Boise State Broncos @ Georgia Bulldogs Football Recap

Boise State 35, Georgia 21

Remember the 2005 college football season opener?

Remember the time when the Boise State Broncos traveled to the Peach State and played the University of Georgia Bulldogs in the heart of the Deep South?

Remember the bludgeoning Boise State absorbed that evening on Georgia’s home campus, a brutal smackdown in a game that wasn’t remotely close?

Remember Boise State’s flop sweat, particularly the disastrous performance of quarterback Jared Zabransky, whose flood of early mistakes allowed the Bulldogs to hammer their upstart opponent from the state of Idaho?

Well, all those miserable experiences endured by the Boise State football family have all been avenged now. Boise didn’t go back to Georgia’s campus to play a road game in an SEC stadium, but the Broncos did the next-toughest thing – they went to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to endure what was still a hostile environment.

This time, though, their quarterback remained poised and in control of his surroundings. This time, Boise State handed out the physical punishment. This time, Boise State won in the state of Georgia to quiet its SEC skeptics.

For a moment it seemed the stage would finally be too big for Boise State, when with Boise’s offense sputtering early, Georgia inserted cornerback and return specialist Brandon Boykin into the offense, and he promptly dashed 80 yards to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. But Boise State did what they always do—minimize mistakes, be efficient, and play tough defense—as the fifth-ranked Broncos downed 19 th-ranked Georgia 35-21 on Saturday night.

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Boise State settled down late in the first quarter, as Kellen Moore – doing what Zabransky failed to do six years ago against Georgia - connected on passes of 12, 20, and 17 yards to get the Broncos on the board. Then, after Boise’s only mistake of the game came when Branden Smith intercepted Moore at Georgia’s nine-yard line, the Broncos took it right back three plays later. A Jerrell Gavins interception of Aaron Murray gave Boise the ball at midfield. The Broncos took seven plays, and took a 14-7 lead into the half after Moore hooked up on a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Efaw.

Boise State took full advantage of its late-second-quarter score when getting the ball first in the second half. In an 11-play scoring drive, Moore went 7-7 for 69 yards. The Broncos diced through Georgia’s defense in less than four minutes, the drive ending when Doug Martin found the endzone on a seven-yard run. Georgia would miss a field goal on its next possession, so when a Chris Potter punt retur set up Boise State with a 29-yard field later in the quarter, the touchdown five plays later gave Boise a 28-7 lead.

Moore finished going 28-34 with 261 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos enjoyed the return of DJ Harper, who added 44 yards on eight carries to Doug Martin’s 57-yard, 24-carry load. Murray’s line was 16-29 for 236 yards and two scores. Boykin’s lone carry for the 80-yard touchdown led all Georgia rushers.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer