They Did It Again

Last night in Glendale, Az Boise answered the question, can they do it again by defeating TCU 17 - 10.
It was a hard fought highly contested game by both squads. Both teams played defensive football that would be the envy of most teams.

Boise State went into the game with a quarterback who had the highest passing and touchdowns to INTs efficiency rating in the country. As a team they were the nations leading scoring team averaging over 44 points a game.

TCU has a quarterback that is both a running and throwing threat, with over 500 yards rushing he kept defenses honest. As an offense they were one the more prolific scoring teams in college football averaging over 40 points a game.

When the teams first met in 2003 at the then Dallas - Fort Worth Bowl it was an offensive shoot out with Boise edging TCU on one of the last plays of game. Boise 34 TCU 31.

Given the potent offenses each team took into Glendale, it was reasonable to expect some form of shootout despite the fact TCU was favored by 7.5 points.

Defensively TCU was ranked 4th in the country allowing only 12.5 points per game. Boise was ranked 22nd in the country and not taken as seriously, in spite of holding Oregon to 14 yards on 13 tries in the first half of their Sept. 3rd meeting and keeping Oregon from getting a first down till midway through the 3rd quarter. Nor were they given credit for stuffing the countries #1 rushing attack, the Nevada Wolf Pack who had three 1,000 yard rushers in their backfield. In that game only two of the the three rushers were suited up and QB Crazy Legs Kaepernick was one of the rushers held to 38 yards.

Last nights contest was anything but a shootout, it was an epoch defensive struggle both teams meeting the toughest defense they saw in the 2009 season. Neither team could establish a running game. So the passing game was all that was left.

TCU came into the game rushing for over 250 yards per game on the legs of their Quarterback and stallion running backs, each with over 50 yards this season. They were anchored by a very big and tough offensive line.

However at the Fiesta Bowl the Horned Frogs were held to just 36 yards rushing, Boise State did not fare much better but they were up from their 28 yards rushing in the Poinsettia Bowl in 2008. This time they were able to gain 77 yards on the Frogs on the ground.

Two things really influenced the out come of the game. First was crowd noise. TCU's coaches and Quarterback all agreed the BSU contingent was so loud they could not hear signals. They were forced into the silent snap that caused at least two penalties for false start.

The other determining factor was the Boise State defense the Frogs expected to see was not there. Defensive coordinator had said prior to the game he installed some tweaks that might catch TCU off guard. What he did after watching TCU game film for two days was install an entirely new defense, saying TCU was just too good.

TCU said after the game, Boise State threw a defense at them they had never seen. They used a 3-2-6 attack. Weakening the the Frog passsing attack Boise moved All-American Corner back Kyle Wilson over to safety. TCU had tipped their hand saying the planned to attack Wilson.

This left them going against Brandon T. He got a pick 6 in the first quarter another pic in the 4th quarter and a tip that was picked by Winston Venable to end the game.

Boise State is known for their trick plays and this game was no different. The game was tied midway through the 4th quarter and the Broncos were faced with a 4th and 9 from their own 33.

They used a play they called the "riddler." Tight end Efaw hit and released his rusher and broke into wide open middle of the field. Punter Kyle Brotzman took the snap and hit Efaw over the middle for a 29 yard game, setting up BSU's only sustained drive that ended in a touchdown.

Boise State did it again, winning another BCS Fiesta Bowl, this time against a higher ranked and very tough mid-major team, the TCU Horned Frogs.

It was a great game by two tough teams with excellent coaching staffs. College football fans would be rewarded if these two teams could find a way to get some home and home games instead of meeting in Bowl Games.

However given the quality of football these teams play and the way the dominate their opponents, who knows, they are both in position to make another run at the BCS and possibly meet again in 2011 in a Fiesta Bowl, the one for the national title.