The Boise State Broncos handled UNLV rather easily on Saturday, coming away with a 32-7 victory. In fact, the Broncos were ahead 32-0 until UNLV's Kenneth Penny returned a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Nevertheless, SB Nation's Boise State blog, One Bronco Nation Under God, was impressed with the win, most notably on the defensive side of the ball, considering they were playing the game short-handed. The Broncos were missing suspended defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, but that did not seem to matter:
Boise State was without Demarcus Lawrence for this game (suspension), and it showed in the way that Lawrence's name was not on the stat sheet for copious amounts of sacks on UNLV's Nick Sherry. Other than that, the defense continued to play at an unfairly high level, forcing three more turnovers and keeping the Rebel passing attack - if you can call it that - to 71 yards.
Senior CB Jerrell Gavins was also the subject of praise. One Bronco Nation Under God believes his second-quarter interception in the end zone that cut short a UNLV drive was not only an excellent play, but could have been a turning point:
The timing of Gavins' pick - Broncos up by only 11 with UNLV driving in the 2nd quarter - was impeccable, and the play itself - a magical over-the-shoulder catch playing deep in single coverage - was marvelous. Without Gavins' pick, the complexion of this game would have been different until, well, until probably someone else made a remarkable, game-changing play.
Next up, Boise State travels to Wyoming to face the Cowboys on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Broncos will be looking for their seventh consecutive victory.