2010 Boise State Broncos football team The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Broncos were led by fifth - year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium . They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games overall and 25 games in regular - season play . This was the Broncos ' final season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference , as the school announced on June 11 , 2010 that it would leave the WAC for the Mountain West Conference effective July 1 , 2011 . The Broncos finished the season 12 – 1 , 7 – 1 in WAC play to claim a share of the WAC title with Nevada and Hawaii . The title was their third straight and eighth in the last nine years . They were invited to the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas where they defeated Utah 26 – 3 . Previous season . The Broncos finished the regular season undefeated , 13 – 0 , for the second year in a row and fourth time in six years and won their seventh WAC title in eight years . They rose in the top 25 polls to as high as # 4 in the Coaches and Harris polls before finishing the regular season at # 6 in every major poll . Being ranked in the top 8 , they were in position to receive an automatic bid to a BCS game , but another non - automatic qualifier , Mountain West champion TCU , was ranked # 4 and received the automatic - bid . However , Boise State would become the first non - AQ team to receive an at - large bid to a BCS game as they were selected to play TCU in the Fiesta Bowl . This was the second consecutive time Boise State and TCU faced off in a bowl game , with the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl being the first ( a TCU victory , which ruined Boise State ' s undefeated season ) and the first time two teams from non - AQ conferences played each other in a BCS game . The Broncos would knock off the favored Horned Frogs 17 – 10 to finish the season 14 – 0 to become only the second team in Division I FBS history to finish a season 14 – 0 ( 2002 Ohio State , Alabama also would finish the season 14 – 0 three days after the Fiesta Bowl ) . Pre - season . Expectations for this season ' s team were arguably the highest in the program ' s history . The Broncos returned 23 of the 24 players who started in their 2010 Fiesta Bowl win over TCU . The only loss was cornerback Kyle Wilson , who was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets . Before the season , the Broncos were in the top 5 of most publications ' early top 25 rankings , including # 2 by Mark Schlabach of ESPN and Lindy ' s . In both polls they were only ranked behind defending BCS National Champions Alabama . Award Watch lists . Jeremy Avery Sr . RB – Doak Walker Award . Kyle Brotzman Sr . PK – Lou Groza Award . Jeron Johnson Sr . DB – Lott Trophy , Jim Thorpe Award . Doug Martin Jr . RB – Paul Hornung Award . Kellen Moore Jr . QB – Davey O ' Brien Award , Manning Award , Walter Camp Award , Maxwell Award . Austin Pettis Sr . WR – Biletnikoff Award . Nate Potter Jr . OL – Rotary Lombardi Award , Outland Trophy . Ryan Winterswyk Sr . DE – Rotary Lombardi Award , Bronko Nagurski Award , Chuck Bednarik Award . Titus Young Sr . WR – Biletnikoff Award . All – American lists . Jeron Johnson Sr . DB – Sporting News 3rd team , Nationalchamps . net 3rd team . Kellen Moore Jr . QB – Sporting News 2nd team , Nationalchamps . net 1st team . Austin Pettis Sr . WR – Nationalchamps . net 3rd team . Billy Winn Jr . DE – Nationalchamps . net honorable mention . Ryan Winterswyk Sr . DE – Nationalchamps . net honorable mention . Titus Young Sr . WR – Nationalchamps . net 3rd team as kick returner , honorable mention as wide receiver . WAC media days . During the WAC ' s football preview on July 26 in Salt Lake City , Utah , the Broncos were selected by both the coaches and media as favorites to win the conference . They received 42 of a possible 43 first - place votes in the media poll , with Nevada coming in second and receiving the other first - place vote . They were effectively the unanimous choice in the coaches ' poll , receiving all eight of the possible first - place votes ; because conference rules prohibit coaches from voting for their own teams , Chris Petersen gave Nevada his first - place vote . Kellen Moore was selected as the preseason offensive player of the year . Pre - season Top 25 polls . On August 6 Boise State received 1 , 215 points to rank 5th in the USA Today preseason poll , one spot ahead their season opening