Tuesday, January 02, 2007


Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42! I have never seen a football game with as incredible a finish as last night's Fiesta Bowl. If the game is replayed on ESPN Classic or somewhere on the internet, you only need to catch the last 3 minutes or so of regulation, the overtime and the post-game. Oklahoma trails Boise State by 8 points late in the game and finally scores a touchdown with a minute and half left and now needs a 2-point conversion. Well, it took 3 tries- pass interference on Boise, followed by illegal shift on the Sooners - for the Sooners to convert. Game tried- Boise gets the ball. Boise QB Zabransky throws an awful pass which is intercepted by Sooner Marcus Walker, who returns it for a TD! Looks like Boise's Cinderella run is over! Now with a minute and two clicks left on the clock Boise trails by 7 points. Boise ends up at mid-field with a fourth down and long (I believe it was 4th and 13) and Zabransky completes a pass for about 15 yards and then the reciever does the old "hook-and-ladder" (shades of the great Dolphins-Chargers playoff game of 20 plus years ago) with the runner going 35 yards to try the game with :07 left in regulation. Overtime!! Boise wins the coin toss and elects to go on defense. Sooners score a TD in one play with an Adrian Peterson run. Now, Boise needs a touchdown and extra point to tie it. Boise scores a TD and so, of course Boise will kick the extra point to tie it and take it to double overtime. But no, Boise decides to win or lose the game right here!! I'm thinking, I know I'm tried but Boise State can't be that stupid (Nebraska fans being hit with deja vu) - just kick the extra point and go into double overtime. Boise sets up for the two-point conversion and runs the old "statue of liberty" play to perfection with a pump fake to the 3 receivers and the right side of the field and then Zabransky hands the ball behind his back to Ian Johnson who rambles into the end zone untouched and tosses the football to the Broncos faithful in the stands. But as if scoring the winning points were not enough for Ian Johnson, in the post-game interview on national TV, Johnson is beong interviewed with a Boise State cheerleader holding on to him for dear life. It turns out the cheerleader is the Boise State head cheerleader and Johnson's girlfriend. So what does Johnson do, he proposes!!! Sound more like a WWF script than a sporting event, but what a way to start the 2007 sports year!!!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So much space dedicated to this story and no space dedicated to the Badgers' win at the Capitol One Bowl!! For shame! May Ron Dayne lead the Badgers to many more wins. On Wisconsin!

UIC Badger