Posted on 01/01/2007 10:15:32 PM PST by Jeff Head
Boise State wins 2007 Fiesta Bowl in OT against Big 12 Champs, Oklahoma.
Amazing 4th and 18 touchdown from the fifty with a flea flicker with 7 seconds left. Amazing 4th down touchdown in OT followed by another amazing 2 point conversion to win against a very resilant and strong OU team which came back from 18 points down and took the lead with a minute and 6 minutes left in regulation.
One of the most exciting and amazing College football games I have seen, next to the Miracle Bowl when BYU beat SMU 41 to 40 by scoring three touchdowns in the last three minuts 25 years ago.
How 'bout them Broncos!
The best game ever!
One thing is for sure...you did not have to be a BSU fan to appreciate that performance and the overall game. In the end, despite various mistakes, both teams played their hearts out.
They will be worth having.
Thought I'd hit the entire ping list on this one...what a game that was!
I'd add "The Miracle in Miami" to the list. People forget how great a game it was, aside from Flutie's "Hail Mary" pass.
I hate missing endings like this! I tuned out when OU was 18 back.
Now, we're going to have 2 undefeated teams that didn't play each other and, thanks to the stupidity of the pollsters, couldn't.
Sorry you missed the ending...it's not like watching it, but here's the best narrative I have found of the ending, from when the Sooners were 18 points down on:
After continuing to take advantage of a meltdown by Oklahoma quarterback Paul Thompson, the Broncos claimed a 28-10 third-quarter lead. The screaming irony from the first three quarters of play was that Thompson played with the same paralyzed look that Boise's Jared Zabransky displayed in a nightmarish performance at Georgia in 2005. Zabransky--the MVP of this Fiesta Bowl--saw a psychologist this past spring to address anxiety problems that hampered his performance in 2005. The Georgia loss--in which Zabransky threw four picks--represented the low point in the Boise quarterback's year. As the Broncos amassed their 18-point bulge, Zabransky watched as an opposing quarterback drowned in mistakes. This instance of role reversal created an even more compelling Fiesta Bowl narrative.
Then, just when the Broncos seemed poised to run away and hide, a sick joke from the football gods stunned the little guy against the big-name program from Norman.
Five minutes and 31 seconds remained in the third quarter. Oklahoma chose to punt on fourth down, an act of resignation as much as anything else. A beaten Sooner team and its thunderstruck coach, Bob Stoops, seemed to be throwing in the towel. It was at this moment that the 2007 Fiesta Bowl began to assume mythical proportions as a game that would break all the rules and defy all the odds.
Precisely when Stoops and Oklahoma were conceding yet another possession, the ensuing Sooner punt hit a Boise State blocker. The Sooners recovered the loose ball, pounded the ball into the end zone, and closed the gap to 28-17. And even while Boise State's physical and imposing defense continued to stuff Oklahoma's rushing attack, the Sooners did manage to tack on a field goal and creep within eight points as the fourth quarter began. The moment had to be humorous for seasoned observers of football: Stoops, an undeniably great coach, had a horrible night as a decision maker; yet, his worst decision of the night turned out to provide him with the best results. Once again, it seemed as though Goliath was finally beginning to wear down David, only in a more dramatic way with the clock ticking down. The noose got tighter for everyone involved in this increasingly intriguing affair. Midway through the fourth quarter, Stoops would eschew another fourth-down near midfield, as he chose to punt the ball to Boise State once again. When the Sooners foolishly used up their timeouts just before the four-minute mark of regulation, the Oklahoma outlook darkened considerably. The dramatic tension inside the domed stadium grew exponentially.
And then things got really interesting.
