BOISE, IDAHO (AP) - With a pair of touchdown passes and another Boise State victory, Kellen Moore moved up the ranks among college football’s all time quarterbacks.
But he didn’t earn any style points for his latest achievements.
The lefty tossed his 112th and 113th touchdown passes in the first half in Saturday’s 30-10 win over Nevada. The second, a 3-yard toss to Matt Miller, put the Broncos up 14-0 and put Moore one shy of surpassing former Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel.
The win gave Moore 42 for his career and in a three-way tie for second with Georgia’s David Greene and TCU’s Andy Dalton.
In typical fashion, Moore was more concerned about a clunky, ho-hum overall performance for the Broncos passing game than his personal climb up the NCAA record books.
“It’s not the way we want to play, certainly,” Moore said. “Bottom line: We didn’t execute.”
Against an overmatched Nevada defense, Moore was 19 of 33 for 142 yards, a career low. Although he got some help from receivers who dropped balls on several big plays, including what could have been a 50-yard TD pass to a wide open Mitch Burroughs, Moore missed more than his share of targets
He was picked off twice on consecutive possessions in the first half, just the third multiple interception game of his four-year career. And he still appears to be favoring a bum knee that was in a brace for the second straight week.
“No, I haven’t,” said coach Chris Petersen when asked if he’d ever seen Moore, one of the nation’s most accurate passers, miss so many open teammates.”
“All those things kind of happen split-second,” Petersen added. “It is amazing that he hasn’t made more throws like that over his career. But, it is always kind of surprising when something like that does happen because he is such a good decision maker.”
One lackluster outing is hardly cause for panic in southwestern Idaho. And Moore insists his gimpy knee has anything to do with his throwing and accuracy
It should also be noted Moore may still be adjusting to a new cast of young receivers, a group lacking Geraldo Boldewijn, who at 6-foot-4 was expected to be one of Moore’s favorite targets heading into the season. But Boldewijn, who was born in the Netherlands, has missed all four games due to eligibility questions still unresolved by the NCAA and his return to the field remains uncertain.
The Broncos were also playing with two new starters on the offensive line Saturday. Chuck Hayes started at right guard for starter Jake Broyles, who is lost for the season with a toe injury, and Cory Yriarte started at center for stalwart Thomas Byrd, who remains week to week.
What saved the Broncos was a rejuvenated running game.
Led by Doug Martin, Boise State rushed for 169 yards on the ground, and it could have been more had Martin’s 92-yard TD scamper in the fourth quarter been nullified by a penalty.
Martin finished with 126 yards and two TDs on 21 carries, the first time all season a Bronco running back has eclipsed the 100-yard mark.
“Fortunately our run game came to life a little bit,” Petersen said. “I care more about that than the pass game, because I know we’ll get that figured out, so I think we made a step there.”
Petersen also acknowledged that starting cornerback Jerrell Gavins, who leads the team with three interceptions, will miss the rest of the season after injuring a knee in practice.
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