Broncos tailback D.J. Harper had to fight for every yard in Boise State's one-point win over BYU. (Brian Losness-US PRESSWIRE)
BOISE, Idaho — Boise State’s offense wasn’t getting the job done, so the defense got in the act.
Senior nose tackle Mike Atkinson intercepted a pass early in the third quarter and returned it 36 yards for the game’s first touchdown to propel the 24th-ranked Broncos to a 7-6 win over BYU on Thursday night.
Boise State’s defense also stopped a two-conversion attempt with 3:37 to play that preserved the victory. BYU backup quarterback Taysom Hill’s pass was knocked down by linebacker JC Percy, ending the Cougars’ chances of a comeback win.
Hill had scored on a 4-yard run to cut the Broncos’ lead to single point.
While the Boise State offense may have sputtered, the Broncos’ defense had its way with the Cougars (2-2). Boise State (2-1) intercepted quarterback Riley Nelson three times before he was pulled in favor of Hill. Nelson finished 4-for-9 for 19 yards and had a passer rating of minus-4.5 when he was removed by coach Bronco Mendenhall.
BYU finished with 200 yards of total offense, 95 of which came on its fourth-quarter scoring drive.
The defense bailed out a struggling Boise State offense that couldn’t take advantage after Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe recovered a fumble on the BYU 1 in the third quarter. Boise State couldn’t score as the BYU defense stuffed four running plays.
Boise State was able to move the ball until it got to the red zone. Running back D.J. Harper gained 112 yards on 36 carries. Quarterback Joe Southwick hit 15 of 25 passes for 145 yards, but the Broncos were held without an offensive touchdown for the second time in three games this season.
The first half was dominated by the defenses, as neither team was able to score despite each having a solid chance.
Boise State missed a 33-yard field goal in the opening quarter, and BYU moved to the Boise State 1 before a chop-block penalty and interception ended the threat.
The Broncos managed only 155 yards of offense in the first half, while the Cougars had just 68 yards of offense and were hurt by five penalties for 50 yards. BYU also converted just one of six third downs and also lost a fumble in the opening half.
NOTES: Boise State played without starting center Joe Kellogg, who had an undisclosed injury. Junior Matt Paradis started in his place. … BYU became the first team to record a sack against Boise State when it took down Joe Southwick late in the second quarter. … Boise State was held scoreless in the first half for the first time under head coach Chris Petersen. The last time the Broncos didn’t score in the opening half of a game was the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl against Boston College. … Thursday night’s game was just the third football meeting between the schools. Boise State won the previous games in 2003 and 2004. … The crowd of 36,864 was the largest in Bronco Stadium history.
