WAC roundup: Boise State wins ugly over Beavers

With a national stage again, Boise State showed that even a flawed performance is good enough with Kellen Moore at the helm.

Especially at home.

Moore completed 19 of 27 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns, Doug Martin rushed for 138 yards and the Broncos overcame a litany of special-teams miscues and penalties to hold off No. 24 Oregon State 37-24 on Saturday night in Boise.

With a national television audience, the Broncos (3-0) got away with mistakes that will likely make head coach Chris Petersen livid for more than just the few minutes he spent chewing out his guilty players on the bench.

But in the popularity contest that is the Bowl Championship Series, the Broncos fell short of impressing the nation with a dominant performance. Boise State’s student section started chanting “B-C-S” in the final minute, but blowouts are what will be expected in the coming weeks as the Broncos reach the soft section of their schedule.

Still, Boise State ran its home winning streak to 57 straight in the regular season and picked up its third straight win over Pac-10 schools in its final chance to make a statement against a ranked team for the next two months.

The Oregon State (1-2) combo of Jacquizz and James Rodgers never got started on offense, even though James returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter – the first punt return score of his career.

Jacquizz Rodgers was held to 46 yards on 18 carries and a 4-yard TD run in the third quarter. James Rodgers was knocked out by an apparent concussion early in the third quarter while blocking on a scramble by quarterback Ryan Katz.

The Broncos outgained Oregon State 469-237. Moore’s numbers were nearly double that of Katz, who completed 12 of 26 passes for 159 yards.

The counterbalances were Boise State’s eight penalties, poor coverage on special teams and one big turnover.

Down 24-10 in the third, Jacquizz Rodgers scored from the 4, slipping through the tackle of George Iloka at the line of scrimmage, finishing a drive kept alive by two personal-foul penalties against Boise State, both on third down.

(13) Utah 56, San Jose State 3: Jordan Wynn threw for two TDs in his first game since the season opener and eight players scored for the Utes (4-0) in a rout of the Spartans (1-3) in Salt Lake City.

Wynn completed 14 of 18 passes for 124 yards before heading back to the sidelines after just one series in the third quarter with Utah already running away with its 20th straight home win.

Wynn missed the last two games with a sprained right thumb.

Mississippi 55, Fresno State 38: Brandon Bolden rushed for a career-high 228 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown on the opening play of the second half, as the Rebels (2-2) defeated the Bulldogs (2-1) in Oxford, Miss.

San Diego State 41, Utah State 7: Ryan Lindley threw for 362 yards and three TDs as the Aztecs (3-1) rolled over the Aggies (1-3) in San Diego.

Vincent Brown caught five passes for 177 yards and two TDs for the Aztecs. His TD receptions were of 65 and 82 yards.

Southern Miss 13, Louisiana Tech 12: Deron Wilson picked off Louisiana Tech quarterback Tarik Hakmi at the Southern Miss 20-yard line with 2:31 left on the clock to seal the win for the Golden Eagles (3-1) over the Bulldogs (1-3) in Ruston, La.

Nevada 27, BYU 13: Colin Kaepernick threw for 196 yards and a touchdown and ran for 82 yards and another score to lead the unbeaten Wolf Pack (4-0) over the Cougars (1-3) in Provo, Utah.

Vai Taua added 133 yards rushing and a TD for Nevada, which is off to its best start since going 12-0 to begin the 1991 season.

Kansas 42, New Mexico State 16: D.J. Beshears scored three touchdowns in the first half, including a 96-yard kickoff return, to propel the Jayhawks (2-2) to an easy win over the Aggies (0-3) in Lawrence, Kan.