Nevada kick-returner Ronnie Hardiman couldn’t find the handle and turned the ball back over to BSU on the 27-yard line. The Broncos would take advantage and on the 5th play of the drive Dinwiddie hooked up with wide receiver Jay Swillie on a 9-yard pass to increase the first quarter lead to 21-0. Total Drive: 27 yards on 5 plays in 1:50.
Time expired in the first quarter of play and Nevada found themselves mounting a drive that could possibly put them on the board as they began the second quarter. They would come up short however as the defense held and forced Nevada to miss a field goal.
Dinwiddie would take advantage yet again 27 seconds later as tight end Jeb Putzier reeled in an over-the-shoulder grab and ran it in for a 57 yard touchdown. Total Drive: 78 yards on 3 plays in 27 seconds.
Nevada would finally respond and put up their first and only 7 points with 5:02 left in the half. Second string quarterback, Zack Threadgill, found Aaron Carter for a 32-yard touch pass to reduce the Bronco lead to 28-7. That would be the last points Nevada would see all day as BSU would go on to score 21 unanswered points.
Dinwiddie demonstrated his ability to score at will against the Wolf Pack defense as he methodically found receiver after receiver and worked his way down the field before drilling a pass to Putzier in the end zone with 4 second left in the first half. The score sent the Broncos into the locker room with a commanding 35-7 lead.
The third quarter would bring an end to all scoring as BSU struck 2 more times with touchdown runs of 28 and 64 yards by Brock Forsey and David Mikell.
Mikell received player of the game honors as he finished with 121 yards on only 13 carries and 2 touchdowns. Forsey wrapped up his night with 105 yards respectively and one touchdown.
Jeb Putzier continued to wreak havoc on defensive schemes as he scored 2 touchdowns, and finished with 73 yards to lead all BSU receivers. Ryan Dinwiddie only completed 10 passes for 160 yards, but made them count as three were for touchdowns. He also departed the game early to let back ups Rhode and Sanford in on the action.
When all was said and done three of the BSU touchdowns took less then a minute and the other 4 took a total of 8 minutes combined. Six different receivers had at least one catch, and BSU rushed for a total of 319 yards in dominating fashion.
With the win over Nevada, BSU finds themselves in a 2-way tie for the conference lead with Louisiana Tech as a result of Fresno State and Rice losing each of their games this past weekend. The fight over sole possession of the WAC number one will be held this weekend as BSU travels to Ruston, Louisiana in what should go down as a must-win game for both teams.
Steve Gowans
