FRESNO, Calif. — Forget about the Bowl Championship Series ramifications, which might have taken a hit. Forget about the defensive meltdown, which will keep defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox up late at night. Forget about the Boise State injuries, which could prove costly.

There is time enough to sort that stuff out.
Breathe deep, Boise State fans.
That was a heck of a college football game that the Broncos and Fresno State played Friday night at a less-than-capacity Bulldog Stadium.
For sheer entertainment value, it will be hard for any of the 10 remaining regular-season games to compete with the 51-34 Broncos victory.
Weren’t you entertained? Chris Petersen’s ulcers aside, isn’t that the point? This was a throwback Boise State game, to a time when the Broncos put up pinball numbers and figured it would be enough, to a time when if you stepped away from the television for one second you were likely to miss not just one big play, but two.
Explosive plays? Check. Momentum swings? Check. Players finding that little bit extra on a hot, muggy night and leaving it all on the field? Check.
The Broncos and Bulldogs, running back Ryan Mathews in particular, produced enough electric plays to fill an entire highlight reel — and then some. The teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and, no, Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews didn’t account for all of it despite treating the Boise State defense like a junior varsity defense. Mathews totaled 234 yards rushing, including three touchdowns of 60 yards or more.
Remember all that talk this week about the stout Boise State defense needing a fearsome nickname? Yeah, me neither.
Can we scrub that discussion from our collective memories and never mention it again.
Deal.
The defense did its part in staking the Broncos to an early lead. Safety Winston Venable — who played an incredible game — had a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown on the game’s first possession. The defense held Fresno State without a first down on its first five drives.
Then it all became a blur for the white-clad Broncos. Wilcox will have to slow down the tape to see exactly what went wrong, but poor tackling by the secondary and absentee play from the linebackers should show up. Substitution along the defensive front is important in keeping guys fresh, but there is no reason the first-team defensive line should be on the sideline on a critical fourth-down drive.
Venable — there’s that name again — finished off the Bulldogs with an NFL-quality jump over the blocking back and into Fresno State quarterback Ryan Colburn on a crucial fourth-down play. Venable also had a play where he drove the running back into Colburn, forcing an incomplete pass.
As for the rest of the defensive effort, well, the Purple People Eaters and the Fearsome Foursome and the Steel Curtain can rest easy. As can anyone else racking their brain to come up with a Blue moniker for these fellas.
Right now, they’re undefeated and entertaining. We’ll have to leave it at that.