Boise State vs. Idaho Preview
MOSCOW, ID – Boise State thoroughly overwhelmed a reputable opponent last weekend, racking up more than 700 yards of offense. It could be in line for another lopsided victory, considering Idaho was run over for more than 800 yards in its last game.
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The fourth-ranked Broncos, who actually dropped in the rankings despite their convincing victory, look to win the Governor’s Cup for the 12th straight year when they visit the Vandals on Friday night.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made Boise State –34.5 point spread favorites for Friday’s game against Idaho. Current NCAA Public Betting Information shows that 90% of more than 2,362 bets for this game have been placed on Boise State –34.5.
Boise State (8-0, 4-0, Western Athletic Conference) piled up a school-record 732 total yards in Saturday’s 42-7 victory over Hawaii, extending the FBS’ longest winning streak to 22.
Kellen Moore picked apart the Warriors for a career-best 507 yards and three touchdowns, while Jeremy Avery ran for three scores. Moore, the conference’s offensive player of the week, completed 19 straight passes at one point and brought his career touchdown total to 85, breaking another school mark.
“The records are something I might realize a little bit more later,” said Moore, who has 21 touchdowns to four interceptions.
Moore’s spectacular performance was matched by a defense that limited Hawaii – which came in averaging 39.2 points and 491.7 yards – to 11 first downs and 196 total yards, its lowest output in 12 years.
“It was a complete team effort,” coach Chris Petersen said. “All three phases were good. We have tremendous respect for Hawaii. We just happened to be hitting on all cylinders and I’m glad, because we need to do that to do what we want to do.”
Petersen wants his team to play in the BCS title game, but it’s going to need some outside help.
The Broncos are fourth in the BCS standings and dropped two places in the AP poll Sunday. They were leapfrogged by Auburn and TCU, which beat then-No. 6 Utah 47-7 on Saturday, drawing some of the backing voters had been giving Boise State.
Simply winning big down the stretch doesn’t look like it will be enough to give the Broncos a shot at the championship. Boise State, second in the FBS with an average of 47.0 points and fourth in total offense at 543.5 yards per game, is notorious for its lopsided victories, outscoring its four WAC opponents 198-27.
The high-powered Broncos have had similar success against the Vandals, averaging 57.2 points in the last six meetings.
In last season’s 63-25 win – Boise State’s 11th straight in the series since a 36-35 loss in 1998 – Moore threw for 299 yards and five touchdowns, while Avery rushed for 110 yards and a TD on 14 attempts.
The duo seems to be poised for another big game, as the Vandals yielded 844 yards in Saturday’s 63-17 loss to then-No. 25 Nevada.
Idaho (4-5, 1-3) fell behind quickly, getting outgained 225-2 in the first quarter and trailing 28-3 at halftime. The abysmal defensive effort came one week after Idaho allowed Hawaii to roll up 494 yards in a 45-10 loss.
“We weren’t executing,” senior safety Shiloh Keo told the Vandals’ official website. “The problem is, we’re making the same mistakes. It’s time to shake that off. It’s time to start doing what our assignment is.”
Idaho’s offense has also struggled as the competition has gotten tougher. The Vandals had scored at least 30 points in each of their previous five games before their consecutive losses.
“We didn’t execute,” senior quarterback Nathan Enderle said Saturday. “You can’t do that against a good team.”
The Vandals have regularly had trouble against good teams, getting outscored by an average of 31.9 points in losing all 16 games to Top 25 opponents since 1996.
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