opponent , Virginia Tech . The Broncos were the highest rated non BCS conference school . On August 21 , Boise State received 1 , 336 points to rank 3rd in the Associated Press preseason . They also received one first place vote from Joe Giglio of " The Times & Observer " in Raleigh , North Carolina . Just as they were in the Coaches poll , the Broncos were the highest rated non - BCS conference school and the ranking is the highest ranking in any poll in school history . The Broncos ' rankings were by far the highest preseason rankings ever for a non BCS conference school as the previous high to start a season was 14th in the AP poll , also achieved by Boise State in 2009 . Game results . Virginia Tech . " First ever meeting . " Boise State started fast , gave up the lead , and scored in the last two minutes of the game to pull off a win over # 6 Virginia Tech in one of the premier matchups of college football ' s opening weekend . The Broncos recovered a fumble on Tech ' s second snap of the game which led to a 44 - yard Kyle Brotzman FG . Austin Pettis blocked a punt on Tech ' s next possession then caught an 8 - yard TD pass from Kellen Moore 2 plays later to put the Broncos up 10 – 0 . The Broncos extended their lead to 17 – 0 on their next possession on a diving 2 - yard TD catch by Tommy Gallarda . The Hokies countered with 2 TD ' s in the second quarter while Kyle Brotzman added a 47 - yard FG to make the score 20 – 14 at halftime . Virginia Tech opened the scoring in the second half on Ryan Williams second 1 - yard TD run to give the Hokies a 21 – 20 lead . The Broncos answered quickly on their next possession with a D . J . Harper 71 - yard TD run . The PAT would be blocked for a 26 – 21 Broncos lead . On the ensuing possession , the Broncos forced the Hokies to attempt a 51 - yard field goal , which they missed badly . However , the Broncos were called for running into the kicker , gave the Hokies a 4th and 5 situation where they went for it and scored on a 28 - yard TD pass yet failed on the 2 - point conversion . A 34 - yard Hokie FG put them up by 4 late in the fourth . The Broncos got the ball back with 1 : 47 left and no timeouts , needing a TD to take the lead . The Broncos would march the field in only 38 seconds , with the help of a personal foul penalty , and finished the game winning drive with a 13 - yard TD pass from Moore to Pettis , their second connection of the game , to bring the final score to 33 – 30 . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " Boise State remained at # 3 in the AP poll but did gain 7 more first place votes to now have 8 . They moved up to # 3 in the coaches poll . They were named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week and quarterback Kellen Moore was named the Davey O ' Brien Award Quarterback of the Week . Moore and kicker Kyle Brotzman were named the WAC offensive and special teams players of the week , respectively . During their bye week they lost 7 first place votes in the AP poll , but did remain at # 3 in both polls . Wyoming . " 5th meeting . 4 – 0 all time . Last meeting 2007 , 24 – 14 Bronco win in Boise . With Boise State joining the Mountain West in 2011 , the Cowboys ' scheduled non conference game in Boise in 2011 will become a conference game . " Boise State ' s last trip to Laramie in 2006 saw the Broncos walk away with a hard fought 17 – 10 win . This game , however , would never be in doubt as the Broncos scored early and often on their way to a 51 – 6 win over their future Mountain West Conference counterparts . After an early Kyle Brotzman field goal , Shea McClellin fell on a bad Wyoming snap in the end zone for the Bronco defense ' s first touchdown of the season and a 10 – 0 lead . The Broncos next offensive possession only took 4 plays to go 93 yards and finished with a flea - flicker 58 - yard touchdown pass from Kellen Moore to Austin Pettis . After Doug Martin ' s first rushing touchdown of the season , Kellen Moore would find Titus Young for a 49 - yard touchdown reception . Another Brotzman field goal brought the score to 34 – 0 at halftime . The offense added another 17 points after halftime with Brotzman ' s third field goal , a 2 - yard D . J . Harper touchdown run , and an 11 - yard Jarvis Hodge touchdown run . Kellen Moore finished 20 / 30 for 370 yards , 2 TD ' s and 1 interception . Hunter White and Jeron Johnson recorded the Bronco ' s first interceptions of the season . The Broncos out gained Wyoming 648 to 135 total yards and held the Cowboy rushing game to - 21 yards with the help of 4 sacks . Since the formation of the Mountain West Conference in 1999 , Boise State has never lost a regular season game to a Mountain West team ( their only loss to a Mountain West school was against TCU in the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl ) . