BOISE, Idaho — This Day In Sports…November 22, 2008:
It’s the first of three matchups between Boise State’s Kellen Moore and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, two of the WAC’s all-time greats. Moore, a redshirt freshman, got the best of his sophomore counterpart, surviving the only three-interception game of his career to record his first 400-yard game (414 in all) in a 41-34 win in Reno. The Broncos defense would hold Kaepernick to 19-of-50 passing on the day but would have to hold off a Wolf Pack rally in the final five minutes to clinch the outright WAC championship and preserve an undefeated regular season.
It was quite the unique day for Moore. He had to overcome the worst 15 minutes of his career, as all three picks came in the third quarter—and two of them were returned for touchdowns. In the other three quarters, Moore was 24-of-36 for 357 yards and three TDs. On the other side of the ball, Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox designed a scheme that put a different “spy” on the elusive Kaepernick every play. Wilcox called the plan “the quarterback guy,” and it mostly consisted of safeties George Iloka, Jeron Johnson and Ellis Powers.
Sophomore wide receiver Austin Pettis helped Kellen out with a big day for the Broncos, making nine catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns, including one in the fourth quarter that provided the eventual winning points. That gave Pettis a team-leading nine TDs on the season. Fellow wideout Vinny Perretta also racked up 126 yards, and he did it on only five receptions. Star running back Ian Johnson contributed 71 yards on seven carries, but one of them went 66 yards for a touchdown, so his other six attempts averaged less than a yard.
There was a typical Boise State turnout in Reno, with a Bronco Nation throng estimated at 7,000. It was a dedicated bunch. Take Tom DeGroot, for example. He was headed down the desert Saturday morning before the game when the transmission gave out in his F-350 truck in Orovada. DeGroot hitchhiked to Winnemucca and found a used car lot, and he bought a vehicle on the spot, two hours before kickoff. Then he drove the rest of the way to Reno and somehow (gee, I don’t know how) made it in time for the Broncos’ first possession.
(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.)
