Boise State Beats Virginia Tech: Let the Debate Begin

Somewhere in between Brent Musburger wrapping up his gentle flirtation with Heather Cox and Titus Young’s first-down catch with 1:18 left in the third quarter, something happened to Boise State.

Virginia Tech was up 27-26, and holding the full burden of momentum after a spectacular touchdown drive, but it didn’t matter. Boise had reacquired the attitude.

This was a team that had fought through three quarters and looked like the superior squad for the majority of the time. They weren’t going to be stopped or frazzled by any miscues or problems. They were focused.

The field goal was the perfect choice for the situation, but the low snap killed it. Missing a lead-changing kick like that with just 13 minutes left in the game would have rattled almost any other group, but this crew didn’t panic.

Is it safe to say that quarterback Kellen Moore is the Tom Brady of college football now?

Cool, calm, clutch, and collected—the kid has never blinked an eye at adversity during his entire career. You can no longer knock Moore for not playing anybody. You keep lining up the BCS opponents, and he keeps mowing them down without a misstep.

There's no doubt that this was a game that hurt and took its toll physically and mentally on everybody involved. You could tell that, by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the field was full of sore bodies and dizzy heads. No longer can you say there’s a team that Boise State can't go toe-to-toe with physically. This team is fast, strong, and plays with the edge you want from a national title contender.  

I don’t want to say Tyrod Taylor is Donovan McNabb, but he is exactly that—he is Donovan McNabb.

No, he’s nowhere near as thick, but the game and the skill set are both the same. Forget the Mike Vick comparisons that were thrown at him when he came out of high school; Tyrod Taylor is the Donovan McNabb of college football.

That can be great and frustrating at the same time. Because for every remarkable play Taylor comes up with out of nowhere, he’ll do something like take a sack with a minute to go in the fourth quarter to balance it all out. That’s one of the many textbook McNabb-type moves Taylor has demonstrated in his time as a Hokie.

This Virginia Tech team is good, maybe bordering on great. The defense will get better, and if everyone stays healthy on offense, you’d have to believe the boys from Blacksburg are one of the favorites to win the conference.

Virginia Tech vs. Florida State in the 2010 ACC Championship Game?

Miami, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina will have something to say about that, but the Hokies are certainly capable of getting there.

The question some will ask is if they are capable of going undefeated from here on out.

It’s possible, and you can tell this already shaping up to be a wild year where everyone may have a loss or two when things are all said and done.

So Virginia Tech fans, I know this hurts, but your team isn’t done yet. The talented but inexperienced defense will slowly mold together and play as a more cohesive unit as the season wears on.

And let me just say—the call against Bruce Taylor was dreadful.

Austin Pettis makes a move upfield as he tiptoes the sideline, Taylor is the last line of defense between Pettis and the end zone; what was he supposed to do? He’s running full speed and sees his opponent doing the same. Was he supposed to come to a full stop in that 0.79 seconds between the whistle blowing and him tackling Pettis?

Regardless, what’s done is done, and with the momentum Boise had and the mystique they were playing with, they would have scored no matter if the refs gave them a gift or not.

Boise coach Chris Peterson is like Pete Carroll without the arrogance. He’s fun and he’s easy to like, and his team has the personality to be one that America falls in love with awfully quickly.

They’ve beaten Goliath three times now. It’s time to stop calling them David.

The Broncos have done everything they needed to earn our respect. They are like the Gonzaga of college football: it’s time to start taking them seriously.

They are no longer cute little Boise with the silly blue turf. This is a full-blown national title contender.

So in the end we have to wonder what a game like this does for both teams?

For one, it undoubtedly makes them both stronger. These two teams just got their brains beat in for three-and-a-half hours. No opponent either team will face all year will look stronger than what they just saw. The only thing that needs to be considered is the length of time it will take for both of them to recover.

Boise State heads into a bye week, which will help them cool down from this mega-matchup and refocus for the stretch run. Virginia Tech will host James Madison, and it should be fascinating to see what the tone is like in Lane Stadium for that contest. That could go a long way toward determining what type of mindset this Virginia Tech team will play with this season.

Both teams still have long seasons to go, and there’s still a lot that needs to be played out. All the questions will be answered in due time.

Is Boise worthy of a national title shot?

As announcer Brent Musburger said to end tonight’s game broadcast, "let the debate begin!"