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " The convincing win helped the Broncos remain at # 3 in both major polls and to keep their one first place vote in the AP Poll . Oregon State . " 7th meeting . 2 – 4 all time . Last meeting 2006 , 42 – 14 Bronco win in Boise . The Broncos will return to Corvallis in 2016 . " ESPN ' s College GameDay broadcast from Bronco Stadium . This was the first time that College Gameday broadcast from a Western Athletic Conference School . The game was broadcast nationwide on ABC , the first ever national network television broadcast of a regular season game in school history . 13 , 205 fans showed up before sunrise to watch ESPN ' s College GameDay live from inside Bronco Stadium and 34 , 137 showed up 11 hours later to break a Bronco Stadium attendance record and see the Broncos extend their winning streak to 17 games with a 37 – 24 win over Oregon State of the Pac - 10 . The Broncos went to their bag of tricks for their first score as Austin Pettis took a reverse pitch from QB Kellen Moore and threw a 6 - yard touchdown pass to TE Tommy Gallarda . Oregon State tied the game on a 54 - yard punt return for a touchdown by James Rodgers . After a Kyle Brotzman field goal , Kellen Moore found Austin Pettis for a 17 - yard touchdown to bring the score to 17 – 7 . After an Oregon State field goal , Moore then found Titus Young on a 49 - yard touchdown where Young was so wide open that he backed into the endzone for a 24 – 10 halftime lead . Two personal foul penalties on the Bronco defense helped lead to Oregon State ' s first touchdown of the second half , but the Broncos offense answered just 2 : 51 later on Moore ' s third touchdown pass of 21 yards to Tyler Shoemaker . Oregon State kept the Bronco lead to just 7 with another touchdown when they fumbled in their own endzone but recovered . Another Brotzman field goal pushed the lead back to 10 . Boise State got the ball back with 9 : 31 left to play and ran running back Doug Martin on 8 of the first 9 plays during an 11 - play , 67 - yard drive that ate up 7 : 17 off the clock and led to another Bronco field goal . The Bronco defense had 4 sacks on the night , including 2 on back - to - back plays on the Beavers ' opening possession . Titus Young now leads the nation in all - purpose yards per game with 208 . 0 and Kyle Brotzman leads the nation in field goals per game with 2 . 67 a game . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " Kellen Moore was named WAC Player of the Week for the second time this season after going 19 of 27 for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns . The Broncos once again stayed at # 3 in both major polls and still have 1 first place vote in the AP poll . RB D . J . Harper , who in the 3rd game of the year in 2009 tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season , again tore the same ACL and will miss the rest of the season . New Mexico State . " 11th meeting . 10 – 0 all time . Last meeting 2009 , 42 – 7 Bronco win in Boise . With Boise State leaving the WAC , they are not currently scheduled to play each other again . " Boise State stayed undefeated all time against the Aggies of New Mexico State with a dominating 59 – 0 win . The scores came early and often for the Broncos as they scored 24 first quarter points on a Kyle Brotzman field goal and 3 rushing touchdowns ( backup QB Mike Coughlin - 15 yards , RB Doug Martin 1 yard , RB Jeremy Avery 18 yards ) . Kellen Moore added 2 2nd - quarter touchdown passes to Kyle Efaw ( 41 yards ) and Doug Martin ( 28 yards ) for a 38 – 0 halftime lead . Moore connected with Efaw again early in the 3rd quarter for a 26 - yard touchdown . Backup QB Joe Southwick would take over for Moore and throw a 78 - yard touchdown to Chris Potter for Southwick and Potter ' s first career touchdown . Jarvis Hodge ' s 54 - yard touchdown run late in the game was his second touchdown on the season . Boise State recovered 2 fumbles and Ryan Winterswyk had an interception . Since New Mexico State joined the WAC in 2005 , the Bronocs have outscored the Aggies 304 – 41 in 6 meetings and have shutout the Aggies 3 of the last 4 years . