• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Boise State rips San Jose State for seventh win in row

Nov 4, 2007 - 1:07 AM BOISE, Idaho (Ticker) -- Boise State continued to roll even with a minimal contribution from star tailback Ian Johnson.

Taylor Tharp threw three touchdown passes and Johnson returned from injury to rush for two scores as the Broncos breezed to a 42-7 victory over San Jose State on Saturday in the Western Athletic Conference.

Freshman Jeremy Avery added a 37-yard scoring run as Boise State (8-1, 5-0 WAC) extended its winning streak to seven games and improved to 8-0 all-time against the Spartans (3-6, 2-3).

Johnson, who was playing for the first time since missing two games with a bruised kidney, rushed for only 34 yards on 12 carries, including a one-yard TD early in the third quarter that extended the lead to 28-7.

"I felt great, this is kind of the test to see if the doctors were right about letting me back, and I felt amazing," Johnson said. "There was no pain whatsoever, no pain, no nothing. I was just antsy to get in. I understood the situation 100 percent and I'm glad we went out there, won the game and I got to play."

Johnson added a six-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter for his 11th rushing TD of the season and 37th career.

Tharp finished 28-of-35 for 260 yards and an interception. Eleven different players had at least one reception.

To be honest with you, I love spreading the ball out like this," Tharp said. "Spreading the field, spreading the defenders just because I think you can see things a little bit easier, makes your reads a little bit easier."

Two of Tharp's scoring passes went to freshman Austin Pettis - a backbreaking 12-yarder in the final minute of the first half and a five-yard toss with 6 1/2 minutes in the third quarter that made it 35-7.

"I thought he was as good as he has been all year," said Boise State coach Chris Petersen of Tharp. " was on target, he knew exactly where he was going and he fit a couple balls in there that were pinpoint accurate."

The game's pivotal sequence came toward the end of the opening half.

After Tharp connected with Ryan Putnam on a 44-yard scoring strike to give Boise State a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter, San Jose State answered on its next possession.

The Spartans moved 72 yards and 12 plays to pull within a touchdown when Adam Tafralis tossed a five-yard pass to Kevin Jurovich to make it 14-7 with 1:29 left in the half.

The momentum changed just as quickly, when Austin Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards. Tharp needed just six plays to get the Broncos in the end zone, connecting with Pettis on a slant pattern for a 21-7 lead with 34 seconds left in the half.

"We had a great week of practice, so I suppose it really started there and the coaches have been telling me that they've been waiting for their breakout game and it finally came today," Pettis said.

Special teams played a big part in the Broncos' two second-half touchdowns. Orlando Scandrick returned a punt 38 yards to set up Johnson's TD, and Marty Tadman brought one back 49 yards that led to the second touchdown by Pettis, who had seven receptions for 51 yards.

"Special teams can swing a game, big time," Tadman said. "Field position is huge and once we got that field position that was kinda the clincher. You get the ball on the 16-yard line twice and the 30-yard line once, you cannot ask for anything more."

A scary moment occurred with 10:16 left to play, when San Jose State defensive tackle Justin Willis was injured making a tackle on Johnson.

The 6-2, 300-pound sophomore lay on the turf for 15 minutes before he was strapped to a cart and taken away by ambulance. Willis appeared to be alert and speaking and he flashed a thumbs-up to teammates.

According to the school's web site, a CT scan was performed and it revealed no fracture to Willis' cervical spine.

Results of a subsequent MRI exam were unavailable but Willis does have full body movement.