October 9, 2010: A 57-14 rout of Toledo on the blue turf typifies a dominant Boise State season. The undefeated Broncos rolled the Rockets behind three touchdown runs by Jeremy Avery, three touchdown passes by Kellen Moore, and a five-turnover performance by the defense. The most exciting takeaway was a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown by Boise State defensive end Shea McClellin, the junior from Marsing, right after halftime. With South Carolina’s upset of Alabama that day, the Broncos’ 19-game winning streak became the longest in the nation.
Toledo had forced a whopping 16 turnovers through its first five games. The Rockets were plus-seven in turnover margin and among the national leaders. After this game, they were plus-two. Boise State actually left three more turnovers on the table, all of them interceptions (two were dropped and one was called back by a penalty). The takeaway/giveaway game had fallen in line with everything else that was happening with the Broncos that season. Boise State improved to plus-seven in turnover margin, seventh in the nation in that category.
Moore, meanwhile, was playing the best football of his career. By going 16-of-22 for 267 yards and the three TDs versus Toledo, he moved into the No. 1 spot in the country in pass efficiency, the one offensive statistic coach Chris Petersen paid the most attention to. Moore’s 183.3 rating was fueled by his touchdown-to-interception ratio of 14-to-1. That was his thing—Kellen had set the NCAA record for lowest single-season interception ratio in 2009 at 0.7 percent, with just three picks in 431 attempts. And 39 TDs, by the way. Moore’s 2010 season would lead him to New York and the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December.
Petersen pointed to the final possession of the first half against Toledo as the essence of Kellen Moore. It was a “just because we can” drive, with Moore moving Boise State 90 yards in 41 seconds for a 36-7 lead. The Broncos offense was in knife-through-butter mode, with the Rockets gambling on blitzes and Moore continually delivering the ball on target before the pressure could get to him. If only they’d been that aggressive at the end of the first half at Nevada the following month—but that’s another story.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