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " Despite the dominating win , Boise State was jumped in both polls by Oregon , falling to # 4 . They still have 1 first place vote in the AP poll . Toledo . " First ever meeting . The Broncos will go to Toledo in 2011 . " The Broncos turned five Toledo turnovers into 28 points en route to a 57 – 14 blowout for their 58th straight regular - season home win . Jeremy Avery ran for 3 first half touchdowns ( 4 , 12 , 5 ) and Kellen Moore threw for two first - half touchdowns ( 2 yards to Kyle Efaw , 51 yards to Titus Young ) for a 36 – 7 halftime lead . On Toledo ' s first possession of the second half , Shea McClellin took an interception back 36 yards for his second defensive touchdown of the season . Moore added his third touchdown of the game on a 33 - yard pass to Tyler Shoemaker . Matt Kaiserman ' s 1 - yard touchdown run ended the Bronco ' s scoring . Kellen Moore ' s 3 touchdown passes puts him at 14 for the season to only one interception and has 3 touchdown passes in 4 of 5 games this season . Boise State ' s defense racked up 4 sacks , 2 by Billy Winn , and gave up less than 100 yards rushing for the third time this season . Cornerback Brandyn Thompson recovered a fumble and had an interception , the 10th of his career . With Alabama ' s loss to South Carolina , Boise State now has the nation ' s longest winning streak at 19 games . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " The Broncos moved back to # 3 in both polls with 8 first - place votes in the AP and 1 first place vote in the Coaches poll . They also debuted at # 3 in the first Harris poll of the season and received 10 first - place votes . San Jose State . " 11th meeting . 10 – 0 all time . Last meeting 2009 , 45 – 7 Bronco win in Boise . With Boise State leaving the WAC , they are not currently scheduled to play each other again . " Boise State only played their starters for the first half , but that was enough to dominate the depleted Spartans 48 – 0 to extend the nations longest winning streak to 20 games . Kellen Moore threw 2 touchdown passes of 17 and 43 yards while going 14 of 16 for 231 and now has 16 touchdowns to just 1 interception on the year . Titus Young added 2 touchodowns , one each receiving and rushing . Doug Martin ran for 2 touchdowns on only 8 carries . Aaron Tevis made a one handed interception in the second quarter and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown , the defenses 3rd TD of the season . The Broncos offensive reserves lost 2 fumbles in the second half . Punt returner Chris Potter returned 4 punts for 76 yards with a long of 33 in rout to being named WAC Special Teams Player of the Week . The Broncos held their second opponent this season to negative yards rushing ( Wyoming being the other ) and recorded 4 more sacks to now have 20 on the season . The Broncos outgained the Spartans , who started 7 freshman , 535 to 80 . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " After # 1 Ohio State ' s loss to # 16 Wisconsin , Boise State rose to # 2 in the three human polls and received 15 first place votes in the AP , 11 in the Coaches , and 29 in the Harris poll . The # 2 ranking is the highest ranking in school history in any poll . The Broncos also debuted at # 3 in the initial BCS poll of the season , their highest ranking ever in the BCS poll . Following a bye week , the Broncos stayed at # 2 in the human polls , but got fewer first place votes in all three ( 11 in the AP , 5 in the Coaches , 14 in the Harris ) . They did remain at # 3 in the BCS poll . Louisiana Tech . " 13th meeting . 8 – 4 all time . Last meeting 2009 , 45 – 35 Bronco win in Ruston . With Boise State leaving the WAC , they are not currently scheduled to play each other again . " Despite giving up 394 total yards , the most they have given up this season thus far , the Broncos rolled to their 21st stright win and 9th straight over Louisiana Tech 49 – 20 . Kellen Moore , who threw only his second interception of the season , threw 2 touchdowns to tie him with Ryan Dinwiddie ( 2001 – 2003 ) for the most career touchdown passes in school history with 82 . Moore also caught a touchdown from wide receiver Austin Pettis , Pettis ' second touchdown pass of the year . Doug Martin had his best game of the season 150 yards and 2 touchdowns . He would have had a third touchdown , but he fumbled on the goal line , which was recovered by tight end Kyle Efaw for a Bronco Touchdown . Louisiana Tech consistently drove the ball down the field but turned the ball over on downs 4 times , including 3 times inside the Broncos 10 - yard line and twice inside the 5 . