ROCKETS CAN'T KEEP UP WITH BRONCOS

Boise quarterback Kellen Moore threw for 455 yards and five touchdowns as the Broncos defeated Toledo 40-15 in front of 28,905 fans at the Glass Bowl.

The game could have been much closer, but costly turnovers stalled Rocket drives.

Toledo took a 6-0 early lead as quarterback Austin Dantin hooked up with tight end Danny Noble for a 24-yard scoring play. A rush attempt for two points failed.

Boise came right back as Moore completed four passes in a 68-yard drive that culminated with a 36-yard pass play to Tyler Shoemaker for the touchdown and 7-6 lead.

The Broncos scored on their next possession as Moore again went to the air, this time finding his running back Doug Martin with a short pass, and Martin did the rest going 71 yards for the score. A missed tackle by a UT defender allowed a short pass to turn into a 13-6 Boise State lead.

Both teams struggled to score in the second quarter, until Moore led a Bronco drive with 1:22 remaining. The senior quarterback threw six complete passes, including a short one-yarder to Shoemaker for a touchdown and a 14-point lead.

UT drove to the BSU 17-yard line, but as time was running out, opted for a 35-yard Ryan Casano field goal.

It was obvious that if Toledo wasn't going to get any pressure on Moore that it was going to be a long night for the Rockets. The 6-0 quarterback was either throwing quick passes or taking his time looking for deep receivers behind an offensive line that was giving excellent protection.

One positive for UT was that they had no turnovers and only one penalty at half-time. That was about to change.

Toledo drove to the Boise 11-yard line early in the third quarter and it looked like the Rockets were going to tighten up the game. But a Terrance Owens pass was tipped and intercepted by the Broncos who took over at their own eleven yard line. It was a costly interception, because BSU marched down the field for another touchdown to go ahead 27-9.

The Rockets got a big play from safety Jermaine Robinson when he picked off a Moore pass, and returned it sixty yards to the Boise 19 yard line. Dantin replaced Owens. After a delay penalty, Adonis Thomas ran eighteen yards to the Bronco's six. But Dantin fumbled the ball on the next down, and when Boise recovered, Toledo's hopes for an upset were looking slim.

Boise State scored again with another touchdown pass to Shoemaker, and the Broncos went up 33-9 with 5:58 remaining in the game.

Toledo was able to respond, as Owens and Thomas teamed up on a 73-yard drive with Thomas getting the touchdown on a one yard run, The extra point was no good, and Boise still had a commanding lead 33-15.

With the Boise starters out of the game, they were still able to score again as they recovered an on-side kick at the UT 43 and six-straight running plays later, they were in the end-zone. This was demoralizing a series for the Rockets.

Boise finished the game with 610 yards of total offense. Moore completed 32 of 42 passes for 455 yards.

Toledo had 251 passing yards and only 98 rushing. For the second straight week, UT was unable to develop a serious running attack. It should be pointed out, though, that the Rockets are unlikely to face a defense like Ohio State or Boise the rest of the season.

UT needed to pressure Moore, but it never happened, and the Rockets finished the game with no sacks. The also needed to cut down on penalties, but with eight in the second half, that goal was also not reached.

"Their players made plays, and when it came time for our players to make plays, they didn't," Tim Beckman said. "They exploited the things we weren't doing well."

Toledo will now head to Syracuse next Saturday for a game that is winnable and could get the Rocket back to their winning ways.