RENO, Nev. -- It's not official yet, but all those orange-clad fans flowing onto the Mackay Stadium turf told the story: Boise State is BCS bound.
Ian Johnson ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns and Jared Zabransky passed for 299 yards to lead Boise State to a 38-7 win over Nevada on Saturday, wrapped up a spot in the Bowl Championship Series for the unbeaten Broncos.
Jared Zabransky completed 20-of-27 passes, including a 45-yard TD to Legedu Naanee for the Broncos (12-0, 8-0 in the Western Athletic Conference), who are 39-1 in the WAC since 2002 and have won at least a share of the league title five years in a row.
"This is the most dominant team in WAC history," conference commissioner Karl Benson told the Broncos after the game.
They entered the day 11th in the BCS standings and have to finish No. 12 or better to automatically qualify for one of the big-money bowls. They will become only the second team from a non-BCS league to play in the BCS after Utah reached the 2004 Fiesta Bowl out of the Mountain West Conference.
The BCS bids go out Dec. 3. Expect Boise State to get an invite to the Fiesta Bowl to face the Big 12 champion. Officials from the Fiesta and Orange bowls watched Saturday's game from the press box.
"This team is worthy of a BCS bowl," Fiesta Bowl president John Junker told the Broncos in the locker room afterward. "You'll have to wait a week, but we'll be getting ready for you in the Valley of the Sun."
About 4,000 orange-and-blue clad Bronco fans who made the trip from Boise rushed the field after the final gun, waving flags and banners and crowding around the team.
"This means everything on our pyramid is done," Ian Johnson said. "We've had so many goals and we've knocked off every one."
Nevada (8-4, 5-3) entered the game leading the nation with a turnover margin of plus 15, but lost three fumbles in the first 24 minutes of the game -- four on the game -- and fell behind 17-0 at the half.
Legedu Naanee caught seven passes for 129 yards for the Broncos, who snapped Nevada's 10-game home winning streak and claimed their seventh consecutive victory over the Wolf Pack before a crowd of 25,506, the 10th largest in Mackay Stadium history.
Nevada coach Chris Ault said he was "extremely disappointed" in his offense but that much of the credit went to the Broncos.
"My hat goes off to them. I hope they go to the Fiesta Bowl and we'll be watching them," Ault said.
"Our defense played hard until the fourth quarter, there's only so much a defense can do." You just cannot ask to the defense to win the football game," he said.
Ian Johnson, a sophomore who wore a flak jacket under his pads to protect a pair of cracked ribs, ran 31 times and set the school single-season record with 1,613 yards rushing. He broke the old mark of 1,611 set by Brock Forsey in 2002. He entered the day leading the nation in scoring, and now has 24 TDs.
"I got out there and forgot about the ribs," Ian Johnson said. "I've played with broken ribs before... I just wanted to play hard for the team."
Robert Hubbard had 105 yards rushing for Nevada but Jeff Rowe was only 6-for-15 for 35 yards.
"The offense didn't score one point. The responsibility is on me," Rowe said. "They are a really good team and deserve everything they are going to get."
The Wolf Pack had only four first downs.
"I don't think I've seen them dominate like they did today," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said about his defense. "Not in my wildest dreams did I think they would shut them down like that."
Bronco defensive tackle Andrew Browning had seven tackles, including three sacks, and linebacker Korey Hall also had seven tackles.
Despite the loss, Nevada appears headed to one of the three bowls -- the MPC Computers, Sheraton Hawaii Bowl or New Mexico.
Leading 17-0 at the half, Boise State opened the third quarter with an 80-yard touchdown drive, including 48 yards on six carries by Ian Johnson and wide receiver Vinny Perretta's 5-yard score off a direct snap.
The Broncos fans broke into a chant of "BCS, BCS" as Anthony Montgomery converted the extra point for a 24-0 lead at 10:13. Four minutes later, Jared Zabransky threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Legedu Naanee to push the lead to 31-0.
Nevada's only points came when Nick Hawthrone intercepted a screen pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to keep alive the Wolf Pack's streak of 316 games without being shutout, the longest in NCAA Division I.
"This is overwhelming," Hall said. "I couldn't' have pictured myself in this situation five years ago. We're now 12-0 and about to go to the Fiesta Bowl."
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