Top 10 plays of the decade for Boise State football
by Kevan Lee on Dec 31, 2009 8:28 AM PST
in Boise State football
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PrintThe past 10 years have been very, very good to Bronco fans. From the improbable Fiesta Bowl finish to the copious amount of WAC championships, the decade has been chock full of memorable moments and plays.
What ones would you say are the best of the past 10 years? Join me after the jump for my take on the Top Ten Bronco plays of the decade, and share your thoughts on how your list would look.
(Note#1: For a comprehensive look at the best plays throughout Bronco history, I highly recommend Scout.com's thorough anthology that they put together in 2007.)
(Note #2: I probably could have made this a Top 100 list since there were so many great plays from the past 10 years. If I left your favorite play out, I apologize. Mark May made me do it. Feel free to let me know how poorly I did in the comments.)
#10: 2004 Liberty Bowl, Andy Avalos 92-yard INT return TD
Was the Liberty Bowl really only five years ago? Seems like a lot longer. Nevertheless, I still get regular flashbacks of this Andy Avalos pick-six. The game was a classic, thanks in large part to Avalos stopping a Louisville drive that could have made the score 14-3 early on. Avalos' leaping pick of Stefan Lefors helped put the Broncos right back in the game, and his Bronco escort to the end zone was exactly the type of BSU play that will stick in my mind forever.
#9: 2003 at BYU, Chris Carr and Cam Hall combine for punt block TD
BYU never really saw what hit it when the Broncos came to town in 2003. Boise State jumped out to a 28-2 halftime lead, and the Broncos struck their first blow on special teams. Chris Carr raced in untouched, blocking the BYU punt that Cam Hall recovered in the end zone. Less than four minutes in, Boise State had its 7-0 lead and all the momentum it needed.
In Boise State ’s first-ever meeting with BYU in 2003, the Bronco defense held on BYU’s first possession, forcing a punt. Boise State ’s Chris Carr ran in untouched and blocked the punt while running in, and Cam Hall fell on the ball in the end zone for a 7-0 Bronco lead. Boise State went on to win 50-12.
#8: 2004 vs. Oregon State, Korey Hall pick-six
The first of his three picks, Hall's second-quarter INT helped turn the tide in the game. Hall took the pick 46 yards to the house, cutting Oregon State's lead to 14-10, and the Broncos poured it on for a 53-34 win.
#7: 2000 Humanitarian Bowl, Bart Hendricks "who knew he could run that fast" 77-yard TD run
When he took off on the QB keeper on the first play of the second half against UTEP, no one in the stadium could have guessed that he would still be running 77 yards later. Sure enough, Hendricks scooted through a hole and then took off down the middle of the field, outracing UTEP defenders into the end zone.
#6: 2007 Fiesta Bowl TD pass Perretta to Schouman
I chose to split the Fiesta Bowl plays up because they are each too good to stand alone. The playcall of a Perretta pass was perfect timing to take advantage of an Oklahoma defense that still wasn't sure what hit it. Perretta found Schouman in the back corner of the end zone for the overtime TD, and the rest, as they say, is history.
#5: 2008 at Oregon, Vinny Perretta 73-yard TD catch from Kellen Moore
(TD is at 2:45 of the video)
The last TD that the Broncos scored against the Ducks last season was perhaps their best and was certainly their most timely. Perretta matched up on an Oregon linebacker and ran past him down the near sideline. Kellen Moore hit him in stride, and Perretta took the pass to the end zone, giving the Broncos a 31-13 lead.
#4: 2001 at Fresno State, Greg Sassar sacks David Carr on Fresno's final play
The 2001 Fresno State game had so many memorable moments, but the one that I keep coming back to was the Greg Sassar sack of David Carr. Facing 4th and 4 from the Bronco 5-yard line, and needing a TD to win, Fresno State's David Carr dropped back and was grabbed by Sassar, ending No. 8 Fresno's chances for the win and signaling the beginning of the Broncos' reign over the rest of the conference.
