LOSS OF JOHNSON SPELLS DOOM FOR BOISE STATE

Many have deemed the Boise State Broncos good. Not many have called them deep.

For the second straight game, the Huskies got lucky when the opposing team lost their star running back midway through the first half. Like Syracuse before them, Boise State had no effective ground weapons once the darting, surprisingly strong Johnson was carted off the field in the second quarter.

"You never want to see a kid get hurt, obviously," said head coach Jim Mora. "That being said, they're a lot easier to defend if he's not in the game."

Because of Johnson's absence the Broncos were able to pass more than they were comfortable with. Taylor Tharp, who has replaced NCAA 2008 coverboy Jared Zabransky, looked positively awful.

The Huskies continue to score when they need to and play conservative when they don't. Jake Locker had a quarterback rating over 160 for the second straight game in accounting for just 262 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Locker wasn't as effective on the ground in this one, but had nowhere to run.

"They blitzed, blitzed, and then to change things up, they threw in a zone blitz," joked Locker afterwards. Locker was sacked four times and hit hard on two other occasions while throwing. He also had to throw a couple of passes away while on the run. Overall, however, the sophomore continued to look phenomenal.

Maybe "The Savior" will one day be counted as more than a nickname.