Honolulu, HI (Best E Casino) - At the beginning of the 2007 campaign this was the game that was going to put the Western Athletic Conference on the map and now it's finally here. With the outright league title on the line and a possible BCS berth also at stake, the 17th-ranked Boise State Broncos drop in on 14th-ranked Hawaii in a primetime affair on Friday night at Aloha Stadium.
Last season, it was Boise State that ran the table and was the only undefeated team at the Division I-A level and this season the honor remains a possibility for the Warriors who are one of only two schools (Kansas) still without a loss and riding an 11-game win streak (tied for longest in the nation) dating back to last season's bowl victory. However, this high-powered confrontation could lose some of its luster if Hawaii's Colt Brennan is unable to take the field due to a concussion that kept him out much of last week's 28-26 win over Nevada. Tied for the longest winning streak in school history, the Warriors haven't begun a season a perfect 10-0 since 1925 and have never made it to 11-0, which is what Boise State is trying to prevent.
Winners of nine straight and 23 of the last 24 under the direction of second- year head coach Chris Petersen, BSU left no doubt last week when it crushed Idaho with a 34-point second half run that resulted in a 58-14 victory at home. Over the last three games, the Broncos have left no stone unturned, outscoring their opponents by a combined 152-21, on their way to a 52-3 all-time record in WAC action.
As far as the all-time series is concerned, BSU has taken six of the first eight meetings, including a 41-34 decision on the mainland last year. Hawaii's most recent victory over the Broncos came in 1999 in a 34-19 triumph in Honolulu.
It was almost like the Broncos were toying with Idaho last weekend, allowing the visitors to stick around at the break before blowing the contest wide open and cruising to the 44-point decision. Taylor Tharp again made all the right reads with a 22-of-31 effort for 282 yards and four touchdowns, which allowed him to take an early seat and give some of the other signal-callers a chance to make plays. Ian Johnson chipped in 108 yards and two scores on 21 carries for a team that produced 556 yards of total offense. The nation's top-scoring program since 2000, Boise State is at it again with 44.2 ppg this season, trailing only Kansas and those Hawaii Warriors. The squad is putting up close to 500 ypg of total offense, thanks to Johnson and Tharp who are carrying quite a bit of the load. Even though he missed two games due to injury, Johnson is second in the WAC with 944 yards and has amassed 14 rushing scores, adding one more on 22 receptions as well. Spreading the wealth down the field, Tharp has completed an unbelievable 69.1 percent of his attempts for 27 touchdowns and a mere eight INTs on 343 attempts.
Boise State surrendered 348 yards of offense to the Vandals, but considering the visitors were trying to fight their way back into contention the entire game it only makes sense that the Broncos were touched for a few yards here and there. Despite controlling the ball for almost 31 minutes, the Vandals did so even though they converted just 4-of-16 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth-down opportunities. Always the heavy hitter for the Broncos, Marty Tadman led the group with nine tackles, matched by Dallas Dobbs who logged two of his behind the line of scrimmage. Coupled with one of the most powerful offenses in football again this season, the Boise State defense demands that opponents give them proper respect that befits a unit that is ranked first in the league and 10th in the country with just 304 ypg allowed. Throw out the obscene 69-67 quadruple-overtime win against Nevada, and the stats would be simply frightful for this group in 2007. BSU is permitting a mere 18.3 ppg to rank first in the WAC and 17th in the nation. Take the Nevada meeting out of the equation and Boise State has a scoring defense that has allowed a mere 13.4 ppg over 10 outings.
Even without a healthy Brennan to lean on last week in the victory over Nevada, the Warriors still had the WAC's Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week in QB fill-in Tyler Graunke and kicker Dan Kelly. Graunke didn't miss a beat for Hawaii as he threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns on 33-of-46 passing, adding a rushing touchdown in the critical win as well. But there would not have been a win had it not been for the late heroics of Kelly who shook off what was a successful field goal waved off due to a penalty to knock through the game-winning 45-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining. Chances are Graunke will make his way back to the bench this week, with Brennan listed as probable leading up to the biggest game of his career. Because he made an appearance last week for just two completed passes, many of Brennan's amazing passing streaks have come to an end, yet he's still on the verge of becoming the NCAA leader in passing TDs, currently with 121, and TDs responsible for (135) with the next passing score he logs. Making stars out of several receivers, Brennan has three of the NCAA's seven active players who have at least 3,000 yards receiving in Jason Rivers (3,534), Davone Bess (3,327 yards) and Ryan Grice-Mullen (3,169).
Against a revived and thriving offense like Nevada, the Warriors had to be on their toes to stop Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick who is capable of carrying the team both with his arm and his legs. Grabbing an interception and collecting a pair of fumbles were key to stopping Nevada, not to mention limiting the home team to just 4-of-13 on third down in the event of the season in Reno. Desmond Thomas finished with a game-high 11 tackles, while Solomon Elimimian contributed seven stops and a sack. Also having some big plays was John Fonoti who was credited with a sack and a forced fumble. No longer a pushover on the defensive side of the ball, the Warriors are actually getting pretty good at the game, allowing opponents just 23.5 ppg to rank second in the conference and 38th in the nation at the moment. Considering how much teams have to resort to passing the ball once the Warriors post numerous touchdowns early in games, the secondary has been rather impressive in allowing just 223.4 ypg to rank third in the WAC. Opposing quarterback under the gun are not only facing a quick secondary, they are also having to prepare for a mad pass rush that is first in the WAC and fourth in the nation in both sacks (3.5 per game) and TFLs (8.6).
