BOISE, Idaho — The biggest home game in Boise State history became a four-quarter bullying of the Broncos’ big-conference neighbors to the west that left frustrated Oregon players hitting each other after a teammate landed a sucker punch Thursday night.
Kellen Moore threw for 197 yards and a touchdown, and the 14th-ranked Broncos pushed aside No. 16 Oregon 19-8, shoving aside its biggest obstacle to a possible second BCS berth.
D.J. Harper scored on a 1-yard run early in the third quarter and Boise State held on for a shaky final 25 minutes of mistakes and turnovers to record its 50th consecutive regular-season home victory and ruin Chip Kelly’s debut as Oregon head coach.
But the lasting image from this highly anticipated kickoff to the 2009 college football season will be Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount punching Boise State’s Byron Hout after the final whistle and then needing to be restrained from fans by police on the field.
As the Broncos began celebrating on their famous blue turf, Hout yelled in Blount’s face and tapped him on the shoulder pad. That drew an immediate scream from Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, but before Petersen could pull Hout away, Blount landed a right hand to the defensive end’s jaw.
Then as Blount was being pulled off the field, he had to be restrained from fans heckling him on the way to the Oregon locker room.
“You know, just emotions getting the best of players, and you know, it was a hard-fought game, really proud of our defense,” Petersen said. “Typical first game, lot of sloppy football, but I thought our defense rose to the occasion and played great.”
No. 19 Utah 35, Utah State 17
SALT LAKE CITY — Terrance Cain, a junior college transfer, passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns in his Utah debut and the Utes extended the nation’s longest winning streak.
Matt Asiata ran for a career-best 156 yards and two touchdowns as the Utes won their 15th in a row, beating longtime Utah assistant Gary Andersen in his first game as Utah State’s coach.
Iowa State 34, North Dakota State 17
AMES, Iowa — Austen Arnaud threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, both to Marquis Hamilton, and the Cyclones beat the Bison to make Paul Rhoads a winner in his debut as a head coach.
Alexander Robinson added 83 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Cyclones, who snapped a 10-game losing streak dating to last September.
“She wasn’t pretty. Most first games aren’t,” said Rhoads, whose staff had to improvise with cell phones until their headsets were fixed. “It’s a lot prettier when you’re on the winning side.”
