The No. 6 Boise State football team pulled quite a mean Halloween trick on San Jose State.

One minute the Spartans were in the game.

The next minute, they weren't.

The Broncos scored two touchdowns in the final minute of the first half Saturday afternoon at Bronco Stadium and rolled to a 45-7 victory.

"It definitely turned the momentum in our favor tremendously," senior cornerback Kyle Wilson said. "Things started happening for the Broncos."

That's how it usually goes with this team.

Boise State scored the game's last 38 points - including four touchdowns in less than 7 minutes of game time, straddling halftime.

It was the fourth time this year the Broncos have scored at least 38 consecutive points and the seventh time they've scored at least 17 straight.

The Broncos are 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the WAC going into Friday's game at Louisiana Tech.

"We seem to go in spurts," coach Chris Petersen said. "That's kind of the team we are - we've always been that type of program, I don't know why. É We have a lot of tough, competitive type people and when they feel an opening, they take full advantage."

The Broncos sputtered a bit in the first half - particularly running the ball - and allowed the Spartans to batter quarterback Kellen Moore, who lost a fumble and appeared to get shaken up on a hard hit in the first quarter.

Still, they led 10-7 when the Spartans punted with 1:35 left in the first half.

"Certainly, we weren't executing as well as we should have," Moore said.

Moore, who threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, moved the Broncos right down the field in the 2-minute offense. He hit freshman Mitch Burroughs for an 18-yard touchdown with 44 seconds left.

The Spartans ran a play rather than take a knee on first-and-10 from their own 23-yard line. Backup nickel Jason Robinson stripped running back Lamon Muldrow and grabbed the fumble.

That gave the Broncos the ball on the Spartans' 22 with 35 seconds left. Four plays later, Moore pushed into the end zone on a 1-yard sneak with three seconds left.

That made it 24-7.

"We just lost our way with a minute left in the half and couldn't get it going again," San Jose State coach Dick Tomey said.

And the Broncos didn't let up.

Moore hit Austin Pettis on an 8-yard fade route for a touchdown on the Broncos' opening drive of the second half. Moments later, Wilson picked off Jordan La Secla's throw over the middle and scampered 27 yards for his first defensive touchdown.

The four-touchdown scoring binge lasted 6:18.

"We went in at halftime and knew we had to hop on this team quick coming out of the tunnel," Robinson said.

The key play came from Wilson, the All-American cornerback who entered the game with one pass breakup and no interceptions because he rarely gets tested.

The Broncos were in zone coverage but he recognized the play, attacked Spartans star wide receiver Kevin Jurovich and intercepted the pass.

"I knew it was coming. I went up there and challenged him," Wilson said. "It was a second-half adjustment that I made from talking to the coaches. I went up there and expected it and it happened."

From there, the guy who's also an All-American punt returner knew how to find the end zone.

"Not too many teams are going to try him," Robinson said of Wilson, "but when you do you better have your quarterback ready to make a tackle."

Wilson's return gave the Broncos a 38-7 lead and allowed Moore to sit out the fourth quarter for the first time in a month.

Moore probably needed the break. The Spartans hammered him several times - including one late, helmet-first hit to the midsection - and he appeared to be in pain in the first half. He wasn't as accurate as usual, but he still recorded his 21st straight game with a 60 percent completion rate and his sixth three-touchdown game of the season.

The Heisman Trophy candidate also scored the second rushing touchdown of his career.

"You get sore," Moore said, "but you've got to keep going with everything and not let it get to you too much."

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398