Rebels make Moore work to get record as Boise St. wins

When Boise State's Kellen Moore trotted back on to the field to open the fourth quarter, that was a victory in itself for UNLV.

Moore made college football history Saturday night, becoming the all-time winningest quarterback, but the Rebels surprisingly -- shockingly -- didn't make it easy for him.

They didn't come out playing like 42-point underdogs, even forcing No. 5 Boise State to pull out one of its famous trick plays to put away the Rebels. And the Broncos put them away after that, cruising to a 48-21 victory before a pro-Broncos crowd at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Moore completed 18 of 31 passes for 219 yards and five touchdowns to improve his career record to 46-2, surpassing former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy as the record holder.

"You have a lot of respect for those guys on that list," Moore said. "I'm very fortunate. I'm very fortunate to play at Boise State."

UNLV made Moore, who entered this game having missed six quarters in playing time this season because he was on the sideline late in blowout victories, work for this victory.

The Rebels (2-6, 1-2 Mountain West Conference) tied the game at 14 with 4:49 left in the second quarter, went into halftime down just 21-14 and trailed 28-14 when Boise State pulled off a fake punt. Upback J.C. Percy ran 20 yards to UNLV's 31-yard line. The fake set up Moore's 5-yard scoring pass to Tyler Shoemaker 12 seconds into the fourth quarter for a 34-14 lead to end all doubts.

"We struggled to keep up in the second half," UNLV coach Bobby Hauck said. "They did some really good things. They're well-prepared, they're well-coached. It's obvious why their record is what it is."

Few expected UNLV to give Boise State (8-0, 3-0) much of a game. Especially a UNLV team missing five players, suspended for breaking team rules, including starting running back Tim Cornett and starting linebacker Tani Maka.

Those players are expected back for next Saturday's game at New Mexico, and the Rebels must hope quarterback Caleb Herring, who completed 12 of 17 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, is able to play, too. He twice was sent out after hard hits.

"Certainly, he's not at the hospital or anything, or we'd be more concerned," Hauck said. "He was in the locker room with the other players."

It was that kind of physical night, with UNLV safety Mike Clausen taking a vicious shot on a punt return in the fourth quarter. The Rebels ended the nights for running back Doug Martin and defensive tackle Billy Winn in the second quarter, and even Moore was forced to limp around some by halftime.

UNLV came out playing as if it had a message to send, even to the roughly 12,000 blue-clad fans that made the Rebels' homecoming feel more like a Boise State home game.

The Rebels outgained Boise State 198 yards of offense to 161 in the first half, with Herring completing 11 of 13 passes for 104 yards.

He led UNLV on a fantastic eight-play, 78-yard drive in the first quarter, completing two passes for 23 yards and running for 24 yards on two carries. Dionza Bradford finished the series with a 13-yard touchdown run.

Late in the second quarter, Herring threw a pass to Michael Johnson on the left sideline. Johnson barely stayed inbounds and then dashed down the sideline to score on the 33-yard play to make the score 14-14 with 4:49 left.

It wasn't a score many expected. Hardly anyone outside UNLV's locker room, at least.

But Boise State drove 80 yards in 11 plays to take the lead for good on Moore's 5-yard scoring pass to Matt Miller with 25 seconds left.

Down 28-14 late in the third quarter, the Rebels appeared to have Boise State stopped. UNLV figured to get the ball back with the chance to make it a one-possession game.

Boise State then called for the successful fake punt, but the fact the Broncos needed a trick play against UNLV wasn't an expected development.

"That's a very good team out there," said UNLV wide receiver Phillip Payne, who had seven catches for 60 yards. "We hung with them in the first half. The second half, we came out flat."

Said Hauck: "If it was a 30-minute game, we'd be pleased. You've got to play the game. You've got to play 60 minutes. I'm not into moral victories."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.