The beauty of the Western Athletic Conference is not lost on Boise State. The Broncos waltzed to the WAC title with a perfect 8-0 record and then continued on for a perfect 12-0 regular season, scoring victory after victory against weak, sometimes pathetic, opponents.
The Broncos played only two teams all season worthy of mention-Oregon (who they barely beat 37-32) and the weaker Fresno State Bulldogs (who they slaughtered 61-10 in their regular season finale, proving that the Bulldogs were more bark than bite).
Boise State came to the Poinsettia Bowl (12-23-08) with a No. 9-rank in the AP Top 25 Poll to meet 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 was behind 13-10 midway through the 4th quarter when Joseph Turner scored on a 17-yard run to put TCU up 17-13. Boise State later had to settle for a field goal and lost 17-16. End of story. The comeback win for TCU was not as close as the score would indicate.
TCU bested Boise State in nearly every critical category-first downs (28 to 15), third down efficiency (9 of 18 to 3 of 11), rushing yards (275 to 28) and total yards (472 to 250). Boise State beat TCU in passing by a mere 25 yards (222 to 197). In the end, TCU's defense held and Boise State's did not.
"They had better athletes than we've ever seen," said Boise State running back Ian Johnson. "They played with so much heart. You didn't look over there one time and say, 'We broke them.' They knew they were going to come back and they believed in themselves the whole time."
So what happened that Boise State should have its dream of a second 13-0 season in three years fade away?
Just this: Boise State played one tough opponent-Oregon-to get to 12-0. TCU played two even tougher opponents-Oklahoma and Utah, losing to both-to get to a 10-2 mark in the regular season.
The fast, aggressive Horned Frog defense shut the door on the Broncos. Boise State came into the Poinsettia Bowl averaging 39 points and 456 yards a game, mostly against weak opponents, and left scoring 16 points and gaining 250 yards.
Boise State ended its season at 12-1 while TCU was 11-2.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
Read my other detailed, knowledgeable, interesting articles on college football, including:
"So Who Are the Current Worst Players in Division 1-A Football in the Nation?"
"Tulsa the 19th Best Team in Nation? You Must Be Kidding and Here Is Why"
"4 AP Top 25 Teams Have Some Proving to Do-Missouri, Texas Tech, South Florida and Kansas"
"Meet the Illinois Fighting Illini - The Most Overrated Team in the AP's Top 25 Poll"
"Famous Quotes by Vince Lombardi, Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz During Football's Annual Bowl Season"
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