LAS VEGAS — Boise State will have to live forever with the big one that got away. Finishing the season looking like one of the best teams in the nation will at least help ease some of the short-term pain of what might have been.

Flat at first in a game they didn’t seem to want to be in, the 10th-ranked Broncos were dominant the rest of the way Wednesday night in dismantling No. 20 Utah 26-3.

It wasn’t the Rose Bowl, not even close. But Boise State has won every game but one over the past two years by taking care of business when it had to, and the MAACO Bowl was no exception.

“We had hoped it would end like this because Utah’s a great team,” Boise State coach Chris Petersen said.

Utah didn’t look all that good on a damp night in this gambling city, but that may not have been the Utes’ fault. Boise State simply dominated on defense and wasn’t about to let Utah back into the game after its offense finally came to life.

Once Doug Martin raced 84 yards up the middle to give Boise State the lead for good in the second quarter, the MAACO Bowl didn’t seem so bad after all.

“It was a startup for our team,” Martin said. “A momentum changer.”

Boise State came out flat and seemed disinterested. Kellen Moore fumbled on the third play of the game and the Broncos turned the ball over three times and were trailing 3-0 before Martin finally scampered up the middle and then headed down the left sideline for the score on the first play from scrimmage following a Utah punt.