2007 Hawaii Bowl

This sixth edition of the Hawaii Bowl, sponsored by Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on December 23, 2007.

The game was the final competition of the 2007 football season for each team and resulted in a 41–38 East Carolina victory, even though sportsbooks favored Boise State to win by 10+1⁄2 points.

[2] Many experts believed East Carolina to be big underdogs to Boise State,[5][6] which had defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

The game remained tied until the final moments as East Carolina's Ben Hartman made a 34–yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

[11][12] The only previous time that Hawaiʻi failed to make an appearance was in 2005, when the Warriors finished their season with a 5–7 record and were not eligible for a bowl game.

[14] Boise State was undefeated in conference play going into the final game of the regular season, and suffered just one out-of-conference loss.

A loss to Marshall University in that second-to-last game, however, put ECU into second place in its division, and thus out of competition for the Conference USA Championship.

[19] After winning against conference foe Tulane in the final game of the season, the Pirates decided to travel to the Hawaiʻi Bowl.

[18] On December 1, 2007, Hawaiʻi Bowl representatives announced East Carolina and Boise State as the competitors in the 2007 edition of the game.

[21] Two weeks after the announcement, Boise State's top wide receiver Jeremy Childs, cornerback Keith McGowen, and linebacker Ben Chandler were declared out for the game after violating team rules.

[22] In an online contest held by ESPN.com in the weeks leading up to the game, 98% of the participants voted that Boise State would beat East Carolina.

Senior quarterback Taylor Tharp led the offense by more than 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns, headed into the 2007 Hawaiiʻ Bowl.

[19] On the ground, the Broncos were led by junior running back Ian Johnson, who had 17 touchdowns and 1,030 yards in the regular season.

[31] Boise State faced the nation's top all-purpose yards leader, All-American Chris Johnson.

Johnson racked up an average of 212.67 all-purpose yards per game during the 2007 season, making him a potent threat on offense.

For the officiating crew, the referee was Terry Leyden, umpire was Kevin Matthews, and the linesman was Bob Bahne.

[37] East Carolina kicked the ball to Boise State's Austin Smith and he returned the kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown.

[37] ECU began the second quarter on Boise's 30–yard line, and quarterback Patrick Pinkney continued the Pirates' drive with a 14–yard rush.

[38] The Broncos' first drive of the second quarter was halted after a holding penalty and an incomplete pass denied BSU a chance for a first down.

Pirates' defender Jay Ross recovered the fumble, and ECU had another chance on offense before the end of the first half.

Two quick plays later, Boise quarterback Taylor Tharp completed a pass to Jeremy Avery for a touchdown, cutting East Carolina's lead to 17 points, 38–21.

BSU kicker Kyle Brotzman, converted a 31-yard field goal and the Broncos shrank the ECU lead further.

Pinkney threw an incomplete pass to start the drive, and after two more plays failed to convert the first down, ECU was forced to punt the ball away.

Three plays later, however, the Broncos' Titus Young fumbled the ball for the second time in the game, and as before, ECU recovered, seemingly sealing the victory.

[40] After a Boise State unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, ECU began at their 39–yard line, needing only to rush the ball to keep the clock moving in order to secure the win.

Rob Kass lost one yard while moving the ball towards the center of the field in order to set up a game-ending kick.

With four seconds remaining on the clock, ECU kicker Ben Hartman converted a 34–yard field goal to take the lead and the win, 41–38, as time ran out.

[41] * Completions/Attempts a Carries b Long play c Receptions Boise State University had 368 total offensive yards during the game.

[48] Boise State controlled the time of possession only during the fourth quarter, when the Broncos scored 14 points to tie the game.

Pinkney threw for 118 yards and one touchdown, but the longest pass came from the Pirates' second quarterback, Rob Kass.