Week 6: Louisiana Tech at Boise State

The Broncos get an opportunity to re-introduce themselves to Top 25 voters on Wednesday night. It’s their first ESPN appearance of the season and their first game since returning to the Top 20 by beating Oregon on the road.

Boise State needs to find some consistency after being shut out in four of the past six quarters. In the other two quarters, they scored 37 points against Oregon. The Broncos also have been shut out in their last two fourth quarters, allowing opponents to turn blowouts into competitive games.

Quarterback Kellen Moore has keyed the Broncos’ 3-0 start. The freshman has thrown five touchdown passes and one interception while completing 72.2 percent of his passes. Meanwhile, the defense has generated eight takeaways and eight sacks while holding opponents to a total of 20 points in the first three quarters.

The Bulldogs, who beat Mississippi State in the opener, still must prove they can win on the road. They have been wiped out in their past three road games — against LSU, Nevada and Kansas.

The Bulldogs need to address two deficiencies if they want to become the first WAC team to win at Bronco Stadium. Quarterback Taylor Bennett needs to improve on his WAC-worst efficiency rating and the defense needs to improve its nation-worst pass defense. They also could use some big plays from wide receiver/return man Phillip Livas, who will be the fastest player on the field.

The special teams matchup will be intriguing because both teams tend to make game-changing plays there. In fact, Louisiana Tech scored two touchdowns and set up a third on special teams in its last game.

Notes:

Boise State is 60-2 in its last 62 home games and 28-0 in home WAC games.

The Broncos have been ranked at some point during each of the past seven seasons.

Louisiana Tech quarterback Taylor Bennett briefly committed to Boise State out of high school. He also went to two Humanitarian Bowls (held in Boise) with Georgia Tech, including his last game as a Yellow Jacket in December.

Boise State has won the past six meetings; Louisiana Tech won the first four. The last two times they played in Boise, the Broncos won 55-14.

Key Player (Bulldogs) — Phillip Livas, WR/KR

Livas’ speed gives the Bulldogs a quick-strike ability they will need against the high-scoring Broncos. He has scored this year on a 78-yard run and a 57-yard punt return.

Key Player (Broncos) — Ian Johnson, RB

Johnson has scored 23 of his 50 career touchdowns in eight games as the Broncos’ featured back on ESPN or ESPN2. Those games also account for six of his 15 100-yard games and both of his 200-yard games. It all started with a 240-yard, five-touchdown game against Oregon State in 2006.

Boise State by 19