BOISE, Idaho — Kellen Moore threw for two touchdowns and D.J. Harper rushed for two more to lead No. 17 Boise State to a 38-3 victory over Louisiana Tech on Wednesday night.
The Broncos (4-0, 1-0 Western Athletic Conference) got another impressive effort from its defense in beating the Bulldogs (2-2, 0-1) for the seventh straight time.
Moore, a redshirt freshman, looked sharp again, finishing 20-of-28 for 325 yards before heading to the bench early in the fourth quarter.
The left-hander tossed a 13-yard TD to Jeremy Hawkins early in the first quarter, then hit a wide-open Chris O’Neill for a 44-yard score to put the Broncos up 14-0 early in the second.
The Broncos rolled up 464 yards of total offense, avoided turnovers and costly penalties and never let the Bulldogs get close in the WAC opener for both teams.
Harper scored twice in the second half, both on 3-yard runs.
Boise State rushed for 132 yards.
Going into the game, the Broncos focused on stopping Louisiana Tech’s explosive special teams and knack for making big plays.
They did just that, keeping the Bulldogs’ return game in check and allowing just two plays over 50 yards, both long passes by Taylor Bennett.
For the Bulldogs, it was a night of missed opportunities.
The offense moved the ball all game, crossing midfield six times in the first three quarters, but managing just three points.
Credit the Bronco’s bend-but-don’t-break defense, which held the Bulldogs to 118 yards rushing, well below their season average of 163.7, and mounted a goal-line stand early in the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs sought to cut a 31-3 deficit.
Bennett was just 9-of-27 passing for 202 yards and was sacked twice. The Bulldogs, losers of both road games this season, amassed 320 total yards, but was just 5-of-17 on third-down conversions.
Boise State scored on its second possession when Moore found Hawkins on a crossing route in the middle of the end zone. Moore, whose interception on the opening possession ended a scoring threat, was 4-of-5 on the drive.
The Broncos reached into the trick play chapter of the playbook to extend the lead early in the second quarter. From the Bulldogs 44, receiver Vinny Perretta took the snap and tossed to Moore, who found O’Neill all alone down the left sideline, putting the Broncos up 14-0.
The Bulldogs’ lone score came the hard way. Starting from their own 1, Bennett led the Bulldogs to the red zone, the biggest play a 53-yard pass to R.P. Stuart. But the drive stalled, and Brad Oestreicher closed the gap to 14-3 with a 29-yard field goal.
Boise State added another touchdown in the final minutes of the first half when Titus Young went 15 yards around end.
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