Oklahoma earned one final possession with the football, and the Sooners marched downfield to score a touchdown inside the two-minute mark, with Thompson finally steadying himself and acting like the superb signal caller he had been for the duration of the 2006 season. But with OU out of timeouts and down by two points, it seemed that Stoops' poor game management decisions would finally catch up with him. This was made even more likely when an illegal shift penalty forced the Sooners to attempt their game-tying two-point try from the Boise State 7. That penalty came on a play when Oklahoma thought it had converted the tying two-pointer on a fade pass. And thatfade pass came one play after Boise State had seemingly won the game by denying OU's firsttwo-point try, only to find that defensive pass interference was called on a Boise State cornerback. The call was questionable, given that the ball seemed uncatchable (a recurring theme on the night as far as pass interference penalties were concerned). Moreover, the Boise defender seemed to be doing nothing more than playing patty-cake with Sooner receiver Quentin Chaney. The flag--being dubious and somewhat late--was reminiscent of the questionable flag thrown against Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. It only added to the drama that was unfolding in the Desert.
All told, the ball was snapped on three separate two-point attempts. And on OU's third try from the BSU 7--after one penalty against each team--Thompson found a receiver in the middle of the end zone to tie the game at 28 with 1:26 remaining. OU--down big at one point, outcoached all night long, and turnover-plagued for most of the proceedings--had somehow staved off defeat for the moment. The Sooners survived a host of miscues, deficient line play, an injury to star receiver Malcolm Kelly, and Boise's excellence to dig out of the 18-point ditch they faced a quarter earlier. By enduring three two-point conversion attempts, Oklahoma produced three unbearable stomach-punch reactions that toyed with the emotions of everyone who had a strong emotional investment in this game. This story--a rollicking epic novel of a football fight--just kept getting better and better... though it didn't seem humanly possible that it could.
The narratives just kept getting more poignant.
Right after Oklahoma finally tied things up in the dying minutes, escaping near-certain death in a Houdini act of extraordinary proportions, Jared Zabransky--so much of a rock all night long--suddenly crumbled in one devastating and achingly brief moment. Out of the blue, Boise's brilliant quarterback threw a pick-six to Oklahoma's Marcus Walker with 1:02 left to give the Sooners a 35-28 lead.
After a virtually perfect night under center in a performance that destroyed all his career demons, Zabransky--with just one errant flick of his wrist--had seemingly doomed the team he led to the brink of gridiron glory. The power of the moment was undeniable; so, too, was the sense that the little guy's run was done. The fatal, final error had been committed. The armor had cracked. The big mistake was made. The heavyweight favorite had broken the will of the upstart that had proved its worth... but would not have a victory to show for it. The little guy belonged on the big stage, but after Oklahoma took the lead on that stunning interception return, it was the Sooners who seemed ready to stand on the victory stage. The narrative--at this point--was enough to make Broncos-Sooners a great college football game and a well-above-average BCS bowl that was far better than anyone could have hoped for.
The best, improbably but undeniably, was yet to come. (Are you beginning to sense how special this game was as you review it in your mind? If a friend of yours didn't see it, make sure a tape gets to his VCR.)
With Boise State facing a 4th and 18 at midfield with under 20 seconds left, a dream was about to die after coming oh-so-close to reality. At least, that's what happens in 99.9 percent of all college football games that have ever been played in human history. On this night, one great game evoked the memory of another great game, as Boise State-Oklahoma--in a brief but astonishing sequence--turned into Chargers-Dolphins from the 1981 NFL playoffs. No, it wasn't Don Strock to Duriel Harris to Tony Nathan, but it sure felt like it. Zabransky threw for 15 yards to Drisan James, who--while cutting to his right and exploding toward the middle of the field--lateraled to Jerard Rabb, who was sprinting toward the left sideline while shellshocked Sooner defenders were wrong-footed in their pursuit of James. Rabb's sprint ended in triumph, as he dove inside the pylon (much as James, his fellow receiver, had done at the end of the first half of play) to score a touchdown with seven seconds remaining. Anthony Montgomery's extra point sent this game into overtime. With perfect execution on a play few teams dare to attempt, the Broncos--perfectly drilled by Petersen, their coach--had done the unthinkable: no, not winning, but tying a game on a hook-and-lateral after being counted out just seconds earlier.
After a madcap finish to regulation time, it didn't seem possible that anything could surprise anyone who was watching this game, in person or on television. But as this game continued to prove until its very last moments and beyond, each turn of events was a surprise unto itself.
