RUSTON, La. - Boise State football coach Chris Petersen told his team all week to expect a dogfight Friday night at Louisiana Tech.

When the Bulldogs rallied within two points in the fourth quarter, the No. 5 Broncos became believers.

They also embraced the fight.

The Broncos defense produced back-to-back stops and the offense scored two straight touchdowns as they pulled away for a 45-35 victory.

"Everyone was still calm," said junior wide receiver Austin Pettis, who made a critical touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. "You can just see on the sideline, the confidence. You see smiles. You'd think we were already done playing the game. It's just knowing that we're going to come and make plays and that's exactly what we did."

The Broncos improved to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the WAC and earned their school-record 11th straight road win. They play three of their final four games at home, beginning Nov. 14 against Idaho.

But for the fifth time this season - including all four of their national TV games - the Broncos left the field trying to explain why they didn't win by more.

The Broncos kicked three red-zone field goals, missed two field goals and punted after failing on two third-and-1s near midfield. They reached Bulldogs territory on every possession but one, when they punted from their own 49.

They also made two special-teams miscues that set up 14 points for the Bulldogs (3-6, 2-4), who suffered their first home loss.

The Broncos topped their season average with 45 points but probably should have scored 60 or more. Red-zone breakdowns have haunted the Broncos since the first drive of the season.

"When you don't run the ball like you need to, it's going to show up," Petersen said. "I don't think we ran the ball well enough down there. We'll go to work and make that an emphasis. We've got to get better there without a doubt."

The night's biggest mistake came from the Broncos' most reliable player - and it turned what looked like a blowout into the dogfight Petersen anticipated.

Quarterback Kellen Moore, pressured by bull-rushing defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith, tried to throw the ball away - a 30-yard throw to the Louisiana Tech sideline. He didn't get it there and Josh Victorian intercepted the pass, dashing 75 yards for a touchdown.

The pick six occurred while the Broncos were driving on the first possession of the second half. It cut the lead to 27-14.

"Throwing that stupid pick, that really gained some momentum for them and gave them quick points and I think that certainly kept them in the game," Moore said.

The pick was Moore's third all season - and his first in a month.

"That's a ball that should not have been thrown," Petersen said. "Hey, Kellen's human, too."

The play energized the Bulldogs, who didn't get a first down on any of their final seven possessions in the first half. They drove 73 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the third quarter, recovered a surprise onside kick and drove 59 yards for another touchdown. That made it 30-28 with 14:07 left in the game.

"We heard that all week - that we were going to be in a dogfight," defensive end Ryan Winterswyk said. "We started believing it then."

Kyle Brotzman missed a field goal on the Broncos' ensuing possession, but the defense forced a three-and-out. Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley opted to punt on fourth-and-1 from his own 29.

"I didn't think (going for it) was the smart thing to do, being down two points," Dooley said.

Moore made him pay for that decision. He hit tight end Kyle Efaw for 40 yards and turned to his favorite red-zone target for the critical touchdown. Pettis lined up wide left and ran a skinny post.

The Broncos used that route to score touchdowns at least three times earlier this season - usually with Moore throwing low to protect the ball. Defenses adjusted by dropping a linebacker into coverage, so this week Moore threw the ball high and let Pettis use his leaping ability to beat the defender.

The 12-yard TD was Pettis' 10th of the year - and it gave him a TD catch in every game this season.

"They played it pretty well, except Austin is a basketball player down there," Moore said. "You give him a high ball and let him go jump and get it."

The Broncos tacked on a 44-yard TD run by Jeremy Avery, who rushed for 146 yards, for a 45-28 lead. The Bulldogs scored a late TD set up by a long kickoff return.