Boise, ID – D.J. Harper carried the ball 21 times for 122 yards and a touchdown as No. 24 Boise State downed Fresno State, 20-10, on Saturday.
Joe Southwick was 11-for-22 passing for 113 yards with a touchdown to Geraldo Boldewijn, who had three catches for 37 yards in helping the Broncos (5-1, 2-0 MWC) to its fifth straight victory after falling to Michigan State in the season opener.
"The running game was great; we ran for a lot of yards, I know that," Southwick remarked. "We were really close in the passing game in a lot of things."
Derek Carr completed 29-of-43 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, Robbie Rouse rushed for 77 yards and also caught nine passes for 68 yards for the Bulldogs (4-3, 2-1), who have dropped 11 straight games against ranked opponents dating back to 2008.
"You have to give Boise State credit," Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter admitted. "They outplayed us, they outcoached us, they out-physicalled us, they played smarter and they were more composed. That comes from coaching. We have to do a better job."
Boise State took a 7-0 lead with just over three minutes to play in the first when Southwick connected with Boldewijn for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
Earlier in the drive Southwick found Aaron Burks for a 25-yard pass to put the ball in Fresno State territory before getting on the board six plays later.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Broncos extended their advantage to 10-0 when Michael Frisina split the uprights from 19 yards out to cap a 10-play, 62-yard march.
Harper's 28-yard touchdown scamper with 2:10 to play in the first half gave Boise a commanding 17-0 lead. Harper ran the ball four times for 58 yards on the drive.
Fresno State finally got on the board in the third quarter after Quentin Breshears booted a 39-yarder after a 12-play drive stalled at the Boise State 22.
After trading punts, the Broncos used a 19-yard Frisina field goal to push its cushion to 20-3.
The Bulldogs were able to pull within 20-10 with 2:15 to play in the fourth when Carr connected with Davante Adams for a 3-yard touchdown pass, but Boise picked up a pair of first downs on its following possession to ice the win.
Game Notes
Boise State has won 46 consecutive games played in October and improve to 77-3 over its last 80 home games ... The Broncos own an 11-4 advantage in the all- time series with Fresno State ... Carr was sacked three times.
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