BOISE, Idaho — During the offseason, Boise State cornerback Brandyn Thompson spent nine months trying to shake the images of Hawai'i receivers running away from him in last season's showdown at Aloha Stadium.

Last night at Bronco Stadium, Thompson created some separation of his own with a memorable performance against the Warriors.

The sophomore led the Broncos' stout defensive effort with three interceptions, becoming the first Boise State player to pick off three passes since Cory Hall did it against Oregon State in 2004.

"I definitely had this game circled on my calendar," said Thompson, who was forced into more action as a freshman against Hawai'i as the Broncos cobbled together a secondary after suffering multiple injuries.

"It was the most playing time I had seen all season, and I was young and inexperienced and Hawai'i took advantage of me."

In last year's game, C.J. Hawthorne burned Thompson on a deep pattern late in the third quarter to push the Warriors' lead to an insurmountable 12 points. Thompson thoroughly buried that game last night and proved why he belongs as a starter on the WAC's runaway leader in scoring defense.

Before last night's game, Thompson continued his ritual of writing something on his eye black stickers to inspire his game. This week's two-word phrase: "Play Maker."

"I have a motto that says, 'If you make a bad play, you've got to make it up with a good one,' " Thompson said. "Tonight I had more good ones than bad ones."

The entire Boise State defense was having an especially good game, feasting on Hawai'i quarterback Inoke Funaki's school-record five interceptions as he spent the entire game throwing on the run to avoid pressure.

"On third downs, we wanted to put pressure on them and see if we could make something happen," Boise State safety Jeron Johnson said. "That was our game plan, and it worked."

Long known for its gaudy offensive outputs, Boise State is gaining a reputation for its stingy defense. The Broncos held Hawai'i to 288 yards (56 on the ground, 232 through the air), which was just shy of being half of last year's 574 yards the Warriors amassed on Boise State.

It was also the fifth time in six games that Boise State's defense had allowed no more than one score.

"If we can hold everyone to just seven points each game, that would take a lot of stress off of everyone." Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. "Football is a game of confidence, and we've got a lot of guys out there who are gaining confidence each week that they can make plays for us on defense."

The Boise State defense is quietly joining Thompson in collectively burying a poor finish on defense last season. Meanwhile, the stress for offensive coordinators around the WAC is mounting.