BOISE, Idaho » Boise State got the payback it was looking for against Hawaii last night.

And the main reason was a Bronco defense that held the Warriors to their lowest point total since 2004 in a 27-7 win.

“;It was a statement game,”; Boise State safety Jeron Johnson said. “;We're back.”;

The reason the game meant so much to the 15th-ranked Broncos was what happened last November in Honolulu. The Warriors put a 39-27 beatdown on BSU that ended the school's run of six straight WAC titles.

In that game, Colt Brennan and his run-and-shoot expertise carved up the Broncos to the tune of 495 passing yards and five touchdowns.

“;I've had this game circled on my calendar,”; said BSU cornerback Brandyn Thompson, who was forced into action as a true freshman in last year's game and was picked on repeatedly.

But Thompson and the Broncos defense got the last laugh this time, forcing Hawaii quarterback Inoke Funaki into five interceptions. BSU also registered five sacks and recovered a pair of Warrior fumbles.

Thompson had three of the interceptions.

“;When you see an opportunity to make a play, you want to make the play,”; Thompson said. “;You don't know how many chances you get like that. Fortunately, I was able to make the plays tonight.”;

The defense's performance also made things easier on Boise State's offense, which only had to go 48, 46 and 41 yards to score its three touchdowns.

Boise State limited Hawaii to 288 yards of offense on 73 plays.

“;If you can pressure the quarterback at any time and just get in his head and just get him rattled, wondering where you're at instead of worrying about down the field, it's going to help,”; BSU defensive end Mike T. Williams said.

Hawaii's defense limited BSU to the same number of points as it did a year ago, but the Warriors couldn't crack a Broncos defense that has allowed just 10.5 points per game.

“;I have to give Boise State full credit,”; Hawaii coach Greg McMackin said. “;They slowed us down and did a great job defending us. They are one of the top defenses in the country, and in the second half, they showed that.”;

BSU got three short touchdown passes from redshirt freshman Kellen Moore.

“;He doesn't make mistakes - he trusts his reads and he knows where his shakedowns are,”; said Hawaii linebacker Adam Leonard. “;He's a good decision-maker. You can tell just from his experience of being a coach's son that he's got a good head on his shoulders. Even though he's relatively young, he's an old man in terms of knowing what defense you're in. The coaches put the ball in his hands and he found his guys open.”;

The win moves the Broncos into a virtual tie with San Jose State in the conference standings. The teams play next Friday in California on ESPN.

“;Last year left a really bitter taste in my mouth,”; Williams said. “;It was at their house and we had to watch them celebrate. We're used to winning WAC championships around here and they took it from us. It really felt good to go out there and knock them off.”;