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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, October 25, 2009

'Explosive' Young greets Hawai 'i with stellar showing


By Kalani Takase
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Boise State receiver Titus Young flashes a shaka after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter. Young caught eight passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns.

EUGENE TANNER | Special to The Honolulu Advertiser

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With all that has been made of Hawai 'i's porous run defense this season, Boise State wide receiver Titus Young chose a great game to break out. The junior had a career-high eight receptions for a game-high 115 yards with three touchdowns in last night's 54-9 Western Athletic Conference win over Hawai 'i.

Young, who is listed at 5 foot 11 and 170 pounds, caught touchdown passes of 24, 10 and 48 yards from Broncos' quarterback Kellen Moore, who finished 18-of-30 passing for 223 yards and five touchdowns.

"He's an explosive player and he helps us stretch things so we can get it going underneath," Boise State head coach Chris Petersen said of Young.

The win was extra redeeming was Young, who played just three games last season due to various suspensions. He was not made available to the media last night.

"Titus is doing a great job for us, not just in the vertical game, but some short stuff and he's able to create some things and make some stuff happen," Moore said.

Young was held without a catch in the first quarter, but his 24-yard TD grab with 7:33 until halftime put the Broncos ahead, 24-0. Young caught an 11-yard pass from Moore on the opening play and hauled in a 10-yard pass on the next play, which set-up a successful double-pass from Austin Pettis to tight end Kyle Efaw for a 28-yard gain down to the Warriors' 31-yard line. Moore found Young in the end zone two plays later.

After a Warriors' three-and-out, the Broncos' offense went back to work, putting together a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Young's second TD — a 10-yard pass from Moore to make it 31-0 with 1:22 left in the first half.

On Boise State's opening possession of the second half, Young ran a reverse — his only rush attempt of the game — for an 18-yard gain to put his team in Warrior territory. The drive eventually led to a 32-yard Kyle Brotzman field goal to make it 37-0.

The Warriors appeared to find a spark on Jovonte Taylor's 46-yard return on the ensuing kickoff, but running back Alex Green committed UH's fifth turnover two plays later. Broncos' defensive end Byron Hout stripped Green and fell on the loose ball and Boise State took over at the UH 48.

On the very next play, Moore found Young for his third TD of the game — a 48-yarder which he snagged away from a UH defender in the end zone. That score, which took just four seconds, made it 44-0 midway through the third quarter.