RUSTON, La. (AP) Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore relished
the opportunity to pull out a close game for a change.
''It's kind of fun playing in tight games,'' Moore said. ''Throw
in a little pressure and it just shows the resiliency of this
team.''
When Louisiana Tech got closer than a field goal early in the
fourth quarter, Moore and fifth-ranked Boise State slammed the door
by scoring a pair of quick touchdowns to stay unbeaten and put away
a 45-35 victory over the Bulldogs on Friday night.
''We know we are going to have people's best shots,'' said
Moore, who passed for 354 yards and three touchdowns. ''We made
more plays then they did tonight when it mattered and we were able
to finish it out.''
With an opportunity to show a national television audience why
they should once again become a BCS buster, a close game on the
road was not what the Broncos had in mind. They might have
preferred something more like their 54-9 win at Hawaii or their
45-7 triumph at San Jose State.
Tech, however, pulled to 30-28 early in the fourth quarter on
Dennis Morris' leaping catch in the corner of the end zone. But the
Broncos' defense buckled down long enough after that for Boise
State to pull away with touchdowns on Moore's 12-yard pass to
Austin Pettis and Jeremy Avery's 44-yard run.
Avery finished with 146 yards rushing, while Titus Young caught
eight passes for 110 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown for Boise
State (9-0, 4-0 Western Athletic Conference).
Boise State has scored no fewer than 45 points in each of its
four WAC games this season.
Still, the Broncos could have used a more dominant victory in
their quest to prove they are more deserving than unbeaten and
sixth-ranked TCU for a Bowl Championship Series bid.
''That's how it always is when we play,'' Boise State coach
Chris Peterson said. ''It's never good enough, but it's good enough
for us. We are going to try to do better next week and just go from
there.''
Trailing 27-7 at halftime, Tech (3-6, 2-4) made a game of it in
the third quarter, starting with Josh Victorian's first career
touchdown on a 75-yard interception return. The Bulldogs later
marched 73 yards, scoring on Ross Jenkins' 9-yard keeper around the
right end to make it 30-21.
Tech's Matt Nelson then caught the Broncos napping with an
onside kick that he recovered himself, leading to Morris' TD.
''I was really proud at how well we did in the second half,''
Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley said. ''We didn't make the plays
at the end of the game we needed to win, but if we keep fighting
the way we've been fighting, we'll play out of it eventually.''
Jenkins finished 10 of 19 for 114 yards and one interception.
Daniel Porter rushed for 92 yards and a score for Tech.
Moore's three TD passes gave him 27 on the season, eclipsing the
25 he had last year as a freshman.
Pettis finished with nine catches for 105 yards. Richie Brockel
had a 2-yard TD catch in the first half and Doug Martin scored on
2-yard run for the Broncos.
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)