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Broncos stomp Wolf Pack
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Exhale.
You can do it now. You can relax and bask in the splendor of an undefeated season.
The Boise State Broncos defeated the Nevada Wolf Pack 38-7 Saturday in Reno to win their fifth consecutive Western athletic Conference Championship and finish the season 12-0, 8-0 WAC.
Last season, the Broncos shared the WAC title. This year, it’s all theirs.
“We didn’t want to share it,” BSU tailback Ian Johnson said.
“We wanted to be outright champions. One of the worst things in the world last year was being on the plane and having someone tell you, ‘Hey, you guys eeked into being WAC champions because some one else lost.’ We wanted to be outright, 100 percent champions.”
Johnson was carried off the field by a mass of fans who rushed the field after the win. He also set the school record for single-season rushing yards on a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Johnson broke Brock Forsey’s 2002 record of 1,611 yards. Johnson currently has 1,613.
He rushed for 147 yards on 31 carries at Nevada.
Johnson crossed the endzone three times in the game, bringing his season touchdown total to 24. He still leads the nation in that category.
The Broncos truly dominated the game. They only allowed the Nevada offense to tally 141 total yards. The Broncos allowed a season-low 35 passing yards. Jeff Rowe, Nevada’s senior quarterback completed 6-of-15 passes. He threw zero interceptions and zero touchdowns.
“I thought our defense was unbelievable,” BSU head coach Chris Petersen said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen them more dominating in game than they were today.”
The Broncos were focused, prepared.
“We watched so much tape on those guys,” Petersen said. “By the end of the year you see how they play. They’ve got good players and they have a good program. They’ve moved the ball the last five games. The combination of how their defense was playing … not in my wildest dreams would I expect them to play a game like that.”
The Broncos shut out the Wolf Pack in the first half.
Nevada didn’t pick up its first first down until the 6:12 mark of the second quarter. The Bronco defense held Nevada to 18 first-quarter yards and forced three turnovers.
Marty Tadman recovered a Robert Hubbard fumble, forced by Orlando Scandrick, in the second quarter and returned it to the Wolf Pack 16-yard line.
Tadman’s recovery led to the first Bronco points, a 27-yard field goal by Anthony Montgomery.
Coach Petersen could have given Montgomery other opportunities in the first half, but opted to go for first downs deep in Nevada territory. The Broncos went 1-for-4 on fourth down conversions in the first half, turning the ball over on downs on their first two possessions.
“I wasn’t going to come out in this game and play conservative and all that,” Petersen said. “I really wanted to go for it there. Nevada, credit their defense they stopped us a few times on fourth and short there. That’s uncommon for us to get stopped there. I didn’t have any regrets at all.”
Jared Zabranksy had another solid game at quarterback for BSU. The senior threw for 299 yards on 20-of-27 passing and one long, beautiful bomb to Legedu Naanee, a 45-yard score.
Naanee caught seven balls for 129 yards and the score.
Zabranksy threw one interception. It proved costly (Nevada senior Nick Hawthrone returned it 45 yards for a score), but since the Nevada offense was as effective as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest, it really didn’t matter.
Johnson got off to a slow start, only rushing for nine yards in the first quarter and 40 in the first half. Johnson capped an 11-play, 72-yard drive at 12:03 of the second quarter with a 6-yard run. He later scored on a 4-yard run, following Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe’s fumble on a scramble. Officially the force was given to Andrew Browning.
Browning went nuts in the game. He led the team with seven tackles form his defensive tackle position. He had four tackles for a loss, for 25 yards, 3 sacks and the forced fumble.
Vinny Perretta also scored another touchdown, a 5-yard keeper to the left side.
Korey Hall also had seven tackles to lead the team.
“We knew this was one of our biggest games because of the situation and nobody was going to take that away from us,” Hall said. “We‘ve been working for this for five years and we put it all together finally. We had to work for it. It is a great feeling, accomplishing our goals.”
The goals the team set at the beginning season are complete, but now, with the undefeated season and a Bowl Championship Series game looming on the Arizona horizon, there is a new goal, to win the upcoming game, wherever it may be, whoever they will play.
Nevada will probably earn a berth in MPC Computer Bowl in Boise. They finished the season 8-4, 5-3 WAC. They will face a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Dustin Lapray
