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Boise defeats Fresno,
runs win streak to 18
BOISE, Idaho » Known for its high-scoring offense, Boise State showed it can play some defense, too.
The No. 19 Broncos held Fresno State to 17 yards rushing in a 33-16 victory last night, extending the nation's longest winning streak to 18 games and improving to 7-0 for the first time in school history.
Boise State came in leading the country in scoring at 46 points per game, but its defense stole the spotlight.
"I think defensively they took it to us really good tonight," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "They outplayed us, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Fresno State ran the ball just 17 times, after averaging 204 yards per game rushing coming into the contest.
"Any defense with nine guys in the box is going to be difficult to run against," said Wendell Mathis, who led the Bulldogs with four carries for 29 yards.
On the other side, Boise State pounded the running game on a cold, wet night, where a mixture of heavy rain and hail alternated at times. Lee Marks rushed for a career-high 112 yards and Boise State ran the ball 55 times in the game.
"We wanted to come in and run the ball hard," Marks said. "It was fun out there tonight."
Tyler Jones kicked four field goals to help Boise State win its 22nd straight Western Athletic Conference game. Boise State (7-0, 4-0) is 25-2 since joining the conference in 2001.
The Broncos are 4-0 against the Bulldogs since 2001, outscoring Fresno State 131-54 in the last three games.
"For us to catch up with Boise State, we've got to ... play at the pace they do," Hill said.
After starting the season 3-0, with victories at Washington and Kansas State, Fresno State (3-3, 0-3) has lost three straight conference games.
The Broncos defense had been torched of late, giving up 30.8 points per game since holding Idaho to seven points in the season opener. Tulsa scored 42 on the Broncos last week.
But Fresno State could never generate any offense with the run, and quarterback Paul Pinegar struggled.
"Our defense was pretty close to dominant," Boise State coach Dan Hawkins said. "I was impressive with their focus and attention to detail."
Nevada 54, Tulsa 48, 3OT: At Reno, Nev., Golden Hurricane running back Brandon Diles fumbled out of the end zone from the 1-yard line in triple overtime to hand the Wolf Pack (4-4, 2-2 WAC) a win over Tulsa (1-6, 0-3).
Nevada receiver Nichiren Flowers caught a 25-yard pass for the go-ahead touchdown.
In double overtime, Wolf Pack cornerback Kevin Stanley intercepted a pass by Tulsa's James Kilian on the 3-yard line. But Wolf Pack kicker Damon Fine missed a 38-yard field-goal try that would have given the win to Nevada.
The two teams scored four touchdowns in the final 2:18 of regulation.
Navy 14, Rice 13: At Annapolis, Md., quarterback Aaron Polanco ran for a career-high 179 yards and the Midshipmen (6-1) benefited from a missed extra point to beat the Owls (3-4).
Rice pulled within one on an 11-yard touchdown pass from freshman Joel Armstrong to Ed Bailey with 4:41 remaining, but Brennan Landry missed the point after and Navy held on.
The Midshipmen led 14-0 late in the third quarter before Armstrong replaced starter Greg Henderson and brought the Owls back. Armstrong ran for 86 yards on 13 carries, and Rice finished with 223 yards on 53 carries -- well below its top-ranked average of 345.7 yards.
Polanco had a career-high 33 carries as Navy improved to 4-0 at home and bounced back from last week's loss to Notre Dame. His rushing total was the most by a Navy quarterback since 2001.
UTEP 44, Louisiana Tech 27: At Ruston, La., Jordan Palmer passed for 259 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Miners (5-2, 3-1 WAC) to a win over the Bulldogs (4-4, 3-1).
UTEP held a 30-27 lead with less than 6 minutes remaining when Palmer found Chris Francis for a 13-yard touchdown pass on a third-and-12 play.
UTEP then stopped Tech on four straight plays, regaining possession of the ball on the Bulldogs' 18-yard line. The Miners scored again on a late 8-yard run by Jimmy Smith.
Ryan Moats ran for 99 yards on 21 carries for Tech despite being helped off the field numerous times throughout the game with various injuries.
No. 6 Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 12: At Madison, Wis., Anthony Davis rushed for two touchdowns and the Badgers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) beat the Wildcats (3-4, 2-2) with star defensive end Erasmus James and his pass-rushing partner Jonathan Welsh on the sideline.
Both were out with ankle injuries, but that didn't prevent the Badgers from going 8-0 for just the fourth time in the program's 115-year history.
Louisiana-Monroe 17, Florida Atlantic 13: At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mason Denham ran 67 yards for a touchdown and Steven Jyles passed for another, helping the Indians (3-4) hand the Owls (5-1) their first loss of the season.
Louisiana-Monroe safety Chris Harris had three interceptions in the game, including ones that stopped Florida Atlantic's final two drives. One of his interceptions was on a pass into the end zone.
Doug Parker rushed 24 times for a game-best 121 yards for Florida Atlantic, which played its home opener. The Owls' first scheduled home game was postponed because of Hurricane Jeanne last month.
Middle Tennessee St. 34, Idaho 14: At Murfreesboro, Tenn., Clint Marks threw for one touchdown and ran for another to lead the Blue Raiders (3-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) to a victory over the Vandals (2-6, 1-3).
MTSU allowed fans who came to the game to stay for a free concert afterward by hip-hop star Big Boi of Outkast, an effort to meet the NCAA's minimum attendance requirements to stay in Division I-A. The game drew an estimated 16,718 people, well below what school officials had hoped for.