#3: 2004 at San Jose State, Gerald Alexander FG block in fourth quarter
San Jose State had the Broncos on the ropes and were lining up for a chipshot field goal and a three-point lead with less than two minutes left. Alexander leaped and blocked the attempt, sending the game into overtime. Boise State eventually one 56-49 in double OT.
#2: 2007 Fiesta Bowl Statue of Liberty
Perhaps the most memorable play in college football history, much less Boise State history, Ian Johnson's two-point conversion on the Statue of Liberty is timeless. The decision to go for two was dramatic, the play was ran to perfection by Zabransky and Johnson, and the post-play engagement was the cherry on the top.
#1: 2007 Fiesta Bowl hook and ladder, Zabransky to James to Rabb
The greatest play of the decade for me is the hook and ladder that sent the Fiesta Bowl to overtime. Without it, you would not have Perretta's TD pass or Statue Left. Without it, you would not have the national notoriety and respect. It was the play that never works for anyone else, yet it worked for the Broncos on their biggest stage ever. What kind of fans get so lucky to have the hook and ladder happen like this? Very few.
Just missed the cut: Titus Young's fumble recovery in the end zone against Fresno State, Tadman's Fiesta Bowl pick-six, Scandrick's blocked FG return TD at Hawaii in 2005, Gerald Alexander's hit on a Utah ballcarrier
Honorable Mention:
Dinwiddie's go-ahead TD pass against Fresno in 2001, Gilligan getting clobbered illegally on the punt return, Any of Ian Johnson's five TDs against Oregon State in 2006, Marty Tadman's 98-yard INT TD against LaTech in 2006, Ryan Clady's called-back TD catch, Zabransky to Acree go-ahead TD against BYU in 2004, Zabransky's 85-yard TD run against Hawaii in 2004, Dinwiddie to Schouman go-ahead TD against TCU in 2003 Fort Worth Bowl, Kellen Moore's "Houdini" fake fumble versus Oregon in 2008, Quinton Jones' big hit and fumble recovery versus Nevada in 2006, pretty much anything that Brock Forsey ever did
Your turn
What was your top play of the past decade? What would your list look like? What did I miss? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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2001 Fresno St. Jay Swilee catch.
Its the play that I remember most in the pre Fiesta, National recognition era. Of course I was only 11 and the pure awesomness of that play is probably why..
Absolutely Right
That play needs to be MUCH higher on the list. That was the game that really started this decade of dominance and that was the play that gives me chills.
Love this list other than that. Lots of awesome memories. Damn it feels good to be a Bronco.
by MooreWalksOnWater on Dec 31, 2009 8:57 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
The Forsey TD from the same game as well...
I will never forget Forsey’s superman helicopter touchdown. That play changed the momentum and is the most memorable for me from the 2001 Fresno game.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
Yeah, that game was a tough one to pick. I initially had the Swilee catch in place of Sassar’s tackle, but then I changed my mind at the last minute. All three of the plays mentioned from that game were classics. MWOW, how high would you put Dinwiddie’s TD toss on this list?
"Only film the ones that are standing, Kenneth." - Tony Perkis
Honored I'm being asked for my opinion
I cannot argue with the top 6 plays in that order. So I would put it at 7.
