A last look back at Fiesta '07
Published: 12/29/2007 12:41 PM
Last Modified: 12/29/2007 12:41 PM
So I'm in the Norman Wal-Mart electronics department yesterday looking for post-Christmas bargains, and suddenly there they are again, on about six TV screens in all their hi-def glory -- the sequence of plays Boise State used to topple mighty Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
Doesn't matter that the Sooners are about to rinse that loss out of their mouths against overmatched West Virginia, or that the Broncos just lost to EAST CAROLINA in the Hawaii Bowl... America obviously will never get enough of Jared Zabransky, the hook n lateral, Ian Johnson and the statue of liberty.
I'm as guilty as anyone. I interrupted my bargain hunting for a good 10 minutes while Wal-Mart rolled tape, and I wasn't the only one. And you know something? Even in Norman, folks had to just shake their heads and smile.
Here's a sweet account from NBCSports.com's John Walters, who included Boise's miracle among his favorite moments from the 2007 year in sports:
"I actually spent the last hours of 2006 in Boise, vainly attempting to thaw out after having covered the Inhumanitarian Bowl in 19-degree temperatures ("auxiliary press box" being a euphemism for "outside"). A 4:45 a.m. wake-up call followed, my fellow shuttle bus passengers being a gaggle of hypothermia-fearing Miami football players.
"My enthusiasm for bowl games -- the Fiesta would be my fourth in five days -- had started to wane, but then Boise State and Oklahoma rescued me. Even before the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, this one was a thriller: Underdog Boise State was outplaying the Sooners, but it was not a case of Oklahoma taking them lightly. The Broncos were just that good.
"With 1:26 remaining, Soones quarterback Paul Thompson hit Quentin Chaney with a 5-yard scoring pass to make it 28-26. And that's when things started getting out of hand.
"A successful two-point conversion by the Sooners. An interception return for a touchdown on the very next play from scrimmage for Oklahoma, seemingly clinching the contest and restoring order to the BCS universe. The 35-yard hook-and-lateral touchdown pass on the final play of regulation. Adrian Peterson's 25-yard touchdown run, the final carry of his brilliant college career. A fourth-down option pass from a fireplug halfback named Vinny Perretta. The game-ending Statue-of-Liberty play, arguably the ballsiest call in college football history.
"It was as dizzying and intoxicating a half-hour as I had ever witnessed on a playing field. As we raced around the field giddily in search of Broncos players to interview, my friend Pat Forde of espn.com informed me that Ian Johnson had just proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend.
"All I could do was shrug my shoulders. For an entirely different reason than I had been 24 hours earlier, I was numb."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
