BOISE STATE FINISHES 14-0, STILL NO SHOT AT THE BIG TIME
The Broncos of Boise State won tonight's Fiesta Bowl over previously unbeaten TCU, 17-10. And like I told you this afternoon, coach Chris Peterson seems to call the perfect gadget play at just the right time. In the 4th quarter Peterson pulled the trigger. On a 4th & 9 at their own 31, punter Kyle Brotzman threw a 29-yard pass to backup TE Kyle Efaw good for 29-yards & a Bronco 1st down. Three completions by Kellen Moore took the ball to the two & RB Doug Martin flew over the top for the winning score with just over 7 minutes left. After a TCU three & out, Boise burned almost 5 minutes off the clock, punting with barely a minute on the clock. Two completions & a pass interference penalty on the Broncos brought the ball to Boise's 30-yardline. With 26-seconds on the clock, Boise State safety Winston Venable intercepted a carom & that was the ball game.
The game was vintage Boise State, no turnovers, stout defense & a timely trick play that turned the game. TCU averaged over 250 yards a game on the ground this season, they could only muster 36 yards tonight versus the swarming Bronco defense. Cornerback Brandyn Thompson intercepted TCU QB Andy Dalton twice, returning the first one for a 51-yard score. TCU never looked comfortable, Boise takes you out of your comfort zone, they certainly did it again tonight.
In the last 6 seasons, Boise State is 59-9 with 2 Fiesta Bowl victories. They became only the 2nd team to ever finish 14-0, the other being Ohio State in 2002. Yet, come bowl time, no one wants to play them & they are relegated to playing other non-BCS conference opponents. After the undermanned 2007 Boise State team beat Oklahoma in one of the most thrilling bowls ever, it became tough to schedule BCS conference opponents. Only Oregon stepped up to face the Broncos on a home & home. Boise won both. While Florida schedules Charleston Southern, the Citadel, Florida International etc. Non-BCS bid conference powerhouses have to step way up. Boise State, TCU & Utah have Notre Dame, Oregon State, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Pitt, Colorado & each other in an attempt to get a better shot at playing for the national championship. It's too bad these teams have to jump thru so many hoops just to cling to the hope they might get a title shot.
Boise State will lose 2 starters from this year's 14-0 team, so they could be very good again in 2010. They play Oregon State & Virginia Tech, both figure to be top-15 teams when they play the Broncos. I'm not totally crazy, I know that on paper, Boise, Utah & TCU aren't as good as Florida, Alabama, Texas & Oklahoma most seasons. The difference in athletic budgets is astronomical. But Boise has beaten OU, so has TCU. Utah smoked Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl on the way to an undefeated season & last year they shocked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. So they have proven they can beat the big boys in the few times they've been scheduled or paired in bowl games. With so many really bad bowl matchups, I think the public would rather see these 3 play Iowa, Ohio State, Florida & the like, not each other. In reality, a much better alternative would be a playoff. Yeah, like that's gonna happen.
The game was vintage Boise State, no turnovers, stout defense & a timely trick play that turned the game. TCU averaged over 250 yards a game on the ground this season, they could only muster 36 yards tonight versus the swarming Bronco defense. Cornerback Brandyn Thompson intercepted TCU QB Andy Dalton twice, returning the first one for a 51-yard score. TCU never looked comfortable, Boise takes you out of your comfort zone, they certainly did it again tonight.
In the last 6 seasons, Boise State is 59-9 with 2 Fiesta Bowl victories. They became only the 2nd team to ever finish 14-0, the other being Ohio State in 2002. Yet, come bowl time, no one wants to play them & they are relegated to playing other non-BCS conference opponents. After the undermanned 2007 Boise State team beat Oklahoma in one of the most thrilling bowls ever, it became tough to schedule BCS conference opponents. Only Oregon stepped up to face the Broncos on a home & home. Boise won both. While Florida schedules Charleston Southern, the Citadel, Florida International etc. Non-BCS bid conference powerhouses have to step way up. Boise State, TCU & Utah have Notre Dame, Oregon State, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Pitt, Colorado & each other in an attempt to get a better shot at playing for the national championship. It's too bad these teams have to jump thru so many hoops just to cling to the hope they might get a title shot.
Boise State will lose 2 starters from this year's 14-0 team, so they could be very good again in 2010. They play Oregon State & Virginia Tech, both figure to be top-15 teams when they play the Broncos. I'm not totally crazy, I know that on paper, Boise, Utah & TCU aren't as good as Florida, Alabama, Texas & Oklahoma most seasons. The difference in athletic budgets is astronomical. But Boise has beaten OU, so has TCU. Utah smoked Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl on the way to an undefeated season & last year they shocked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. So they have proven they can beat the big boys in the few times they've been scheduled or paired in bowl games. With so many really bad bowl matchups, I think the public would rather see these 3 play Iowa, Ohio State, Florida & the like, not each other. In reality, a much better alternative would be a playoff. Yeah, like that's gonna happen.
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