Broncos Prove Their Point Once Again

Broncos Prove Their Point Once Again When the clocks hit 0:00 at FedEx Field last night, there were a small, but a boisterous, contingent of Boise State fans that stood above the thousands of Virginia Tech who sat in stunned silence. Don't mind the Broncos-they get that a lot.

Broncos Prove Their Point Once Again When the clocks hit 0:00 at FedEx Field last night, there were a small, but boisterous, contingent of Boise State fans that stood above the thousands of Virginia Tech who sat in stunned silence. Don't mind the Broncos-they get that a lot. After a thrilling 33-30 win over Virginia Tech last night in the Allstate Kickoff in the Capital, Boise State probably took its first step towards claiming a spot in the BCS National Championship in Glendale. With doubters still in tow, a trip over two time zones and hostile environment occupied by 80 percent of Hokie fans, Kellen Moore, Austin Pettis and the Broncos stood toe-to-toe with Virginia Tech, endured a few scratches and emerged victoriously. In the process, they added another notch in their belt that includes Oregon (twice) and Oklahoma and shook up "the establishment" that faces the dilemma on whether a mid-major team like Boise State belongs on college football's biggest stage. The most surprising thing about last night wasn't that Boise State won; it was the way that they performed and reacted against a Hokie program that has a blue-collar identity. In taking an early 17-0 lead in the first quarter, the Broncos beat Virginia Tech at their game of Beamer Ball. A recovered fumble from a botched snap deep in the Hokie territory on their first possession led to their first score. Then, senior WR Austin Pettis (6 rec. 93 yds, 2 TDs) blocked a punt and scored on a Kellen Moore pass to extend the margin to 10-0. The Boise State front seven stifled the vaunted Hokie running game, holding last years' ACC Rookie of the Year Ryan Williams to 44 carries on 21 yards although Williams scored 3 TDs. Tyrod Taylor led the Hokies with 73 yards rushing on scrambles and threw 2 TDs, but he was sacked three times and was constantly pressured and hurried by the Bronco defensive line for the majority of the game. Kellen Moore (23-28 215 yds 3 TDs) showed great cool at the beginning of the game to help silence the pro-Tech crowd and even better calm under pressure in the game's final drive to give the Broncos the winning score. Moore was able to find Pettis and fellow senior wideout Titus Young in critical situations to keep the chains moving. The Broncos front five were able to open up holes for RBs Doug Martin and D.J. Harper, including Harper's 71-yard TD with a little more than 5 minutes left to give the Broncos the lead following Ryan Williams' third touchdown on the Hokie's previous drive. Moore's final masterpiece was 5-play 56 yard drive that culminated in a beauty of a pass that Austin Pettis cradled in the back of the end zone. Now, the Broncos move on towards the rest of their WAC schedule where they are expected to run the table and win the title for the third straight year. A little more than 3 weeks from now, they will welcome a game Oregon State team onto the "Smurf Turf" in a matchup that will again test their mettle. For the remainder of this season, Boise has to do two things: 1) Win and 2) Hope that Virginia Tech does well the rest of the season and captures the ACC championship. Should those two things happen, Boise could be booking tickets to Glendale. In the meanwhile, they'll continue marching to their own beat and making believers out of people along the way.