Broncos extend win streak
Ian Johnson ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns and Taylor Tharp was steady in his first start at quarterback, guiding No. 24 Boise State past Weber State 56-7 on Thursday in the season opener for both teams.
Coming off an undefeated season, the Broncos ran their winning streak to 14 games – the longest in major college football – and even dipped into the bag of tricks that helped them upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl last season.
Wide receiver Vinny Perretta, who threw for a score in the Fiesta Bowl, lined up at quarterback on third-and goal from the 7, and ran up the middle for the first score of the game.
Boise State has won 52 of its last 54 games on its home blue turf.
(2) LSU 45, Mississippi St. 0: At Starkville, Miss., Craig Steltz had three of LSU’s six interceptions of Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig and the Tigers manhandled the Bulldogs.
(10) Louisville 73, Murray State 10: At Louisville, Ky., Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm threw for 375 yards and four touchdowns and the Cardinals drilled the overmatched Racers.
(16) Rutgers 38, Buffalo 3: At Piscataway, N.J., Ray Rice rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns, Tiquan Underwood had 10 catches for a school-record 248 yards and Mike Teel passed for a career-best 328 yards as the Scarlet Knights opened their most anticipated season with a win over the Bulls.
Around the country
Miami (Ohio) 14, Ball St. 13: At Muncie, Ind., Brandon Murphy scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 17 seconds left in the game as the RedHawks defeated the Cardinals.
New Mexico St. 35, SE Louisiana 14: At Las Cruces, N.M., Chase Holbrook threw four touchdown passes and burly defensive end Brandon McKinney returned an interception 68 yards for a TD in the Aggies’ win over the Lions.
UNLV 23, Utah St. 16: At Logan, Utah, Frank Summers scored on an 11-yard run with 1:02 remaining and the Rebels rallied to win their first road game in nearly three years by beating the Aggies.
Kent State 23, Iowa State 14: At Ames, Iowa, Julian Edelman threw for 161 yards and a touchdown to lead the Golden Flashes to victory over the Cyclones.
Cincinnati 59, SE Missouri St. 3: At Cincinnati, Ben Mauk threw for two touchdowns, and the Bearcats defeated the Redhawks in the debut of coach Brian Kelly’s wide-open offense.
Northern Arizona 47, Western New Mexico 0: At Flagstaff, Ariz., Alex Watson had 133 receiving yards and two touchdowns while the Lumberjacks forced six turnovers in a victory over the Mustangs.
E. Illinois 45, Tennessee Tech 24: At Charleston, Ill., Cole Stinson completed 19 of 26 passes for a career-high 308 yards to lead the Panthers to a win over the Golden Eagles.
Tulsa 35, Louisiana-Monroe 17: At Monroe, La., the Golden Hurricane rallied from a 17-14 halftime deficit, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Warhawks.