Boise State Upsets Oklahoma in OT at Fiesta Bowl

Glendale, AZ

Boise State proved it belonged in the BCS after an improbable victory over the Oklahoma Sooners Monday night in the 36th annual Fiesta Bowl.

The ninth-ranked Broncos completed a perfect 13-0 season after their 43-42 overtime win to raise another question: does the mid-major from the WAC deserve a chance to play for the national championship?

Many people didn’t give Boise State a chance in what seemed to be an unfair matchup: the winningest team in Division 1-A college football history against an uprising small conference team. But the match up didn’t intimidate Boise State.

“Football is not about size and strength, it’s about heart and desire,” starting running back Ian Johnson said. “Just because you don’t look like a football player doesn’t mean you can’t be a great football player.”

The game proved to be tough and physical with many momentum swings and several lead changes down the stretch.

The Broncos stunned Oklahoma by jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the early going. Boise State showed that they were able to play with the big boys.

Boise State continued to wear down the Sooners by forcing turnovers and capitalizing them on offense.

Boise State looked to have a comfortable 28-10 lead midway through the third quarter when a punt from Oklahoma hit off of a Bronco blocker.

Oklahoma recovered the fumble and had great field position inside the Boise State 20 yard line. The drive ended when Adrian Peterson scored on a 10-yard run to cut the Oklahoma deficit to 28-17.

The Sooners rally culminated when Paul Thompson threw a 5-yard strike to Quentin Chaney with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. After multiple penalties on their two-point conversions, Oklahoma finally converted when Thompson found Jaquin Iglesias in the back of the endzone.

Moments later, Bronco quarterback Jared Zabransky appeared to throw away Boise State’s chances of victory when he was intercepted by Marcus Walker, who returned the interception 33 yards for a touchdown with 1:02 remaining.

With a final chance to score on a fourth-and-18 from midfield, Zabransky hit Drisan James over the middle, and James lateralled the ball to Jerard Rabb who raced into the endzone. The touchdown tied the score with seven seconds to go, forcing overtime.

In overtime, Boise State won the toss and deferred. Oklahoma scored on its first play when Adrian Peterson scored on a 25-yard run.

The Broncos struggled to reach a first down on their drive, but eventually converted on fourth-and-two from the six-yard line for a touchdown.

The final outcome of the game was in Boise State head coach Chris Peterson’s hands when he elected to go for the win. With three receivers split out to the right, Zabransky pumped right and handed the ball back to Johnson, who trotted into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown.

To add to the drama, Johnson proposed to his girlfriend, Broncos cheerleader Chrissy Popadics.

Jared Zabransky was named offensive player of the game, while Boise States Marty Tadman earned defensive player honors for his two interceptions.



-Nicolas O'Connor