BOISE, Idaho — For years, Boise State's defense has taken a back seat to the Broncos' clever, high-scoring offense.

But this year, the defense is taking every opportunity to change that perception.

Thanks to a fourth-quarter goal-line stand, a stifling run defense and constant quarterback pressure, it was the defense that led the 17th-ranked Broncos to a 38-3 victory over Louisiana Tech last night.

"When our defense plays the way it did today, it gives us a lot of confidence," Broncos coach Chris Petersen said after his team won its 16th straight home game. "Every defense wants to play like that. But these guys have really been backing it up."

The offense didn't do too bad, either.

Kellen Moore threw for two touchdowns and D.J. Harper rushed for two as the Broncos (4-0, 1-0 Western Athletic Conference) beat the Bulldogs (2-2, 0-1) for the seventh straight time.

Moore, a redshirt freshman, looked sharp again, finishing 20-of-28 for 325 yards before heading to the bench early in the fourth quarter.

The left-hander tossed a 13-yard TD to Jeremy Hawkins early in the first quarter, then hit a wide-open Chris O'Neill for a 44-yard score to put the Broncos up 14-0 early in the second.

The Broncos rolled up 464 yards of total offense, avoided turnovers and costly penalties and never let the Bulldogs get close.

Harper scored twice in the second half, both on 3-yard runs, and the Broncos committee of running backs rushed for 132 yards.

Going into the game, the Broncos focused on stopping Louisiana Tech's explosive special teams and knack for making big plays.

They did just that, keeping the Bulldogs' return game in check and allowing just two plays over 50 yards, both long passes by Taylor Bennett. Six times in the first three quarters the Bulldogs crossed midfield, but only managed three points.

Then early in the fourth quarter, the Boise State defense snuffed the Bulldogs four straight times after starting first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. The Broncos held Louisiana Tech to 118 yards rushing, well below their season average of 163.7.

"It's been our thing this year to step up big in the red zone," Broncos linebacker Kyle Ginng said. "Our defense does not want to give them an inch."

For the Bulldogs, it was a night of missed opportunities.

"It was a disappointing performance on our part," said LaTech coach Derek Dooley, whose team next plays at Hawai'i on Oct. 11. "We've got a lot of freshmen and sophomores who don't know how to finish a drive. They whipped us at the line of scrimmage."