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " The Broncos remained at # 2 in the AP poll but lost 4 first place votes to now have 7 . They fell one spot in every other poll to # 3 in the Coaches with 3 first place votes , # 3 in the Harris with 12 first place votes , and # 4 in the BCS . TCU , who Boise State has played in bowl games the last two seasons , jumpd over Boise State to # 3 in the BCS to put them in position to gain an automatic bid to the BCS over Boise State . Hawaii . " 12th meeting . 8 – 3 all time . Last meeting 2009 , 54 – 9 Bronco win in Honolulu . With Boise State leaving the WAC , they will not play in 2011 but Hawaii will join the Mountain West as a football only member in 2012 and the series will continue as a conference game . " Three school records were set and Kellen Moore picked apart the Hawaii defense in rout to a 42 – 7 in front of the third largest overall and largest crowd ever to see a conference game at Bronco Stadium . Kellen Moore threw for a career high 507 yards going 30 of 37 with 3 TDs and 2 INTs . His three touchdown passes gives him the school record for touchdown passes in a career , now with 85 . Moore also completed the longest pass of his career with a third quarter 83 - yard TD pass to Titus Young . Austin Pettis caught 8 passes , including one touchdown of 43 yards , and now holds the record for career receptions in school history , currently with 196 , breaking Don Hutt ' s record set 37 years ago . Jeremy Avery had 3 touchdown runs and now has 9 TDs on the season and has scored a TD in 5 straight games . The Bronco offense racked up a total of 737 total yards for the most total yards in school history . The Bronco defense held the nations leading passing attack to only 151 yards and recorded 7 sacks , the most in a game this season . Shea McClellin ' s two sacks gives him a team high 6 . 5 on the season . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " For his record breaking performance Kellen Moore was named the WAC offensive player of the week for the third time this season . Despite the dominating win , the Broncos would fall in the polls again and are now ranked # 4 in every major poll . They are still receiving first place votes in all 3 human polls with 7 in the AP , 3 in the Coaches , and 9 in the Harris poll . Idaho . " 40th meeting . 21 – 17 – 1 all time . Last meeting 2009 , 63 – 25 Broncos win in Boise . Despite a 40 - year rivalry , there are currently no future plans to meet again . " Boise State set a school record for consecutive wins ( 23 ) with their 12th straight win over their in - state rival in potentially their final meeting after games for 40 straight years . Boise State got on the board within the first minute of the game on a 76 - yard punt return for a touchdown by Chris Potter . The Broncos added three more first - quarter touchdowns , including a 58 - yard TD pass from Kellen Moore to Titus Young . A Kyle Brotzman field goal and Moore ' s second TD pass ( 17 yards to Jeremy Avery ) brought the score to 38 – 0 at halftime . As they did in the first quarter , the Broncos again scored in the first minute of the third quarter when Doug Martin broke away for a 39 - yard TD run . Later in the third Kellen Moore found Gabe Linehan from 21 yards out for his third TD pass of the game . Kicker Kyle Brotzman scored 10 points and set the WAC record for points in a career , now with 403 , passing Jason Elam ( 395 at Hawaii from 1989 – 92 ) . The Broncos defense recorded three interceptions , two by Brandyn Thompson to give him 12 for his career . Jeron Johnson blocked a Vandal punt , the first block of his career and second on the season for the Broncos . Boise State has not trailed since their final drive against Virginia Tech in the season opener , a streak of 481 : 09 . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " Punt returner Chris Potter was named the WAC special teams player of the week for the second time this season . The Broncos climbed back up to # 3 in the AP , Coaches , and Harris polls and remained at # 4 in the BCS . They did receive more first - place votes in all three polls ( 9 AP , 5 Coaches , 11 Harris ) . Fresno State . " 13th meeting . 