Moore, No. 7 Boise State hold off Louisiana Tech's upset bid

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Top 25 Overview

It was over when... Jeremy Avery's 43-yard TD run put the game out of reach for the rallying Bulldogs. Gameball goes to... Kellen Moore, who completed 68 percent of his passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Stat of the game... 35. Boise State gave up 35 points, 28 in the second half, for the first time this season. Complete Top 25 Overview

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	25	15
Total Yards	507	250
Passing	354	114
Rushing	153	136
Penalties	8-63	5-46
3rd Down Conversions	5-12	6-16
4th Down Conversions	0-0	1-2
Turnovers	1	1
Possession	33:01	26:59

Air/Ground Leaders
Boise State Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Moore 28/41 354 3 1	Louisiana Tech Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Jenkins 10/19 114 1 1 Cameron 0/2 0 0 0
Boise State Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Avery 25 146 1 44 Young 2 7 0 6	Louisiana Tech Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Porter 24 92 1 13 Compton 6 20 1 6
Boise State Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Young 8 110 1 40 Pettis 9 105 1 20	Louisiana Tech Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Morris 5 78 1 36 Williams 1 14 0 14

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER				BSU	LT
	FG	10:57	Kyle Brotzman 29 Yd	3	0
	TD	08:14	Daniel Porter 1 Yd Run (Matt Nelson Kick)	3	7
	FG	05:03	Kyle Brotzman 34 Yd	6	7
	TD	00:44	Richie Brockel 2 Yd Pass From Kellen Moore (Kyle Brotzman Kick)	13	7
SECOND QUARTER				BSU	LT
	TD	13:52	Doug Martin 2 Yd Run (Kyle Brotzman Kick)	20	7
	TD	07:35	Titus Young 40 Yd Pass From Kellen Moore (Kyle Brotzman Kick)	27	7
THIRD QUARTER				BSU	LT
	TD	13:12	Josh Victorian 75 Yd Interception Return (Matt Nelson Kick)	27	14
	FG	06:31	Kyle Brotzman 25 Yd	30	14
	TD	01:30	Ross Jenkins 9 Yd Run (Matt Nelson Kick)	30	21
FOURTH QUARTER				BSU	LT
	TD	14:07	Dennis Morris 5 Yd Pass From Ross Jenkins (Matt Nelson Kick)	30	28
	TD	07:41	Austin Pettis 12 Yd Pass From Kellen Moore (Kellen Moore Pass To Tyler Shoemaker For Two-Point Conversion)	38	28
	TD	04:52	Jeremy Avery 44 Yd Run (Kyle Brotzman Kick)	45	28
	TD	02:49	Myke Compton 1 Yd Run (Matt Nelson Kick)	45	35

RUSTON, La. -- Early in the fourth quarter, there was nervous pacing along Boise State's sideline.

With an opportunity to show a national television audience why they should once again become a BCS buster, a close game on the road was not what the Broncos (No. 7 BCS, No. 5 AP) had in mind.

Fast Facts

• Boise State has won eight straight vs. Louisiana Tech and has outscored the Bulldogs by 23.8 in those contests.

• The Broncos have won 12 straight and 22 of their last 23 WAC games.

• Boise State is 9-0 for the fourth time in six years.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

They looked anxious, but they weren't rattled.

"We know we are going to have people's best shots," Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore said. "It's kind of fun playing in tight games I think. Throw in a little pressure and it just shows the resiliency of this team."

Moore threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns, and Boise State remained unbeaten and in contention for a BCS bid with a 45-35 victory over Louisiana Tech on Friday night.

Tech had pulled within 30-28 early in the fourth quarter on Dennis Morris' leaping catch in the corner of the end zone. The Broncos defense buckled down long enough after that for Boise State to pull away with touchdowns on consecutive drives, first on Moore's 12-yard pass to Austin Pettis and then on Jeremy Avery's 44-yard touchdown run.

"We made more plays then they did tonight when it mattered and we were able to finish it out," Moore said.

Avery finished with 146 yards rushing, while Titus Young caught eight passes for 110 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown for Boise State (9-0, 4-0 Western Athletic Conference).

Boise State has scored no fewer than 45 points in each of its four WAC games this season.

Still, the Broncos could have used a more dominant victory in their quest to prove they are more deserving than unbeaten and sixth-ranked TCU for a Bowl Championship Series bid.

"That's how it always is when we play," Boise State coach Chris Peterson said. "It's never good enough, but it's good enough for us. We are going to try to do better next week and just go from there."

Trailing 27-7 at halftime, Tech (3-6, 2-4) made a game of it in the third quarter, starting with Josh Victorian's first career touchdown on Moore's third interception of the season. It was an ill-advised throw under pressure that hung in the air for Victorian, who raced down the sideline and cut inside Moore to cap a 75-yard return.

"Throwing that stupid pick, I think that really gave them some momentum that they were able to build on and take advantage of," Moore said. "I think that certainly kept them in the game and it is definitely something that I shouldn't have done."

Moore responded by leading a 15-play drive to set up Kyle Brotzman's third field goal, then Tech's offense suddenly came to life. The Bulldogs got their first first down in two quarters on the way to a 73-yard scoring drive capped by Ross Jenkins' 9-yard keeper around the right end to make it 30-21.

Tech's Matt Nelson then caught the Broncos by surprise with an onside kick that he recovered himself. Shortly after, Jenkins found Morris over the middle for 36 yards to the Boise State 12, setting up Jenkins' third-down pass to Morris, who leaped to catch the ball over defensive back Kyle Wilson's head to pull Tech within 30-28.

"It looked like the game was going to get away from us, but I was really proud at how well we did in the second half," Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley said. "We didn't make the plays at the end of the game we needed to win, but if we keep fighting the way we've been fighting, we'll play out of it eventually."

When Brotzman missed his second field goal of the game on the Broncos' next drive, the crowd was going wild, and it appeared the Bulldogs just might upset the highest-ranked team ever to play at Joe Aillet Stadium.

Instead, Boise State put its figurative foot down, forcing a quick punt. Then Moore floated a pass down the sideline to Kyle Efaw for his second 40-yard completion of the game, setting up his scoring pass to Pettis to make it 38-28.

Soon after, Tech failed to convert a fourth-and-6 on its own 44, setting up Avery's game-clinching run that made it 45-28 with 4:52 to go. Tech managed one more touchdown after that.

Jenkins finished 10 of 19 for 114 yards and one interception. Daniel Porter rushed for 92 yards and a score for Tech.

Moore's three TD passes gave him 27 on the season, eclipsing the 25 he had last year as a freshman.

Pettis finished with nine catches for 105 yards. Richie Brockel had a 2-yard TD catch in the first half and Doug Martin scored on 2-yard run for the Broncos.