SAN DIEGO -- Boise State's Jeremy McNichols didn't take long to pass Alabama's Derrick Henry.

And just as quickly the Broncos ambushed Northern Illinois 55-7 in the Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday.

McNichols entered the game tied with Henry, the Heisman Trophy winner, for most touchdowns this season with 23 and passed him less than a minute after the opening kickoff with the first of his three first-quarter scores.

"I had a few people in the stands, so I wanted to play hard for them," McNichols said. "The other guys, the seniors, we wanted to play hard for them so they go out the right way."

Boise State raced to a 24-0 lead in the second quarter and coasted to the victory.

McNichols, a running back who now has 26 touchdowns, rushed for two scores and had a touchdown reception. He gained a combined 189 yards, rushing for 93 on 19 carries and collecting 96 on five receptions.

Boise State (9-4) raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and won for the sixth time in its last seven bowl games. The Huskies (8-6) lost their third straight game and fell to 0-3 in Poinsettia Bowl games.

Wide receiver Chaz Anderson caught a 16-yard pass from freshman quarterback Brett Rypien in the final minute of the first half to Give the Broncos a 31-7 advantage.

"Give credit to Boise State," Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey said. "They made all the plays and they were the more physical team. When you can control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, it makes for a good day for them. It wasn't a good performance for us."

Rypien completed 29 of 40 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted once.

"He did an amazing job," McNichols said. "He took control of the offense for us. He prepared in the film room and gave us everything he had. He did great."

Northern Illinois quarterback Ryan Graham returned to the lineup and was 7 of 21 for 38 yards.

Boise State linebacker Tyler Gray recovered two of Northern Illinois' three first-half fumbles as the Huskies were limited to 36 yards in the opening 30 minutes.

"Sometimes the ball just rolls your way, and that helped me today to be in the right place a couple of times," Gray said. "I think tonight you saw how well we really can play. We played great all season, but tonight showed how good we can be. We made a lot of great plays on both sides of the ball, and it shows how well we can play as a team."

Overall, Boise State outgained Northern Illinois 654 yards to 33 yards.

"Their defense was rock-solid," Northern Illinois center Andrew Ness said. "But we played our worst game when we wanted to play our best."

Boise State wasted little time seizing the lead.

McNichols scored his first touchdown, a 29-yard scoring run up the middle, less than a minute into the game.

The Broncos extended their lead to 14-0 when converting Northern Illinois' first turnover. Gray recovered Graham's fumble, with Boise State taking possession at its 33-yard line. Seven plays later, Rypien hit McNichols with a 4-yard scoring pass for a 14-0 cushion.

Boise State scored its third first-quarter touchdown, the most ever in a Poinsettia Bowl, when McNichols rushed over from the 1 for a 21-0 edge.

Tyler Rausa's 20-yard field goal early in the second quarter pushed the Broncos' bulge to 24-0 after the Huskies' second fumble.

Aregeros Turner pulled the Huskies within 24-7 when he returned a kickoff for a Poinsettia Bowl-record 96 yards and a touchdown. For Turner, the MAC special teams player of the year, it was his second scoring kick return of the season.

But McNichols is already thinking about next season.

"This is great for us going into the future," he said. "Coming off a win, we're going to have a big offseason."

NOTES: It was the first meeting between the teams. ... Boise State landed six players on the All-Mountain West team. ... Broncos RB Jeremy McNichols' touchdown 58 seconds after kickoff was the fastest score in Boise State bowl history. ... The Broncos' 55 points were a Poinsettia Bowl best. ... Aregeros Turner's 96-yard kickoff return was Northern Illinois' first for a touchdown in a bowl game.