BRONCOS OPEN FOOTBALL SEASON
WITH 65-7 WIN OVER IDAHO
IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD

BOISE, Idaho – New faces, same old offense. Behind

first-time starter Jared Zabransky at quarterback, Boise State

rolled to a 65-7 win over Idaho in front of a Bronco Stadium record

crowd of 30,944 fans. The win was the sixth straight by Boise State

over Idaho and the margin of victory was the biggest in the history

of the rivalry.

The win was Boise State’s 12th in a row and 19th straight at home.

The Broncos now own the nation’s longest winning streak, thanks to

a loss by Miami (Ohio), and the nation’s longest home winning

streak. Boise State’s last loss came against next week’s opponent

Oregon State 26-24 in Corvallis last season, with its last loss at

home coming during the home opener in 2001 against Washington

State.

Zabransky, who won a close battle with Mike Sanford for the

starting spot, sparked the Broncos with three rushing touchdowns.

He capped Boise State’s first two scoring drives with one-yard

quarterback sneaks, and then scrambled for a one-yard touchdown on

a passing play to give Boise State a 21-0 lead in the first

quarter. Zabransky finished with 234 yards passing while completing

11-of-16 passes with one interception.

After a Tyler Jones field goal gave the Broncos a 24-0

lead, Boise State got six straight touchdowns from six different

players. Quinton Jones started the touchdown parade with a 27-yard

run on a third and three to give Boise State a 31-0 lead at the

half.

The Broncos added 14 points on a pair of touchdowns by Brad Lau and

Jon Helmandollar in the third quarter. Lau capped a four-play,

68-yard drive with a bulling one-yard run to give the Broncos a

38-0 lead. Helmandollar followed with another powerful one-yard run

to polish off a five-play, 55-yard drive.

The Broncos’ special teams got in on the action with the next

touchdown. Chris Carr capped a stellar night with a 62-yard punt

return for a touchdown to give Boise State a 52-0 lead with 14:36

to play in the fourth quarter. Carr highlighted a big night by the

special teams, which also saw Jared Hunter block an Idaho punt in

the first quarter, with five punt returns for 137 yards.

A pair of other Bronco running backs found their way into the end

zone in the fourth quarter. Antwaun Carter scored on a two-yard run

to cap a five-play, 57-yard scoring drive, and then sophomore Brett

Denton finished the Broncos scoring with an 11-yard run.

While five different running backs found the end zone, the Bronco

back to make the biggest contribution was junior Lee Marks. Marks

ran for 105 yards on 14 carries, including a dazzling 40-yard jaunt

that where he juked an Idaho defensive back badly. The 100-yard

game was the first of Marks’ career.

Ten separate Broncos caught passes in the game with

sophomore tight end Derek Schouman finishing with a team-best four

catches for a game-best 120 yards. Chris Christopher had three

catches for 81 yards, while Drisan James caught two passes for 37

yards.

Defensively, only a 71-yard run by Jayson Bird with 1:20 to play

against the Broncos third string defense kept the Broncos from

their second straight season-opening shutout.

Senior Andy Avalos led the Broncos with six tackles, while Gabe

Franklin had his 15th career interception, the third most in school

history.

 

Bronco Sports

Related Posts:

1. Broncos beat Vandals in Idaho showdown
2. BRONCOS EXTEND NATIONS
   LONGEST WINNING STREAK TO
   16 WITH 38-20 WIN OVER SMU
3. Dinwiddie leads Broncos past SMU, 45-3
4. Broncos bowl prospects still alive with last minute win over Hawaii
5. Broncos shut out ISU in season opener