GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Boise State quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie was brought down by Isaac Sopoaga last night.
Dinwiddie shows
his toughness
Most quarterbacks don't feel too good after a game in which they don't throw a touchdown pass.
Not so with Boise State's Ryan Dinwiddie. Compared to some of his other performances in a Broncos uniform, he had a ho-hum game in last night's 45-28 victory over Hawaii.
"I thought I played pretty well today," the 6-foot-1, 192-pound senior said. "We didn't have all the receivers. (Leading receiver Tim) Gilligan was hurt and he is our go-to guy. I threw the ball out there and the other guys went and got it.
"I don't care (about not having a TD pass), we got a win."
Dinwiddie went over 200 yards for the 23rd time in his career and eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the 12th time. He finished 20-for-31 for 329 yards with one interception.
Boise State came into the game ranked second in the nation in scoring average (43.6) and fourth in passing yards per game (337.8), but Dinwiddie proved his quick-strike skills aren't his only weapon. He showed his poise and leadership abilities last night, too, guiding the Broncos on a crucial 91-yard, 12-play drive that took a sizable 6:12 off the third-quarter clock.
More importantly, that march -- capped by Donny Heck's 8-yard TD run -- allowed Boise State to expand a shaky three-point lead into a 31-21 cushion with 11 seconds to go in the third quarter.
Dinwiddie completed a cool five passes for 62 yards, including a 29-yarder to Tony McPherson, in the drive that effectively broke Hawaii's back.
The touchdown was the second of four for the night for Heck, who doubled his season TD total to eight. It was also the Broncos' fourth of six rushing scores against the Warriors.
Dinwiddie spent a lot of time on the Aloha Stadium carpet against Hawaii's heavy pass rush, and he became acquainted with Travis LaBoy early. The speedy and hungry UH defensive end sacked Dinwiddie for an 11-yard loss on Boise State's first possession, causing the quarterback's shoulder pad to pop out of his jersey.
"He made great throws under pressure," Boise State coach Dan Hawkins said about his senior leader. "He got hit in the teeth. We knew he was going to take some shots."
It looked like it was going to be a very long night for Dinwiddie on the Broncos' second possession. On first down, he looked left and let one go, but instead of open air, the ball immediately struck a rushing LaBoy, who tipped the ball high and came down with an interception.
"He's a stud," Dinwiddie said about LaBoy. "He's been a good player for them for three years. He's had about four plays like that (the tip and interception) this season. They have a heckuva D-line."
Dinwiddie played through, despite being sacked four times for 30 yards and being pounded many more times while unloading a pass.
This toughness is one reason Dinwiddie was on the preseason watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Davey O'Brien Award and why he was the lone Western Athletic Conference on ESPN.com's preseason top 100 list of college football players.