by MooreWalksOnWater on Dec 31, 2009 9:56 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
I apparently got first vote on hook
bc it showed 100%. Lots of good plays; in the pre-Fiesta I’d go with Sassar’s tackle of Carr. At the time Fresno was everyone’s BCS buster darling-even had front page SI story and everyone short stroiking. Swillie’s catch in that game was good, but there was a lot of football left. the final drive by Fresno was a total hos ejob by the officials IMO. First they took away a clear intercept by our d-bakc-not even close. Then we had a jiveacious penalty to give them 1st and goal at like the 4 yard line. Even I had written it off; Carr with 4 downs-c’mon. We hold them for 3 and then the Boise State staff wants us to play back but Strassar and someone else said let us go and we’ll get’em-and they did. NOW listen to your Uncle Tom OBNUGGERS> That game when we beat the “Dogs started the discussion about us on ESPN> they showed highlights all night-”Dogs were #8 in th enation and headed to th eBCS as a non-AQ adn when we beat them ESPN started to look at us. Blue turf-I remember the next year May was talking about someone and it was mentioned thet’d lost to us and May said “if Miami(then very good) played on the blue they’d lose”. Yes-the very same bad mouthing May. ESPN started taliking about us, good and bad, but as Doanld Trump nows in marketing its all good if they spell your name right(think I’m wrong-wait ‘til Tiger emerges from exile and is redeemed-Oprah will wash his underwear on nat’l tv). Taht game set in motion what culminated in the greatest Bronco play-the Hook. I know some of you want Statue-and for sheer emotion it probably should win. But if we’re talking execution(and we should be) the Hook stanmds alone. Im a Miami fan and our Hook makes their’s look like a playground stunt. Look at all things that have to come togehter-and james is key. Frst he makes a ctach on a less than perfect ball-and then Barishnikoff-like pivot. That was essential-watch the Okl defenders collapse on him. They didnt just buy it-they paid 50% above retail Then Drisan makes the perfect-and I mean perfect-pitch to Rabb. Hits him exactly right exactly in stride thus negating the need to lateral back to Johnson. Emotion versus execution-you rpick
tvmunson
sorry about munsons this is emotional
by the way on Fiesta game-we should mention Stinger’s punting and Shouman. He got th ecatch that Ok challenged and then Z hit james fo rour first score.. Remeber too Shou got the only catch before the Hook-if he hdant madei it there might not have been a Hook. Recall too his cluthc catches in overtime-he made at least one before Vinny hit him for the td. His block on Statue was psychedelic although Clady’s pancake of the Sam backer rpobably gets the nod there.
tvmunson
what about James' TD catch just before halftime?
That play I think was almost as crazy as the hook. Z ducked and weaved out of trouble, hit James all the way to his right on the far sideline, then James cut inside (instead of stepping out of bounds which would have been more sensible), sidestepped a couple Sooners and suddenly there was nothing between him and the frickin’ end zone! Still blows my mind whenever I see it.
by hummerofdoom on Dec 31, 2009 11:02 AM PST up reply actions
Great play-still a lot fo game left
but ti set a tone in that Okl locker room I msure. Weird game-first 2 times our O got ball it sored and last time in 1st half; then no O td until last play of game.
tvmunson
Quite Simply
Statue Left
We do not take counsel of our fears, our naysayers, or the unknown
Coach Pete January 1, 2007
Nicely Done
Thank you for putting the Hook and Ladder number 1. People always go with Statue Left, but to me, that was far more impressive. Had a higher degree of difficulty.
I might throw the Jeff Carpenter 54 yard TD in the Fort Worth Bowl. That came out of nowhere.
Or one of my lesser known favorite plays. Dinwiddie to Tony McPherson, 2nd play of the game against Nevada in 2003. Something like 77 yards down the Nevada sideline. Keyed the blowout. In the replay you can see Chris Tormey throw his hands on his head just knowing he’s going to be fired a couple weeks later. Great stuff.
How about a couple hits? Korey Hall on Beck of BYU. Gerald Alexander’s decapitation against Utah. Jeron Johnson against Russell Hill of ISU.
Gilligan’s Punt Return TD against Oregon State.
David Mikell’s 78 yard game sealing run at Idaho when he threw the DB into the safety(they got tangled up and fell down) to keep running.
I’ll keep thinking about this… I’m sure I’ll have more :)
I have attended every home Boise State football game since 1992.
by JasonHaberman on Dec 31, 2009 9:15 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Oh yeah...
Lawrence Bady’s 98 yard reception. Longest non-scoring play in school history. You can’t go much longer than that… 1 yard line to 1 yard line.
