San Jose, CA (Best E Casino) - The undefeated Boise State Broncos hope to keep their BCS hopes alive as they take on the San Jose State Spartans in Western Athletic Conference action on Friday night.
Boise State, ranked 13th nationally, knocked off Hawaii last Friday by a 27-7 final, and all but one of the six victories thus far have come by double figures. The lone exception was a five-point triumph over Oregon in Eugene, the most high profile win for the Broncos thus far. They have now won 17 straight at home, but now must face an improved group of Spartans on their home field.
Speaking of San Jose State, it has won three straight games since the start of league play to move to 5-2 overall. The Spartans, who need just one more victory to become eligible for a bowl, are fresh off a 31-14 thrashing of New Mexico State last weekend.
Boise State has plenty of reason for confidence entering Friday's game, as it has never lost in eight previous meetings with San Jose State.
The Boise State offense is led by redshirt freshman signal-caller Kellen Moore, who plays with a great deal of maturity. Against Hawaii last week, Moore finished 25-of-34 for 256 yards and three touchdown passes. "I think we got moving a little bit better this week in the passing game and the running game is coming along," said Moore after the victory. "We just take what the defense gives us and get better each week." The offense finished with 367 total yards, and while the Broncos weren't exactly explosive, they did make enough plays to put the Warriors away.
So far this season, Boise State is averaging 32.5 ppg and 421.2 total ypg with 25 offensive touchdowns through six outings. Moore has completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 1,591 yards and 13 scores against only three interceptions. The team's top receiver is Jeremy Childs, who has made 29 catches for 342 yards. As for standout tailback Ian Johnson, he has rushed for 363 yards and four scores. Boise State has only surrendered six sacks to date, so the offensive line deserves plenty of credit for the team's success.
Give a great deal of credit to the Boise State defense for the win over Hawaii, as the Broncos came up with five interceptions and confused the Warriors for most of the night. "If you can pressure the quarterback at anytime and just get in his head and just get him rattled, wondering where you're at instead of worrying about down the field, it's going to help," said Boise State defensive end Mike Williams after the contest. Three of the interceptions resulted in 17 second-half points, key to the victory.
Opponents are only scoring 10.5 ppg against Boise State, which possesses one of the nation's elite scoring defenses. The Broncos allow a moderate amount of yardage (310.7 ypg), but manage to tighten up when the opposition nears the goal line. Brandyn Thompson has four interceptions for Boise State, and Jeron Johnson has 49 tackles to go along with a pair of picks.
While San Jose State did post 31 points against New Mexico State last week, it is hard to give much credit to the team's offense. After all, the Spartans scored just two offensive touchdowns on drives of 38 and 12 yards, respectively. Kyle Reed struggled under center, completing 8-of-18 passes for 50 yards with three interceptions and no scoring passes. Fortunately, the ground attack proved to be productive, as Yonus Davis rushed for 107 yards and one touchdown, while Brandon Rutley had 50 yards and a score on nine carries. "I thought it was Kyle's poorest game but every quarterback has to have some poor games, and when your quarterback has a poor game and you can still win then you need to be very grateful for that," said head coach Dick Tomey after the win.
Overall this season, San Jose State is averaging 21.6 ppg and 308.6 total ypg, modest numbers for a 5-2 team. The club has generated 16 offensive touchdowns, including nine rushing scores. Davis has rushed for 457 yards and two touchdowns, while Reed has completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 1,164 yards with seven scores and six picks. The top receiver on the roster is David Richmond, who has 39 receptions for 419 yards and two touchdowns.
"We had a lot of sacks, a lot of pressure, a lot of tackles for loss and the pressure was intense," said Tomey after the victory over New Mexico State. "Our defensive front is a good outfit." To be specific, the Spartans racked up four takeaways, including three interceptions, and came up with six sacks. Two of the interceptions were returned for touchdowns, an obvious key to the triumph. They limited NMSU to 35 rushing yards on 29 carries and also held the Aggies to 8.9 yards per pass completion. Carl Ihenacho was simply sensational, as he made six TFLs in the clash. Teammate Jarron Gilbert posted a pair of sacks and 3.5 total TFLs.
Opponents are scoring only 16.6 ppg against SJSU, which is holding foes to 272.6 total ypg. The Spartans are only surrendering 86.7 rushing ypg, impressive by any standards. Ihenacho has 14 TFLs, including seven sacks, to his credit, and he has forced three fumbles as well.
