Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Was yesterday’s 2007 Fiesta Bowl the best college football game ever? Had to be close. Undefeated Boise State (13-0) was the underdog to Oklahoma (11-3) in this Glendale, Arizona game.
After Boise State built a 28-10 lead in the third quarter, the Sooners ran off 25 unanswered points. With 1:02 left in the game, Oklahoma was leading 35-28. Then Boise State’s trick plays began. A stunning 50-yard-hook-and-ladder touchdown pass with seven seconds left forced overtime. (The Sooners and the Broncos combined for 22 points in the final 86 seconds of regulation.)
Down 35-42 in overtime, Boise State scored a touchdown to match Oklahoma’s on a fourth-down pass from a wide receiver.
And then? They ran the Statue of Liberty play for a two-point conversion, blowing everyone’s mind and giving them the win. Oh yeah, and then there was the marriage proposal by a Boise State running back to his girlfriend, a Broncos cheerleader.
Read the articles about the game at ESPN and USA Today. And the entry at Wikipedia. And there are quite a few videos of the game at YouTube already.
I think Boise State ought to have a chance to play for the national championship. But it will be the Ohio State Buckeyes playing the Florida Gators for the BCS national championship on January 8. Why can’t we have a BCS playoff system, like a mini version of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament?