The Wildcats, on the other hand, must find, in the words of coach Ron McBride, a few good men. There was no mistaking his disappointment talking with reporters following his team's poor performance.

"They [Boise State] don't have peaks and valleys," McBride said. "We didn't execute."

Now, with a week off before traveling to Cal Poly, the Wildcats can try to rebuild their emotional and physical edge.

"Football is a game of momentum," said Weber State running back Trevyn Smith. "When you can't build any momentum, it is really hard to get anything done."

Boise State just filled in the slots of 11 lost starters from the 13-0 Fiesta Bowl champions of 2006. Senior quarterback Taylor Tharp, replacing Jared Zabransky, went 14-for-19 for 184 yards and a touchdown. Ian Johnson rushed for 129 yards and three scores by halftime.

"We went out there and accomplished exactly what our game plan was," Johnson said. "We started running the rock, the play-action passes and hit some deep balls."

Meanwhile, WSU quarterback Jimmy Barnes was pressured into a 9-for-23 performance for 67 yards and one late touchdown pass. Smith gained 76 yards on 19 carries.

Boise State marched 80 yards on 13 plays on its opening series to take a 7-0 lead. By the end of the first period, Weber State was feeling as blue as the Bronco turf, trailing 28-0.

BSU might have scored twice more had it kept its starters in the entire half. As it was, the Broncos led at the half, 49-0.

"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."

On the positive side, Weber State was playing a Division I power and was clearly outmatched physically and athletically. The Wildcats shouldn't face any team again this season close to BSU's ability.

Yet, "You don't try to forget this," WSU defensive lineman Bryce Scanlon said. "You have to learn from it. We have a week to work out our mistakes."

martyr@sltrib.com