RUSTON, La. -- Nine games into the season, Boise State's record is perfect. But the fifth-ranked Broncos remain flawed in ways that have bedeviled the squad since the season-opening victory against Oregon.
The imperfections -- problems with the red-zone offense, an inability to run the ball early in the game, missed field goals -- showed up again Friday night versus Louisiana Tech, turning a damn-they're-good-rout into a somewhat disappointing 45-35 road win.
"That's how it always is when we play. It's never good enough," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said after a series of questions about his team's flaws.
There was an edge to Petersen's voice, as if the questions about polls and perfection and disappointment in a 10-point conference victory have finally pushed him to anger.
Or it might have been watching his team squander a perfect empty-the-bench opportunity with an uncharacteristic interception by quarterback Kellen Moore and all-too-familiar problems with putting opponents away.
The Broncos settled for five field goal attempts, including four inside the Louisiana Tech 20. Kicker Kyle Brotzman missed two tries from the left hash marks.
Boise State scored three touchdowns on seven red-zone opportunities -- chances inside the Louisiana Tech 20. The Broncos have 28 touchdowns on 51 red-zone trips this season. That 54.9-percent conversion rate is far below last year's 66.2 percent and well off their 72.1 percent in 2006.
Against a team with the 99th-ranked run defense in the country, Boise State managed 29 first-half rushing yards on 16 attempts. The Broncos were stuffed on two third-and-1 rushing attempts in the first half.
All of that allowed the Bulldogs to hang around on the scoreboard. And, poof, one "stupid" Kellen Moore interception, as the sophomore put it, and touchdown return later, the Bulldogs trailed 27-14.
Even Petersen blundered -- badly. With 7 minutes, 41 seconds remaining in the game, Moore connected with Austin Pettis for a pivotal touchdown to put the Broncos up 36-28. Inexplicably, Boise State went for the two-point conversion when one point would make it a two-possession game. That the Broncos converted the try doesn't make it a good decision. Petersen acknowledged after the game that it wasn't the best call.
"Games aren't going to be perfect," Petersen said. "If we can't truly put them away early, it's going to turn into a dogfight just because of who we are." In the WAC, the Broncos get every opponent's best shot -- particularly on the road. Boise State was the highest-ranked team to ever visit Joe Aillet Stadium. A win would have salvaged the Bulldogs' lackluster season.
By virtue of their lofty ranking, the Broncos also face another set of judges, ones to whom the victory isn't nearly enough. The pollsters who determine whether the Broncos reach their Bowl Championship Series goals or settle for a second-tier postseason game are a demanding bunch. And their insistence on style points and blowouts places another burden on the Broncos, like it or not.
Call it the expectation gap. Or perception gap. Boise State has become a victim of its own success. The goalposts keep moving for this team. Perfection in the win-loss column isn't enough for others.
"If you're looking to win by so much and looking to get style points and you're looking to play to the polls, which we're not, it's not going to be good enough," Petersen said.
Flawed but perfect. It might not be enough to get the Broncos into the BCS, but it might be the best this team can do.
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(c) 2009, The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho).
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