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 TOLEDO, OH -- The Toledo Rockets hung close with No. 4 Boise State for a while, but in the end the Bronco offense was just too efficient. Boise State won the game, 40-15, before a capacity crowd of 28,905 at the Glass Bowl in a nationally televised game on ESPN Friday.
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore threw for 455 yards and five touchdowns as the Broncos amassed 610 yards of total offense.
Sophomore quarterback Terrance Owens came off the bench to complete 17-of-31 passes for 201 yards for the Rockets. Junior wideout Eric Page had eight receptions for 69 yards, while senior running back Adonis Thomas rushed for 65 yards and one TD on 14 carries.
The Rockets struck first, scoring on a 24-yard screen pass from junior QB Austin Dantin to senior tight end Danny Noble. The extra point attempt was mishandled and the PAT failed, giving Toledo the early 6-0 lead with 11:35 left in the first quarter.
Boise State scored on its next two possessions to take a 13-6 lead. Moore capped a nine-play drive with a 26-yard pass to Tyler Shoemaker for the first score, then followed that up with a 71-yard pass play to Doug Martin.
The two teams exchanged a handful of punts before the Broncos struck again with just 17 seconds left in the half when Moore hit Shoemaker in the corner of the end zone from one yard out. Boise State then tried a pooch kick that went out of bounds on the Toledo 44. Sophomore quarterback Terrance Owens quickly marched the Rockets down to the 17-yard line, capped by a terrific sideline catch by Page with just three second left in the half. Ryan Casano kicked a 35-yard field goal to cut BSU's lead to 20-9 at the half.
Boise State extended its lead to 27-9 on a 12-yard pass from Moore to Kyle Efaw, capping an 89-yard drive with 6:25 to play in the third quarter.
Toledo had two good chances to score in the third quarter, but both drives ended with turnovers deep in Bronco territory. Owens's short pass to Thomas was tipped and then intercepted by Chase Baker at the Boise State 11-yard line. Later, Rocket safety Jermaine Robinson picked off a Moore pass and returned it 60 yards to the BSU 19-yard line. Two plays later, however, Dantin fumbled, and the Broncos recovered it on their own nine-yard line.
Boise State put the game away with two more scores in the fourth quarter, the final one coming with 1:30 to play on an eight-yard run by Drew Wright.
The Rockets (1-2, 0-0 MAC) continue a tough out-of-conference schedule when they travel to Syracuse for a game next Saturday.
Courtesy of Toledo Athletics
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