The beauty of the Western Athletic Conference is not lost on Boise State. The Broncos clinched the WAC title with a perfect 8-0 record and then followed that up with a perfect 12-0 regular season, posting win after win against weak, sometimes pathetic opponents.
The Broncos played only two noteworthy teams all season: Oregon (whom they barely beat 37-32) and the underdog Fresno State Bulldogs (whom they slaughtered 61-10 in their regular-season finale, proving that the Bulldogs they were more barking than biting). ).
Boise State entered the Poinsettia Bowl (12-23-08) ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll to face the No. 11-ranked Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, yes, those Horned Frogs. The result was predictable, if not laughable. TCU won 17-16, ruining Boise State’s perfect season.
TCU trailed 13-10 midway through the 4th quarter when Joseph Turner scored on a 17-yard run to put TCU up 17-13. Boise State then had to settle for a field goal and lost 17-16. End of story. TCU’s comeback victory was not as close as the score would indicate.
TCU outperformed Boise State in nearly every critical category: first downs (28-15), third-down efficiency (9-of-18-3-11), rushing yards (275-28), and total yards (472-250). Boise State out-passed TCU by just 25 yards (222-197). In the end, TCU’s defense held and Boise State’s did not.
“They had better athletes than ever,” Boise State running back Ian Johnson said. “They played with so much heart. You didn’t look there once and say, ‘We broke them. They knew they were coming back and they believed in themselves the whole time.”
So what happened to make Boise State’s dream of a second 13-0 season in three years fade?
Just this: Boise State played a tough opponent, Oregon, to get to 12-0. TCU played two even tougher opponents, Oklahoma and Utah, losing to both to go to 10-2 in the regular season.
Horned Frog’s quick and aggressive defense closed the door on the Broncos. Boise State entered the Poinsettia Bowl averaging 39 points and 456 yards per game, mostly against weak opponents, and went away scoring 16 points and gaining 250 yards.
Boise State finished its season going 12-1 while TCU was 11-2.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley