FRISINA GOOD FROM 30 AND IN

Boise State senior kicker Michael Frisina made a 30-yard field goal Saturday against UNLV and had a 42-yarder blocked.

Frisina is 9-for-9 from 30 yards and in this season but 0-for-5 from outside 30 yards.

Petersen green-lighted the 42-yarder with a 25-0 lead in the third quarter but says when “the money’s on the line,” he won’t right now.

“We had a little lead there and he’s got to go through some pressure situations and kick the ball the same as he does inside the 20,” Petersen said, adding that Frisina tends to drive the ball lower on longer kicks. “He doesn’t need to change anything. He’s got plenty of leg. Sometimes you need game reps at all positions.”

LAWRENCE, LAUGHREA OUT

Boise State starting defensive end Demarcus Lawrence didn’t play because of an unspecified violation of team rules. Petersen expects him to return next week.

Sophomore Tyler Horn started in place of Lawrence, the team leader in sacks. Horn recorded a sack. Backup tackle Darren Koontz shifted to end on the second-team line and true freshman Armand Nance played tackle.

Third-string quarterback Jimmy Laughrea was not in uniform for the second time in three games. Petersen said it’s not a discipline issue, but Laughrea “has a few things going on right now.”

SOUTHWICK LEAVES FOR PLAY

Quarterback Joe Southwick left the game for one snap in the first half after taking a big hit from a UNLV defender. Southwick was slow to get up, but he says he was fine.

The pressure forced Southwick to throw a deep ball earlier than he wanted. The ball was out of the reach of wide receiver Aaron Burks.

“I don’t know why (the referee) forced me to come out early,” Southwick said. “I was getting up. The guy came through and hit me pretty good. It was too bad — Burks was open.”

Sophomore backup quarterback Grant Hedrick replaced Southwick and completed a screen pass to Harper for 12 yards on third-and-6. That led to a field goal.

Hedrick, though, lost two fumbles in the game — one running the wildcat on the Broncos’ first drive and the other while scrambling with the second-team offense in the game in the fourth quarter. UNLV cornerback Kenneth Penny scooped up the latter fumble and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, spoiling the shutout.

SHORT-YARDAGE IMPROVEMENT

Boise State picked up its first fourth-down conversion of the season in the third quarter. Southwick tossed a 4-yard pass to wide receiver Kirby Moore on fourth-and-3 at the UNLV 27-yard line.

The Broncos were 0-for-7 in the first six games. They are now 1-for-10. The two failures in the UNLV game were a Hail Mary on the final play of the first half and a fourth-and-1 with the backups late in the game.

The Broncos also have struggled inside the 5-yard line this season. They scored Saturday on both plays in that situation — a 4-yard tackle-breaking run by tailback Jay Ajayi and a 1-yard run by tailback D.J. Harper.

“That was progress,” Petersen said. “I think Jay made a really good run. That’s a 2-yard run and he made some guys miss.”

QUICK HITS

Boise State’s single-game captains were offensive guard Spencer Gerke, defensive tackle Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, cornerback Josh Borgman and Moore. … Boise State won the coin toss and deferred. … UNLV starting safety Peni Vea and left tackle Brett Boyko did not play because of injuries. … Boise State tailback Drew Wright played for the first time since he was injured against BYU. … UNLV quarterback Nick Sherry was injured late in the game, but coach Bobby Hauck said he expects him to play next week.