Thought You'd Never Hear This: Boise State Has a Defense!

Smurf Turf and high-scoring shootouts.

This sums up America's view of the Boise State Broncos. Adopted as the nation's "Cinderella" team after its memorable win in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, the Broncos have been the media darling among the underdogs.

In the last decade, Boise State won more games than any other college football team. Although they only became an FBS team in 1996, the Broncos have risen through the ranks of college football at an unparalleled pace.

Boise State has been the man among children in the Western Athletic Conference for ten years, winning seven conference championships. The WAC is notorious for having high-octane offenses, with many offensive records being set at the helm of WAC teams. This is what sets Boise State apart in the WAC; in a conference with plenty of explosive offenses, Boise State's is the best.

In the 2009 regular season, the Broncos were ranked first in the country in scoring offense. Over the past decade, Boise State has been in the top five in points per game in five of the past seven seasons. With its complex formations and risky play-calling, Boise State has found a niche for lighting up the scoreboard.

While the offense has been categorized among the nation's best, the defense has been known as the team's weakness. The national media and football analysts alike have criticized the Broncos' defense for being inconsistent and relatively weak.

This is the main reason why Boise State was the underdog against heavily-favored TCU in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. While the offense would provide a great match-up versus the Frogs' top-ranked D, the majority of the country felt the Boise State defense would struggle against TCU's fourth-ranked offense.

In a game that was completely different than the Broncos' last trip to Glendale, in which the offense outlasted the Sooner's offense in a high-scoring thriller, the Broncos' offense struggled mightily.

With only one offensive touchdown, one would assume the Broncos were destroyed by the third-ranked Horned Frogs. However, the Broncos' defense shocked the nation and shut down Andy Dalton & company, defeating TCU 17-10. Boise State's defense forced three turnovers, including Winston Venable's game-clinching interception, and cornerback Brandyn Thompson returned one for a touchdown.

Over the course of last season, the Broncos defense held two high-scoring offenses, Oregon and Texas Christian, to a combined 18 points. In the year that their season started and ended with upset victories, they also proved to the nation they are a complete team, rather than the gun-slinging offense that plays on blue turf they've been known for.