Posted: Thursday December 30, 1999 11:35 PM
BOISE, Idaho (Ticker) -- Brock Forsey rushed for a career-high 152 yards on 23 carries as Boise State made its first appearance in a Division I-A bowl a successful one with a 34-31 victory over Louisville in the Humanitarian Bowl.
Forsey did not get into the end zone but helped the Broncos (10-3) set a Humanitarian Bowl record with 533 yards of total offense.
In only its fourth season at the Division I-A level, Boise State overcame a strong effort by Louisville's Chris Redman, who ended his stellar career by completing 26-of-47 passes for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
However, Redman also threw three interceptions and could not rally Louisville in the final two minutes after the Cardinals (7-5) started their final drive at the 1.
Louisville's hopes ended when linebacker Kareem Williams picked off Redman at midfield with just under a minute remaining. The Broncos took just one snap to run out the clock.
In a seesaw affair in which the teams combined for 936 yards, Boise State took a 34-31 lead on Davy Malaythong's five-yard run 5:32 into the final period.
Frank Moreau, who rushed for 111 yards on 24 carries, scored on a three-yard scamper to give Louisville a 31-27 lead just over two minutes earlier.
Boise State's Bart Hendricks matched Redman, completing 20-of-39 passes for 335 yards and a TD with no interceptions.
Following Malaythong's score, Redman marched Louisville into Boise State territory but the drive was set back by a fumbled snap and the Cardinals had to punt on 4th-and-13 from the Broncos 37 with seven minutes remaining.
Playing on its home field after winning the Big West Conference Championship, Boise State picked up three first downs and chewed more than five minutes off the clock before punter Jeff Edwards pinned the Cardinals at the 1 with 1:51 left.
Looking to get into field goal position, Louisville picked up two first downs but could not get beyond its 23.
Redman, the Unitas Award winner as the nation's top senior quarterback, threw for 3,647 yards and 29 touchdowns in the regular season.
A likely first-round draft pick, Redman completed his career with 12,541 yards and 84 TDs in 39 starts. The NCAA does not include postseason appearances in career statistics.
It was a game of big plays as Zek Parker's 91-yard kickoff return capped a wild first quarter and gave Louisville a 17-14 lead.
Boise State went up 21-17 on safety Shaunard Hart's 80-yard interception return before the Cardinals took a 24-21 lead on Redman's eight-yard TD pass to Damien Dorsey with 3:39 to play in the first half.
The scoring slowed in the third period as Nick Calaycay kicked field goals of 26 and 46 yards to give the Broncos a 27-24 edge heading into the fourth quarter.
Louisville suffered its second straight postseason loss, dropping a 48-29 decision to Marshall in last year's Motor City Bowl. The Cardinals are 3-3-1 all-time in bowl games.
Boise State won the Division I-AA national championship in 1980 and lost to Youngstown State in the 1994 title game.
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