8 – 4 all time . Last meeting 2009 , 51 – 34 Bronco win in Fresno . The Broncos will play a non - conference game in Fresno in 2011 before the rivalry becomes a conference game again in 2012 in the Mountain West . " Boise State once again rewrote the record book in a dominating performance against their rival Fresno State to once again win the Milk Can . Despite a slow start that included an interception and a fumble on their first two possessions , Kellen Moore rallied to have a spectacular game , going 27 of 38 for 333 yards and four touchdowns and passed Ryan Dinwiddie for the most passing yards in school history , currently at 9 , 943 . Moore connected with Titus Young eight times for two touchdowns and 164 yards , a career high , to help Young break a school record for career receiving yards , currently with 2 , 836 . Austin Pettis also caught two touchdowns to increase his school record for career receiving touchdowns to 37 . One week after breaking the WAC scoring record , kicker Kyle Brotzman broke Brock Forsey ' s school record for career points , currently with 418 . The Bronco defense recorded 4 sacks and 2 interceptions to shut out the Bulldogs , the first time Fresno State has been shut out since 1998 . Boise State wore all - orange uniforms for the first time . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " Kyle Brotzman , who connected on a pair of 20 - yard field goals and one from 50 , was named the WAC special teams player of the week for the second time this season . The Broncos remained the same in every major poll , but did receive one more first - place vote in the AP and three more first - place votes in the Harris . They also closed the gap in the BCS poll with # 3 TCU from 0 . 033 to 0 . 014 . Nevada . " 37th meeting . 24 – 12 all time . Last meeting 2009 , 44 – 33 Bronco win in Boise . The Broncos will play a non - conference game against the Wolf Pack in Boise in 2011 before the rivalry becomes a conference game in 2012 in the Mountain West . " The Broncos were shocked by their rival Nevada , ending the Broncos ' 24 - game winning streak , 35 straight regular season wins , 10 straight wins over the Wolf Pack , and dashed their dreams of going to another BCS game . The Broncos went up big early , scoring on a field goal , a 28 yard touchdown pass from Kellen Moore to Titus Young , and two Doug Martin rushing touchdowns from 4 and 51 yards to put the Broncos up 24 – 7 at halftime . The Bronco offense went away in the second half and Nevada ' s pistol attack ran all over the Boise State defense scoring 17 straight points to tie the game at 24 with about 5 minutes to play . On their possession after Nevada tied it up , Boise State answered on their first play with a 79 yard screen pass to Doug Martin to put the Broncos up 31 – 24 . However , the Broncos scored too fast as Nevada would methodically march the ball down the field eating up 4 : 40 off the clock and tied the game at 31 with 13 seconds to play . After the kickoff , the Broncos had 9 seconds . Kellen Moore went deep and connected on a 53 yard pass to Titus Young to put the Broncos on Nevada ' s 9 yard line with 2 seconds to play . Kicker Kyle Brotzman had a 26 yard field goal attempt for the win . He missed . The Broncos got the ball first in overtime and were held to a field goal attempt , this time from 29 yards . Brotzman missed again . Nevada Kicker Anthony Martinez connected on a 33 yard field goal on the Wolf Pack possession to give Nevada their first win in the series since 1998 . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " " Overtime " After the loss , Boise State fell in every major poll to # 9 in the AP , # 10 in the Coaches and Harris , and # 11 in the BCS . Utah State . " 17th meeting . 12 – 4 all time . Last meeting 2009 , 52 – 21 Bronco win in Logan . With Boise State leaving the WAC , they are not currently scheduled to play each other again . " In Boise State ' s last conference game as a member of the WAC , they secured a share of their 8th conference title in 10 years and finished 75 – 5 all time in WAC games , including going 40 – 0 at home . The Broncos got on the board very early when Sr . linebacker Derrell Acrey picked off the Aggies first play of the game and took it back 31 yards for the score just 14 seconds into the game . Kellen Moore supplied the rest of the first half offense with three touchdown passes ( 12 , 2 , 4 ) with a pair to tight end Kyle Efaw for a halftime score of 29 – 7 . The ground game took over in the second half with Jeremy Avery , Kellen Moore , and Michael Coughlin all with rushing touchdowns . The Bronco defense kept Utah State to only 41 yards passing and forced 2 interceptions and 4 sacks . