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Concordia MFA
618 Gordon
Concordia, MO
64020
(660)-463-2256
Craig Poppinga GM.
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09/06/10 11:20:00
Printable Page
09/06 23:15 CDT No. 3 Boise State stuns No. 10 Va Tech 33-30
No. 3 Boise State stuns No. 10 Va Tech 33-30
By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- Kellen Moore and Boise State look as if they are going to
be in the national championship chase for a while.
Moore hit Austin Pettis with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 1:09 left and No. 3
Boise State passed what might be its toughest test of the season, beating No.
10 Virginia Tech 33-30 on Monday night.
The Broncos (1-0) came to FedEx Field with their best preseason ranking ever
and ran out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, then had to rally themselves
to extend their winning streak to 15 games.
Tyrod Taylor passed for 186 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 73 yards for
the Hokies (0-1), who for the fourth straight season took a deflating early
season loss.
As for the Broncos, even with 11 games left in the season, the debate will
start about whether they should become the first team from a conference without
an automatic BCS bid to play for a national championship if they go undefeated.
"Game 1, and that's what it is," said Chris Petersen, who improved to 50-4 as
coach of Boise State. "We're just pleased to get out of here with a `W.'"
Moore, the undersized Heisman Trophy contender, threw for 215 yards and three
touchdowns. He led a five-play, 56-yard touchdown drive in the final two
minutes - aided by a Virginia Tech personal foul penalty. After hitting Pettis
on a quick slant for the winner, Moore sprinted to midfield with his hands
raised high, waiting for a teammate to come and celebrate with him.
The winningest team of the past decade in major college football, Boise State
yet again was forced to prove it was worthy of all the accolades - this time
far from home on a field that was anything but neutral, packed with Hokies fans.
When it was over, they were taking a victory lap, exchanging high-fives with
their fans who made the long trip.
Boise State took the 17-0 lead by taking advantage of a handful of critical
Virginia Tech mistakes that set up two TD passes by Moore. But by halftime the
Hokies had climbed back into it with Ryan Williams scoring twice to cut the
halftime lead to 20-14.
On Boise State's first possession of the second half, Moore fumbled when he
cocked to throw and hit his own lineman. Virginia Tech recovered at the Broncos
31 and Williams completed the fifth scoring drive of less than 40 yards in the
game with a 1-yard run around the right side.
Taylor bounded off the field and leaped into a side bump with a teammate.
Virginia Tech, after a nearly burying itself in the first quarter, had its
first lead at 21-20.
It lasted about a minute on the clock. D.J. Harper broke a tackle at the line
on a third-and-1 and outran the Hokies for a 71-yard touchdown. No questioning
Boise State's speed on that play.
Virginia Tech blocked the extra point attempt and it was 26-21 with 5:38 left
in the third.
Back came the Hokies. Virginia Tech's Chris Hazley was wide right on a 51-yard
field, but Boise State was flagged for running into the kicker. Now with a
fourth-and-4 from the 29, Tech went for it and Taylor zipped an out to Jarrett
Boykin, who slipped a weak arm tackle attempt by Brandyn Thompson and eased
into the end zone to put the Hokies up 27-26. They went for two and missed.
Boise State couldn't answer that score. Kyle Brotzman missed wide left from 30
yards and Hazley answered with a 34-yarder for Virginia Tech to make it 30-26.
Virginia Tech had a chance to run out the clock, but couldn't do it, Taylor
threw an incomplete pass on third down that stopped the clock and gave Boise
State extra time.
"When it's all said and done, we were one first down from winning that football
game," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said.
With no timeouts left, that incomplete pass helped a lot. Then Mitch Burroughs
broke off a 25-yard punt return - a flag for a possible illegal block was
picked up by the officials - that set up Moore at the Boise State 44.
He hit three straight passes and on the third, a 14-yarder on the sideline to
Pettis, Tech's Bruce Taylor hit the receiver just a tad late out of bounds to
tack on more yards.
After an incomplete throw, Moore and Pettis connected for the fourth lead
change of the second half - and there was joy in Boise.
Tyrod Taylor, who carried the Hokies all game, couldn't come up with one drive.
Defending Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State knelt on the ball
and now faces a schedule in which it will likely be favored, usually heavily
favored, the rest of the season.
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