Boise Manhandles Oregon, Then Blount KO’s Hout

Oregon Ducks starting running back LeGarrette Blount talked before the game about keeping emotions in check. Then he lost his own temper after No. 14 Boise State manhandled around its big-conference neighbors.

After the win the Broncos began celebrating on their famous blue turf, Byron Hout yelled in Blount’s face and tapped him on the shoulder pad. That drew an immediate scream from Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, but before Petersen could pull Hout away, Blount landed a right handed punch to the defensive end’s jaw.

Then as Blount was being pulled off the field by several teammates and Oregon coaches, he had to be restrained from fans heckling him on the way to the Oregon locker room.

“I just apologize to anyone watching that,” Blount said. “I just apologize to all of our fans and all of Boise’s fans. That’s something I shouldn’t have done. I lost my head.”

Rumors even swirled afterward the Blount would be arrested, but Oregon spokesman Dave Williford said that talk was “absolutely false.”

Blount’s actions took away from a night that, for 2½ quarters, was a celebration of all things blue and orange before the nervous final stretch as a Ducks offense that was stuck in neutral most of the night finally gained some traction.

Kellen Moore threw for 197 yards and a touchdown and the biggest home game in Boise State history became a four-quarter bullying of the No. 16 Ducks, 19-8 on Thursday night, clearing the biggest apparent obstacle between them and a possible second BCS bowl.

D.J. Harper added a 1-yard scoring run for Boise State, but the impressive effort by the Broncos was overshadowed in the postgame scrum when Blount punched Boise State’s Byron Hout and was then restrained from fans by police on the field.

But Boise State’s defense answered every Oregon charge and knocked off the Ducks for the second consecutive season after last year’s contentious matchup in Eugene.

Nearly every available space inside Bronco Stadium was crammed with fans desperate to see this border-state battle, one that everyone expected to turn into a high-scoring shootout.

If not for two missed field goals, a botched field-goal snap and three turnovers, it very well might have been a high-scoring rout for the Broncos.

They outgained Oregon 361 to 152, rolling up 22 first downs to the Ducks’ six. The struggles of Kelly’s offense were stunning, considering Oregon scored a combined 162 points in its final three games of 2008 and brought quarterback Jeremiah Masoli back to run the show.

The total yards were the fewest for Oregon in nearly 15 years.

The Broncos had no problem moving up and down the field on demand. Moore hit 14 of 20 throws in the first half and finished 19 of 29. He was also given plenty of time in the pocket behind a young offensive line that, for one night, answered the biggest question about the Broncos in the offseason.

Moore connected with Austin Pettis for a 10-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter and the two-point conversion put Boise State up 8-0. Blount was later pulled down in the end zone by Billy Winn for a safety.

The Broncos’ line also opened holes for Harper and Jeremy Avery. The pair combined for 162 yards rushing.