Best of 2007: Boise State's Cinderella Story

When I sat down to write this article, many stories came to mind. But when it really came down to it, to me, the best story of 2007 happened on the first day of the year.

To quote ESPN's Pat Forde, "Cinderella meets Lady Liberty."

Boise State, although undefeated, was a big underdog to powerhouse Oklahoma. Really, who would have thought this would have been a competitive game? It was all set up—Oklahoma had arguably the best running back in the NCAA, even though he had been hurt. It was the primetime game on New Year's Day and it should have been another W for OU.

Boise State had something different to say. Many of its players were unknown, and that was OK with them—they were ready for this challenge. They kept the game close throughout the second half, after giving up a big lead. The magic started toward the end of the game. The classic hook and ladder play tied it up so they could take it to overtime.

The first play from scrimmage for OU, Peterson took it 25 yards for the score. Boise State answered with a touchdown. Coach Petersen then decided to do the unthinkable—go for the win with a two point conversion try.

The crazy thing is, it worked! They ran the infamous Statue of Liberty play and Zabransky did a fabulous job of selling the defense while letting running back Ian Johnson run in for the conversion.

To top this story off, moments after the win, Johnson ran to the sidelines to propose to his girlfriend, who was a Boise State cheerleader. She said yes! According to Johnson, there was no better time.

For the night, Cinderella took the stage and shocked the college football world.