Best of 2007: Boise State Defeats Oklahoma in a Made-for-TV-Movie Finish

I was really looking forward to the 2007 Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma because, not only do I love to be entertained by a good college football game, but I also love a great David versus Goliath story.  

And what happened on that January night in Glendale, Ariz. still gives me chills one year later.

The Broncos' 43-42 overtime win—complete with a game-ending marriage proposal—was not only the most entertaining sporting events I’ve ever watched, but was one of the greatest games in college football history.

From start to finish, it was a game that played like a made-for-TV movie—the big, bad brute going up against an upstart that many said didn’t belong, and wanted to prove to everyone that it did. It was entertainment at its best. It was the ultimate movie or reality show, with great plot twists and a fairy tale ending.

Twenty-one points were scored in the final 86 seconds of the game, but it was the final two points that may have been the most entertaining of all.

The big, bad brute was the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners have been a legend in college football for decades, winning seven national titles and producing 144 All-Americans.

Then there was the Boise State Broncos.

Boise State was playing with everything to win and nothing to lose. The Broncos made many people west of the Mississippi say “who?” when they took the field, and are known mostly for their bright blue football field. The Broncos went undefeated during the regular season, making an argument that their record was good enough to play for the National Championship—and that, most of all, Division I football was in desperate need of a playoff.

From our home in Long Beach, CA, my wife had finally put our two and a half year old son to sleep. I think I might have aged the kid by a few years as I screamed, “You’re kidding me! They scored! They scored! Boise State wins!” as quarterback Jared Zabransky’s behind the back handoff to Ian Johnson in a perfect and rarely-used "Statue of Liberty" play for the two-point conversion sealed the win for the Broncos.

I was mildly scolded by my wife as my son ran out of his room to see why daddy was screaming like a schoolgirl and immediately joined in the celebration jumping around with me—a father and son moment I’ll remember for a long time.

Immediately after the score, Johnson provided the ultimate chick-flick moment as he ran to the sidelines, dropped on one knee and surprised his cheerleader girlfriend Chrissy Popadics with a marriage proposal that even my wife appreciated.

In spite of its thrilling victory, the best Boise State could finish was fifth in the final Bowl Championship Series (BCS) poll, as Florida captured the national title with a ho-hum win against Ohio State.
 
But the Broncos showed the college football world that the system truly needs to be fixed—and provided me with one of the most thrilling games in my lifetime.