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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 5:43 p.m., Saturday, September 23, 2006

Boise State holds off UH, 41-34

Advertiser Staff

BOISE, Idaho — Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky passed for three touchdowns and Ian Johnson ran for two more scores to hold off Hawai'i, 41-34, in the Western Athletic Conference football opener for both teams at Bronco Stadium.

Boise State, ranked No. 25 in the nation, is 4-0. Hawai'i is 1-2.

Zabransky completed 16 of 28 passes for 275 yards. Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan was 25 of 36 for 386 yards and five touchdowns, including three scoring passes to Jason Rivers.

Johnson scored his second touchdown on an 8-yard run to give Boise State a 34-14 lead with 11:42 remaining in the third quarter. The Broncos drove 65 yards on eight plays on the opening drive of the second half.

The Warriors answered back when Brennan completed his third touchdown pass — an 18-yarder to Davone Bess with 9:37 to go in the third quarter to close to 34-21.

UH thwarted Boise State's next drive when Kenny Patton intercepted Zabransky in the end zone with 2:32 to go and ran it to the UH 19. UH drove 81 yards in 11 plays ending with Brennan's second TD pass to Bess, a 14-yarder with 13:50 remaining in the game. A bad snap snuffed an extra-point attempt.

After Boise State went three-and-out, the Warriors' next drive ended with a Brennan fumble with 10:17 remaining.

Zabransky completed his third touchdown pass — an 18-yarder to Derek Schouman — to give Boise State a 41-27 lead with 5:55 to go.

Brennan completed his fifth touchdown pass — his third to Rivers with 2:59 remaining — as Boise State held a 41-34 lead. Brennan's 8-yard pass to Rivers completed a 9-play, 77-yard drive.

The Broncos received the on-side kick and ran out the clock.

Bess finished with six catches for 102 yards. Rivers also caught six passes for 80 yards.

Zabransky completed 9 of 16 passes for 158 yards in the first half. Brennan was 13 of 19 for 232 yards.

Johnson scored on a 4-yard run to give Boise State a 7-0 lead with 12:35 to go in the first quarter.

Legedu Naanee caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Zabransky and Kyle Stringer ran for a two-point conversion to give Boise State a 15-0 lead with 9:16 to go in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Brennan completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Rivers, but UH fumbled on the extra-point attempt and Boise State's Orlando Scandrick returned it for a safety as Boise State took a 17-6 lead.

Zabransky threw his second touchdown pass — a 23-yarder to Schouman — to make it 24-6 with 8:09 to go.

Brennan completed his second touchdown pass to Rivers — a 10-yard score — with 5:52 to go in the second quarter. Brennan completed a two-point conversion pass to Bess to make it 24-14. During the drive, Hawai'i receiver Ryan Grice-Mullins left the game with an apparent leg injury and did not return.

Just before the half, Boise State's Anthony Montgomery kicked a 32-yard field goal to make it 27-14.

Things didn't go well for the Warriors at the start.

Hawai'i went three-and-out in the opening possession.The Broncos then took just three plays and 33 seconds to score the first touchdown of the game.

On the ensuing possession, UH gave the ball back on a fumble. Boise State then took six plays to score its second touchdown of the game. On a PAT fake, Stringer ran for the two-point conversion.

UH started its next possession on its own 20 and drove down to the Boise 5. On fourth down, the Warriors tried to kick a field goal, but a bad snap kept UH off the scoreboard entering the second quarter.

The Warriors had more special teams troubles after scoring their first touchdown with 13:41 to go in the second quarter. Holder Kurt Milne fumbled the snap on the extra-point attempt and Stringer picked it up and returned it for two points.