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " The Broncos would fall in one poll and gain in another to finish the regular season # 10 in every major poll . With the Pac - 10 not having enough bowl eligible teams , Boise State was selected to take the Pac - 10 ' s spot in the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas to play # 19 Utah . Utah – Maaco Bowl Las Vegas . " 7th meeting . 4 – 2 all time . Last meeting 2006 , 36 – 3 Bronco win in Salt Lake City . The Broncos and Utes were scheduled to play in 2011 , 2012 , and 2013 , but Utah bought their way out of the series in order to continue playing their rival BYU since both teams are leaving the Mountain West next season . " In a Matchup of the first two BCS busters , Boise State dominated after a slow start to win their first non BCS bowl game since 2003 . The Broncos fumbled on their first possession of the game to give Utah a short field but held the Utes to a field goal attempt which they missed . After a Boise State punt , the Broncos recovered a Utah fumble , but failed to convert on a fake punt on their following possession . The Broncos ' next possession also ended with no success when Kellen Moore threw his 6th interception of the season , which led to a Utah field goal , their only score of the game . The Broncos where held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time in 21 games . They turned the ball over again early in the second quarter when Kyle Efaw fumbled while trying to convert on fourth down . All of the Broncos early mistakes seemed to disappear when Doug Martin took the first play of their next possession 84 yards for the Broncos first score . The run was the longest play in the 19 - year history of the Maaco / Las Vegas Bowl and the second longest run play in Boise State history . The Broncos scored again on their next two possessions with a 29 yard Kyle Brotzman field goal and 25 yard touchdown pass from Moore to Tyler Shoemaker to lead 16 – 3 at halftime . The Broncos opened the second half by recovering a fumble on Utah ' s first possession . The Broncos looked to be about to score a touchdown after Moore found Austin Pettis for 46 yards , but Pettis was stripped near the goal line and the ball went out of the endzone for a touchback . However , Moore and Pettis would connect on an 18 yard touchdown on the Broncos next possession . Another Ute fumble set up a 27 yard Brotzman field goal which was blocked . The Broncos added a 4th quarter 21 yard Brotzman field goal to bring the final score to 26 – 3 . Despite turning the ball over 4 times , the Broncos gained 543 total yards . The Bronco defense gave up only 200 total yards and forced 3 turnovers and 4 sacks . Kyle Brotzman ' s 8 points helped set an NCAA record for most points in a career for a kicker with 439 . " 1st Quarter " " 2nd Quarter " " 3rd Quarter " " 4th Quarter " Following all the bowl games , the Broncos would finish the season ranked # 7 in the Coaches poll and # 9 in the AP poll . Post - season awards . Jr . QB Kellen Moore was a finalist for four national awards . Moore was also honored by the Touchdown Club of Columbus as the nations top quarterback . Head coach Chris Petersen was named the winner of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award . WAC first team . " WAC Co - Offensive Player of the Year " Kellen Moore ( 2009 WAC Offensive Player of the Year ) " Offense " Austin Pettis Sr . WR ( 2009 1st team , 2008 2nd team ) Titus Young Sr . WR ( 2009 1st team ) Thomas Byrd Jr . OL Nate Potter Jr . OL ( 2009 1st team ) Kellen Moore Jr . QB ( 2009 1st team , 2008 2nd team ) Doug Martin Jr . RB " Defense " Shea McClellin Jr . DL Ryan Winterswyk Sr . DL ( 2009 & 2008 1st team ) Winston Venable Sr . LB ( 2009 2nd team ) George Iloka Jr . DB Jeron Johnson Sr . DB ( 2009 & 2008 2nd team ) WAC second team . " Defense " Billy Wynn Jr . DL ( 2009 2nd team ) Byron Hout Jr . LB Brandyn Thompson Sr . DB All - American lists . Kellen Moore Jr . QB – Football Writers Association of America All - American , AP 3rd team . Nate Potter Jr . OL – AP 3rd team . Titus Young Sr . WR – AP 3rd team . Billy Wynn Jr . DL – AP 3rd team . NFL Draft . 2nd Round , 44th Overall Pick by the Detroit Lions — Sr . WR Titus Young 3rd Round , 78th Overall Pick by the St . Louis Rams — Sr . WR Austin Pettis 7th Round , 213th Overall Pick by the Washington Redskins — Sr . CB Brandyn Thompson