The end to this game came quickly, but not in a way anyone ever could have imagined. After Adrian Peterson scored a touchdown on Oklahoma's first and only play of overtime to give the Sooners a 42-35 lead, the Broncos--with their backs to the wall--would use two more incredibly creative plays to win a game that had been within their grasp several times before.
On a 4th and 3 from the OU 6, Petersen--who now owns the town of Boise the way few men could ever own any municipality, anywhere and anytime--ordered up a halfback pass from receiver Vinny Perretta to tight end Derek Schouman. It scored a touchdown to bring the Broncos within a point. Then, instead of following conventional wisdom, Petersen decided to go for two and end the game--win or lose--on one play from the three-yard line. After showing one look to OU's defense, Stoops responded by calling timeout for Oklahoma.
No problem for the Boise State head coach.
Petersen used a different formation, confident in the knowledge that the Sooners wouldn't be ready for the next best offering from his bottomless bag of tricks. Sure enough, they weren't.
Zabransky--who went from the brink of victory to the brink of defeat to overtime and back to the brink of defeat--executed a Statue of Liberty play, and star running back Ian Johnson strolled into the left side of the end zone for the winning--yes, winning--two-point conversion. Had the Sooners won, justice would have been served in the sense that Oklahoma would have profited from favorable officiating after a year of suffering the worst and most outrageous calls imaginable. But in an even stronger sense, Boise State's win was the fairest outcome of them all. The effort, physicality, resilience, perseverance, creativity and fearlessness of the boys from Boise deserved to be rewarded with a landscape-changing, small conference-affirming, playoff-validating moment in the history of college football. The fact that the little guy beat the brand name made an astonishing sporting event that much more satisfying and significant.
And when the game was over, there was still one more moment that added to the superabundant spectacle in the suburbs of Phoenix. Ian Johnson, scorer of the game-winning two-point conversion, gained a victory even bigger than the football conquest he had just
I do wish they would have had that type of shot either way, but what they did in Tempe (and it was one of the greatest college games of all time) will just have to suffice for now.
I thought of you while I was watching, Jeff. I figured you'd be a fan (great powers of deduction on my part, hey?).
Jeff, except for the championship game---and that, infrequently---I don't watch college football. But I did read about the Boise State team. Quite amazing. Wonder, on a neutral field, how they'd do against OSU?
Me too.
I'm hopeful ESPN Classic will rerun it soon as an instant classic.
My son and I watched the game together, although it was WAY past my bedtime.
Incredible game, although everyone else has already made that observation.
I thought Boise State was crazy to go for two points in overtime.
And then it frickin' worked!! I have not seen the Statue of Liberty play since I played high school football, and it rarely worked.
Congrats to BSU for having the guts to risk it all on that play. And then the Ian Johnson proposal was the frosting on the cake.
The whole thing was just awesome.
Reminds me of the national championship game with Nebraska and Miami one year, where Nebraska ran the "fumble-rooski," where the QB put the ball on the ground and rolled out, and the guard, I think, picked it up and ran it in. Truly an incredible play.
See my post 107 for a great narrative of the last part of the game, from when OU overcame an 18 point deficit to take the lead, only to have the incredible come back from BSU after that to tie it and then win in overtime.
Thanks for the recap! I saw the hook and lateral and the statue of liberty play on ESPN this morning. I've never seen a team pull off two gadget plays to win a tight game like that.
Thanks for the ping, only got to see parts of the game, and missed the ending because of some visits I had to make, but BSU has been laboring for a number of years under the same BCS BS, that BYU, UT, and a host of other major college teams have been struggling with. I'm in hopes of a system devoid of BCS, and more on the order of bowl game assignments based on real world results. BSU should have been playing U NO WHO, NO ? ABOUT IT.
BYU Grad
It was awesome. Like the Flutie win some years back against Miami (I believe) with that Hail Mary pass, or the BYU "Miracle Bowl" in the 1980 Holiday bowl. Not too many college games come along with the excitment and caliber of that game...well worth getting the video whenever it comes out.
I think it would be an exciting game if BSU played like they did against OU.
Congrats to Boise State! I don't watch a lot of football, but sure glad I saw that one. What a game!! If any team EVER deserved to win a game, BSU did. College football at it's absolute, edge-of-your-seat best!
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