BOISE, Idaho — Boise State quarterback Joe Southwick said he was unfairly dismissed from the Hawaii Bowl, arguing he was falsely accused of urinating from a hotel balcony.

Southwick, a senior who was sent home Friday by the interim head coach Bob Gregory shortly after the Broncos got to Hawaii, took a polygraph test after arriving in Boise in a bid to prove his innocence, the Boise television station KTVB reported Sunday.

Initially, Southwick and the backup quarterback Nick Patti were suspended for violating team rules, with Boise State not providing details. Eventually, Patti was reinstated, but Southwick was taken to an airport where he says he waited nine hours before his flight.

The Hawaii Bowl, on Tuesday night, matches Boise State against Oregon State.

The episode — and Southwick’s denial of involvement — represents a challenge for a program that was already in transition: Coach Chris Petersen quit and took a job at the University of Washington earlier this month following an 8-4 season, his worst since taking over in 2006. Brian Harsin, the former head coach at Arkansas State, has been hired to replace Petersen.