BOISE — Weber State might want to rethink taking trips to the Gem State if those trips take them any farther than Pocatello.
The 56-7 tail-kicking handed out by Boise State was the most points allowed by a Weber State teams since a 79-30 pounding suffered in 1994. That game was at the University of Idaho.
It could have been much worse. No. 24 Boise State called off the dogs in the second half and scored only one touchdown while resting most of their starters.
For a while, it looked as though the Broncos could easily hand the Wildcats their worst-ever defeat — a 75-0 thumping at Portland State in 1980.
"That was a joke," WSU coach Ron McBride said of his team's performance. "I was surprised that this is the way we played."
The Wildcats struggled from the first possession to move the ball and, even worse, struggled to stop the Broncos.
Perhaps because BSU wanted to make sure it wasn't forgotten by the voters in the national polls, the Broncos hardly let up on the throttle as they poured on the offense and piled up the numbers.
The way the Wildcats responded to Boise State's onslaught had McBride livid.
"That was about as bad a football game as I've ever been a part of," McBride said. "I wanted to play these guys to see how we'd respond. We didn't respond."
While Boise was hammering away at the Wildcats, the mood got worse on the sideline.
"Football is a game of momentum," WSU running back Trevyn Smith said. "When you can't build any momentum, it's really hard to get anything done."
The Wildcats finally broke through for a first down with 6:31 to play in the second quarter. That small victory, however, was immediately negated as Trevyn Smith and Jimmy Barnes fumbled away the next play and the Broncos needed only 12 seconds and two plays to push their lead to 42-0.
Things could have been much worse for Weber State. The Broncos had a chance extend their lead to at least 56-0 shortly before the half. But the Wildcats managed to hold BSU out of the end zone on a fourth and goal play from the two with two minutes left in the half.
That defensive stop aside, the first half was nothing but ugly for the Wildcats.
The 49-0 deficit was one thing. The other numbers simply reinforced how badly Boise State was dominating their one-time Big Sky Conference buddies.
After 30 minutes of play, BSU had amassed 382 yards of total offense to only 75 for the Wildcats. The Broncos had 19 first downs, Weber State had just two.
Boise State upped its lead to 56-0 shortly after the third quarter began
Weber State's first trip into Bronco territory paid off well as Barnes found Bryant Eteuati for a 21-yard touchdown with 3:40 to play in the third.
That was virtually all the good news for Weber State, though, as they now try to erase the memories of this beating and prepare for a game in two weeks at Cal Poly.
The Broncos, led by 128 from Heisman candidate Ian Johnson, rushed for 370 yards. They also passed for 199 more — outgaining the Wildcats 569 yards to 145.
Weber State managed only eight total first downs compared to 30 for the Broncos.
Boise State left the Big Sky and I-AA football in 1996. Eleven years later, it's clear Weber State is no longer in the Broncos' league.
E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com