Boise State Broncos @ UNLV Rebels Football Recap

Boise State 48, UNLV 21

Right now, the biggest concern for the Boise State Broncos is staying healthy before the biggest game of the 2011 regular season. The best non-BCS conference team in the United States might not have achieved a clean escape on the first night of November. A scoreboard result’s importance paled in comparison to the well-being of two star players on the Broncos’ roster.

In Boise State’s first trip to Las Vegas since its bowl victory over Utah last December, the Broncos shook off a slow start to dispatch of UNLV by 27 points late Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium. The win moved Kellen Moore’s career record as a starter to 46-2, giving him the most wins all-time for Division I quarterbacks.

Despite the slow first half, Moore was still on the bench early in the fourth quarter after putting the game away. After taking a 21-14 halftime lead, the Broncos started to break the game open in the third quarter. Facing a third-and-eight at midfield, UNLV brought a blitz to try and end the drive, but Moore stepped up and fired over the top to Tyler Shoemaker who ran for a 51-yard touchdown pass. Boise State’s next drive extended into the fourth quarter and ended when Moore hit Shoemaker again 12 seconds into the frame. Boise’s next drive started at midfield, and D.J. Harper ran once for 15 yards, then again for a 36-yard touchdown. Just two minutes into the fourth quarter, the Broncos’ lead had ballooned to 41-14.

Moore finished 18-31 for 219 yards and five touchdowns. Harper was key in the win for Boise State, rushing 13 times for 109 yards after Doug Martin left the game with an injury. Defensive tackle Billy Winn also suffered an injury for Boise State, but early reports are that both players should be able to play in next week’s de facto Mountain West Conference championship game, as the fifth-ranked Broncos will host TCU (7-2).

It can’t be overstated how important Martin and Winn are to the Boise State cause. Martin is by far the team’s best and most valuable running back, a powerful runner who hits holes with authority and decisiveness. The north-south running of Martin serves as the perfect complement to Moore’s passing game, making BSU’s offense whole and formidable. Martin has to be on the field for Boise State to thrive.

Winn, the anchor of the team’s defensive line, gives BSU the heft and muscle which allows coach Chris Petersen’s club to stand in the ring against big-boy opponents from power conferences. Winn is another indispensable player for the Broncos, a run-stuffing difference maker who needs to be on the field against TCU. If the injuries to Martin and Winn aren’t too serious, this trip to Las Vegas will have been successful enough for the boys from Boise.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer