2007 Fiesta Bowl
The Boise State Broncos, who returned more starters from 2005 than any other team in NCAA Division I-A football,[3] began the year with high hopes; according to one major source, anything less than a BCS Bowl berth would have been a disappointment.
[4] First-year head coach Chris Petersen led this perennially strong BCS non-AQ conference school to an undefeated 12–0 record.
Oklahoma fell behind 14–0 early in the first quarter after a costly fumble deep in their own territory by quarterback Paul Thompson, which led to an Ian Johnson touchdown run two plays later.
Wide receiver Quentin Chaney caught a tipped 5 yard TD pass from quarterback Paul Thompson with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter, bringing the Sooners to within two points at 28–26 Boise State.
In a sign of the wildness to come, Oklahoma would require three attempts to complete the two-point conversion: After the ensuing kickoff on the next play from scrimmage, Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky was intercepted by Marcus Walker, who returned it 34 yards for a touchdown.
The loser of the toss is left to choose the end of the field—usually the one with the largest proportion of their own team's fans so as to increase the crowd noise while their opponents are on offense.
On Boise State's drive, the Broncos came down to 4th and 2 on the Sooners' 5 yard line and decided to run their second trick play, a wide receiver rollout option from a variant of the Wildcat offense.
Instead of kicking the extra-point to tie the game and send it into a second overtime, Broncos coach Chris Petersen risked defeat to go for the two-point conversion to win.
During a postgame interview with FOX Sports on-field analyst Chris Myers, Johnson got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, Boise State head cheerleader Chrissy Popadics, on live TV.
According to Ian Johnson, he received about 30 threatening letters which he handed over to the FBI, from people who objected to his nationally televised interracial marriage proposal at the end of the game.
[9] Boise State finished their season with a perfect 13–0 record, spurring controversy as to whether teams from BCS non-AQ conferences should have an opportunity to play for a national title.
Most of the Boise State players and officials that were asked about it in the immediate aftermath of the game downplayed the controversy and claimed they were just happy to participate in the BCS bowls.
The Broncos ultimately received one first-place vote in the final AP poll of the season, released after the National Championship game.
[11][12] ESPN columnist Pat Forde had this to say:[12] The Valley of the Stun was the stage as an indomitable bunch of dreamers in orange pants landed the mightiest populist blow of college football's modern era.
They knocked off a gridiron giant one decade to the day after the burial of Pokey Allen, the beloved Boise coach who brought the program up to Division I-A status just 11 years ago.Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated:[13] How do you sum up one of the most remarkable endings any of us will ever be fortunate enough to see?
Like it or not, Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 just became the single biggest argument to date for a college football playoff....Not only did they get in the game, they made a major statement on behalf of their mid-major brethren that none of us will soon forget.Arash Markazi, also of Sports Illustrated, who covered the Broncos throughout their stay in Arizona:[14] When it was over, even Hollywood couldn't have scripted a more dramatic ending.
It's one thing for a Cinderella team to upset a heavily favored opponent, but c'mon, this was ridiculous....Boise State's mind-numbing 43–42 victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday night had everything and will go down as one of [the] best games in college football history.
You thought it would never end, but it did, with one of the most gutsy calls and remarkable plays in the history of college football.Pete Thamel of The New York Times:[16] ...[A] hook-and-lateral, a Statue of Liberty play and a halfback toss launched the Boise State football team to an upset that will long resonate in college football lore....Johnson's proposal capped a dizzying, riveting, back-and-forth game that will be remembered as one of the most exciting in college football history.It has been reported that the Boise State University Athletic Department is selling the rights for a major motion picture about the Broncos 2006 season.
[17] Broncos quarterback Jared Zabransky is featured on the cover of the 2008 edition of EA Sports popular NCAA Football video game.
