I was in high school. Bored. It was holiday season, it was bowl season. I sat down to watch an average bowl game, and ended up watching the greatest college football game maybe ever. It was the first time I remember a mid-major team getting a big bowl game and playing a legit college football powerhouse.
Oklahoma was supposed to be a National Championship contender and the roster was littered with future NFL names. Adrian Peterson, DeMarco Murray, Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham, and Gerald McCoy. Most were freshman and didn’t get much playing time but it’s cool to see what names were on the team. Adrian Peterson was a Heisman hopeful but broke his collar-bone in the sixth game against Iowa State in missed the rest of the regular season. Thankfully he was able to return for the bowl game.
Oklahoma (11-2) lost two games including Washington and Texas but won the Big 12 South after Texas blew it at the end of the season. They beat Nebraska in the Big 12 championship and earned an automatic berth in the Fiesta Bowl.
Boise State (12-0) didn’t have the star power that Oklahoma had. They didn’t have the accolades and had a first year head coach. While having a few future NFLers in Ryan Clady, Kyle Wilson, and Orlando Scandrick all as starters, they were seen as the undefeated team that didn’t have the same resume as the Big 12 champs. What they did have was the most returning starters in the NCAA and won the WAC. 
Oklahoma was a 7.5 point favorite. This was the biggest bowl game in the history of Boise State football. They didn’t move to Division 1-A football until 1996 and only bowl appearances were the Curical.com Humanitarian Bowl (three times), The Plainscaptial Fort Worth Bowl, Autozone Liberty Bowl, and MPC Computers Bowl.
Boise State edged out a 21-10 lead in towards the end of the first half. They then came out of halftime and returned an interception for a touchdown to take a shocking 28-10 lead over the Sooners.
Adrian Peterson was able to cut the lead to 28-17 and gave Oklahoma life. The Sooners scored 25 unanswered points to tie the game with a little over a minute left. The hearts of Boise State fans dropped to the bottom of the earth when quarterback Jared Zabransky through an interception which was returned for a touchdown. The pass was a misread by both receiver and QB and Oklahoma DB Marcus Walker had an untouched run to the end-zone for what everyone thought was the final dagger.
With the game seemingly over, the magic started to turn the way of Boise. They took a sack with 30 seconds left and then threw an incomplete pass leading to a 4th and 18. The last play of the game, Zabransky threw a pass way short of the end-zone on a crossing pattern which was lateraled back and taken all the way to the end-zone to tie the game. The hook and ladder play you do in the backyard saved the game for Boise and forced OT and just brought electricity to the air.
In an already insane game, Oklahoma received the ball in OT and scored a touchdown to take the lead 42-35. Boise State had one more chance to tie the game. After a few confusing ass plays they lined up in the wildcat on 4th down and ran another trick play to bring it to 42-41. But wait, they weren’t done, they elected to go for 2-points to take the Fiesta Bowl and the biggest win in Boise State history.
On another trick play, Zabransky dropped back and in a statue of liberty type play running back Ian Johnson took the ball out of his hand and ran into the end-zone untouched and forever changed college football.
Boise State exploded and had upset the giant in Oklahoma. Ian Johnson would go on to propose to his cheerleader girlfriend live on TV after the game. This was an amazing heart warming moment which made the win even better. It was also a huge social moment as Ian Johnson and the lovely young cheerleader received death threats after the game from racist assholes.
Despite the assholes, this game was the most memorable college football game of my young life. It was one of the greatest big dog vs little dog games in bowl history and gave mid-major teams hope that they could to slay the college football giants. All of this was way before the college football playoff and might have paved the way for teams like TCU, Western Michigan and Central Florida to show they can hang with the college football powerhouses.
If you haven’t seen this game go back and watch it ASAP. You’re welcome for linking it from YouTube in this post. If you have a few hours to kill and miss football you can watch the game on YouTube.
The Sports Exhibit 