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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Brett Rypien threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Broncos to a 55-0 victory over Hawaii in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams Saturday night.
In his second career start, Rypien completed 19 of 25 passes without an interception, showing his impressive debut last week against Virginia wasn't a fluke.
"Brett's limited in his experience, but he's playing within the game plan we give him each week," Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. "Each game plan has a theme for the opponent we're playing, and he's going out and executing."
Boise State (4-1) rolled up 554 yards of total offense. Jeremy McNichols rushed for 108 yards on 20 carries with a pair of touchdowns.
"We took advantage of the turnovers and put points on the board early," Harsin said. "Those explosive plays and getting into a rhythm and having some tempo shows we can be effective at times."
Hawaii (2-3), which struggled to amass 170 yards of total offense, has yet to score in three trips to the mainland this season, also getting shutout by No. 1 Ohio State and No. 19 Wisconsin in September.
Max Wittek threw for 66 yards, completing 7 of 24 passes for the Rainbow Warriors before injuring his left leg in the third quarter and giving way to backup Ikaika Woolsey.
"We knew this was going to be a tough game," Hawaii coach Norm Chow said. "But we need to play better. We have to go home and regroup."
When asked if Boise State was the best team he'd faced this season, Chow shrugged. "That's a good football team, and we've played some other pretty good teams this year too."
Rypien started the scoring with a 54-yard strike to Chaz Anderson early in the first quarter. Two possessions later, McNichols bulled his way into the end zone from 13 yards for a 14-0 lead.
On the opening play of the second quarter, Rypien hit Thomas Sperbeck on a 21-yard touchdown pass. And on Boise State's next possession, Rypien showcased not only his arm strength but also his play-fake ability. He started with a 51-yard pass to Thomas Sperbeck and finished with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Holden Huff off a fake-fumble play on fourth-and-1.
Akillian Butler, Kelsey Young, and McNichols added touchdown runs of 10, 9 and 15 yards, respectively, as Boise State took a 49-0 halftime lead. It was the Broncos' largest halftime lead since they led Weber State 49-0 at the break in 2007.
Anderson set career highs with five catches and 95 yards receiving. Sperbeck added five catches for 87 yards.
Since Rypien took over for injured starter Ryan Finley, the Broncos have scored more than 50 points in all three games.
"(Brett) is a poised quarterback and a leader," Anderson said. "Having him under center for us right now is fun, to say the least."
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