Boise State: Cinderella story or ugly step sister?
Boise has been considered the Cinderella story for the past 3 or 4 years, ever since they beat Oklahoma in 2007. People watch them and want them to win to prove that the little non-BCS team can keep up with the big boys.
This year wasn’t supposed to be any different. In the fact they were supposed to go undefeated. After a tough game against Virginia Tech where they pulled out the win, the rest of the season looked manageable. But there was a certain Wolfpack team that would not let the Broncos run free.
This archived article was written by: Trenton Kinney
Boise has been considered the Cinderella story for the past 3 or 4 years, ever since they beat Oklahoma in 2007. People watch them and want them to win to prove that the little non-BCS team can keep up with the big boys.
This year wasn’t supposed to be any different. In the fact they were supposed to go undefeated. After a tough game against Virginia Tech where they pulled out the win, the rest of the season looked manageable. But there was a certain Wolfpack team that would not let the Broncos run free.
Number 19 Nevada was thought to be a tough road battle for Boise, but thought to be win none the less. I felt like Nevada was going to pull the upset just like so many other teams had done previously in the year. Although I had no supporters, especially when Nevada was down 24, I kept saying they won’t go down without a fight.
The fight I was referring to began in the fourth quarter when the Pack scored 17 points to force an overtime. Once UNR tied the game up with 13 seconds left in the 4th quarter, all I could think was overtime, but then something unbelievable happened.
With nine seconds left, Kellen Moore (QB, Boise State) decided to show the national audience his arm, by throwing a ball perfectly almost 60 yards to his wide receiver who slipped past UNR’s defense. With one second left, Boise was in perfect field-goal position, a 27-yard field goal is considered to be a chip shot in college football. But even those are missed every once in a while, as the kicker for Boise found out as his ball veered to the right to force the game into over time.
Although Boise State’s sidelines and everyone in Idaho was upset that he missed, they still felt confident in overtime against a team who had played them tough the past four years. The Broncos started with the ball and had trouble moving the ball against the tough defense of the Wolfpack.
The Broncos were forced to kick another field goal, the kicker who had just cost them a few minutes earlier in the game had to come back out in the hostile environment and kick another field goal to give Boise the lead. But the redemption kick didn’t go as he planned, seeing as he missed another 25-yard field goal, but this time to the left.
Nevada got the ball and unlike the Broncos kicker, Nevada’s didn’t miss, it went right through the uprights.
Fans at the game had a great reason to storm the field, Nevada had just had its biggest win in school history. For the kicker of Boise, he may not want to go home. How Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox was seen in Boston is how he will be viewed in Idaho. Boise was finally taken down, UNR didn’t aim for the Bronco’s legs, or heart, they just aimed for the kicker’s foot.
