Boise State Hangs On for 28-27 Win

Brigham Young’s Matt Payne missed a 38-yard field goal with 19 seconds left and No. 21 Boise State extended the longest winning streak in Division I-A to 15 games with a 28-27 victory over the Cougars in a nonconference game Friday night at Boise, Idaho.

Payne had converted on all six of his attempts this season before the miss, which sailed wide left. Payne had made kicks of 32 and 42 yards in the second quarter to help jump-start the Cougar comeback.

Brigham Young rallied from a 16-0 first-quarter deficit to take a 27-22 lead entering the fourth quarter.

But Jared Zabransky put the Broncos ahead, 28-27, with a 44-yard pass to T.J. Acree with 3:42 left. A two-point conversion try failed.

Boise State extended the nation’s longest home winning streak in I-A to 21 games and has won 35 of its last 36 games at Bronco Stadium.

Boise State last lost at home in the 2001 opener to Washington State, 41-20.

Boise State is 4-0 for the first time since 1994, the year it won the I-AA national title.

Brigham Young is 1-3 for the first time since 2000, LaVell Edwards’ final season as coach.

The Cougars haven’t beaten a ranked opponent since Gary Crowton took over for Edwards in 2001.

*

After Northern Illinois lost starting tailback A.J. Harris to a sprained left ankle late in the second quarter, Garrett Wolfe filled in admirably, leading the Huskies to a 34-17 victory over Bowling Green (1-2) in a Mid-American Conference opener at Dekalb, Ill.

After finishing the first half with minus-two yards rushing, Wolfe ran for a career-high 202 yards in 31 carries while scoring three touchdowns.

After Chris Nednick’s 25-yard field goal gave the Huskies (2-2) a 10-7 lead early in the third-quarter, Wolfe’s 42-yard and 21-yard touchdown runs gave them a 24-10 lead by the end of the quarter.

Then, with 14:47 remaining, Wolfe carried 14 times for 75 yards to lead the Huskies on a 16-play, 81-yard drive, which he capped with an eight-yard touchdown run to give them a 31-10 lead with 6:07 remaining.

*

Hurricane Jeanne, bearing down on Florida, forced the postponement of today’s game between Illinois State and Florida Atlantic. A makeup date was not announced.

The hurricane is expected to reach Florida’s east coast by Sunday. Florida Atlantic is in Fort Lauderdale.

“Florida Atlantic is in the process of closing its university today, while the governor has asked for evacuation in the Fort Lauderdale area,� Illinois State Athletic Director Larry Lyons said Friday. “With these prominent actions taking place, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense for us to try to fly in there and play on Saturday.�

Florida moved its Southeastern Conference game against Kentucky in Gainesville to 8:30 a.m. PDT. The game had been scheduled to start at 3 p.m. PDT.

On Thursday, Florida International’s home opener was postponed when Western Kentucky determined it was better for its athletes not to travel to Miami this weekend. No makeup date has been set.

In Daytona Beach, Bethune-Cookman moved its kickoff time three hours to 7 a.m. for its game against Norfolk State. It was the second time the game had been moved forward. Earlier this month, Hurricane Frances canceled the Wildcats’ season opener with Savannah State in Jacksonville.

*

Tennessee Tech receiver Drew Hixon was upgraded from critical to serious condition but remains unconscious 13 days after he was injured in a game.

Hixon, the son of Washington Redskin assistant Stan Hixon, had been in critical condition at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Fla., since being tackled in a helmet-to-helmet collision and carried off the field during a game with South Florida Sept. 11.

Hixon was taken off a ventilator Friday morning and is breathing on his own but remains in intensive care, a hospital spokesman said.

*

Brandon Phillips, a 6-foot-7, 327-pound left tackle, is expected to be in Arizona’s starting lineup today against Washington State after serving a three-game suspension for signing with an agent in the off-season.

Phillips was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after tearing a patellar tendon in the third game of 2003.

It was his second season-ending injury.