BOISE, Idaho — Boise State had slogged through the first half against Wyoming and needed a spark.
Kellen Moore provided it, though not in the usual fashion.
Moore connected with Matt Miller on a 46-yard touchdown heave on the last play of the first half, and No. 7 Boise State rolled from there to a 36-14 win against the Cowboys on Saturday.
“That was big. Really, we stole some points in that situation. That was huge for us,” said Moore, who threw three touchdown passes in the game and has 137 career touchdown passes, second-best all time.
With the score tied 7-7 and 1 second left in the second quarter, Moore rolled left and let loose a pass to the goal line. The ball was deflected by Cowboys defender Tashaun Gipson and fell into the hands of Miller, sprawled flat on his back in the end zone and just beyond the goal line.
Moore stepped it up in the second half, leading the Broncos to 23 straight points to put the game away.
The Broncos forced two turnovers, held Wyoming without a first down in the third quarter and didn’t allow any points until late in the fourth quarter.
Wyoming came into the game having won four of the last five and were playing the Broncos for second place, a goal that seemed unlikely when they were picked near the bottom of the conference to start the season. And through much of the first half, the defense kept the game close by keeping the Bronco offense in check.
But the offense failed to get on track and was held to just 191 total yards. Freshman quarterback Brett Smith was 17-of-25 for 78 yards.
The Cowboys, one of the nation’s best at forcing turnovers, suffered a few costly ones of their own, including a fumble when Smith was flushed out of the pocket deep in Bronco territory in the second quarter.
“That was huge,” Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said. “We were in field-goal range, but it’s a young guy trying to make a play. I can’t fault the kid for that.
“We are still a young football team, and I thought we competed hard, didn’t quit and kept battling until the end.”
