Boise State vs Fresno State: Bulldogs Have no Answer for No.5 Team in the Nation

Boise State head coach Chris Peterson brought his gaudy 65-5 record into Bulldog stadium on Friday night.

By the time the first half ended, it was apparent that Peterson was going to get his 66th win.

The Broncos led 37-0 at the half, on their way to a laying a 57-7 beating on the Bulldogs. It was a rough night for the home team, as Boise State’s offense out gained Fresno State’s 464 to 270.

Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore got things going in a hurry on the Broncos first drive with a 48-yard pass to receiver Matt Miller. The seven play drive ended with a four yard touchdown pass to Miller, putting them up 7-0.

Moore completed 23 out of 31 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, while only playing a little more than a half of football, giving way to backup Joe Southwick early in the third quarter.

The Broncos dominated the entire game, but Fresno State did themselves no favors, they had two fumbles and a punt blocked, leading to 21 points for Boise State.

After a Devon Wylie fumble, the Broncos took over at the Bulldogs’ 25-yard-line and and scored on an end-around to receiver Mitch Burroughs on the next play extending the lead to 16-0 after Boise State missed the extra point.

Boise blocked an Andrew Shapiro punt in the second quarter, taking over at the Bulldogs 24-yard-line, eventually scoring on a seven-yard run by running back D.J. Harper.

Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr was also responsible for one of the three turnovers that led to points for the Broncos. Carr finished the night completing 17 out of 30 passes for 126 yards.

Moore’s second touchdown of the night came early in the second quarter on an 18-yard pass to Geraldo Boldewijn. The same duo hooked up again later in the second quarter on a four-yard TD pass making it 37-0.

Boise started the second half scoring with a five play 78-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run by running back Doug Martin, making it 43-0 with over a quarter and a half to play.  After that, Boise took their foot off the gas and coasted for the rest of the game.

The Bulldogs’ only score came on a 79-yard punt return by Devon Wylie in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, making it 50-7.

Coach Pat Hill seemed to take the loss pretty hard, making no excuses for his team’s bad night.  “We fell flat on our face, that one is as hard a game that I have gone through since I’ve been here," said Hill.  “The game lasted forever,” added Hill.

The Bulldogs return to WAC play next Saturday against Utah State at Bulldog Stadium with their hopes of winning a WAC title still alive.

Quotes for this article were taken first hand by Gean May at Pat Hill's post-game press conference at Fresno State University.