I have attended every home Boise State football game since 1992.
by JasonHaberman on Dec 31, 2009 9:17 AM PST up reply actions
I remember McPherson's catch
he was only at boise state for 1 year. Broncos had gone to him the play before and missed it. Went right back to it. I was a the game giving Chris an earful. I always hated him; I hear deven when he coached teams that didnt play us the tackle dummies were blue and orange. Where is the malignant (bw) now?
tvmunson
These are all great Jason..
I was sitting in the front row of the visiting endzone for Gilligan’s punt return…it was great to see it develop from field level.
Others that came to mind:
Dinwiddie with a quick-hitter to Gilligan over the middle for 73 yards against Fresno in 2003.
Austin Smith’s fumble recovery TD against Idaho to break a tie-game in 2005.
Legedu Naanee’s fake punt run against Oregon State in 2004.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
RE: Dinwiddie to McPherson
Isn’t that the same game where the crowd began chanting Tormey’s name all through the 4th quarter? Ah, the sweet memories. I believe Tormey was canned by Ault (then the AD) shortly thereafter.
dang
is anyone else about to lose their pick em on this Houston Air force game?
*Perfection is our goal, excellence will be tolerated*
Perretta's td against Ore was play of '08 IMO
Ore had come back after half. Got pick; scored td to make it 24-13. they get us 3rd and 10( i think). adn then bam 73 yards. Game isnt ver but you can sense its dawning on Ore this isnt their day.
tvmunson
I agree that might be the play of 2008
Brotzman’s 51 yarder (from the left hash) to put the Broncos on the scoreboard was huge. They trailed early and stalled a little bit offensively. It was very important to get points at that stage of the game.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
Brotzman's kick was crucial
bc it showed Ore that we werent soem community college team like they’d been saying. What happened after that was beautiful. i think i like the highlights of Ore I the best of any Bronos game. There is a symmetry to it, almost a ballet(!?) Moore’s fake fumble-plus when you listen to the Ore announcer-I haven’t heard so much squealing since Bobby grabbed the log in “Deliverance”.
tvmunson
I resent our Hook being compared to Miami
and I’ve been a Miami fan since Griese days. It was just before half. My "dolphs were getting their (bw) handed to him. With zilch time left they toss on a button hook, guy laterals for td. There wa sabsolutley no buildup to that paly. Everyone(esp San Diego) though tDolphs wwould just take it into the locker room. Ours was for the money; 18 seconds with the whole world wachign
tvmunson
Just thought of another one
What about Moore getting drilled by Oregon defenders, completing the pass, and while laying on the ground he looks to the sideline and starts pumping his fist. WOW, MY GOOSEBUMPS ARE GOING WILD AS I TYPE THIS!!
I think that was when we all realized this kid was truly something special.
by MooreWalksOnWater on Dec 31, 2009 9:50 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Fresno next year
came in all pumped and hyped. they had beat Colo State and were agian being looke don as BCS busters. Swillie was benched. we lit them up 62- to 21 or something. Dinwiddie only playe d3 quarters but still at the time it was the 2nd best ofensive porduction by a Bronco qb.
tvmunson
This is still one of my favorite Bronco games of all-time.
It was Dinwiddie’s first game back after the broken ankle and he had a chip on his shoulder about Fresno State. I will never forget him throwing a touchdown pass and making a wide arc toward the visiting sideline and staring them down as he celebrated.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
The Broncos lit it up that night
I still remember after half Fresno got a feild goal. Tehy had scored just befroe half and although down it was still a game. Tehy had us 3rd and long and then Fannuchi(LOOOOU!) made a sensational corkscrew catch. Next play Rocky(?) the tight end catches and runs the length of the field draggin a defender into the end zone as he does a windmill spike in the end zone.he only had 5 catches but msot fo em were td’s. Like Putzier he was a weight room junkie-203 soemthing solid muscle. had to eat a pound of butter to register any body fat.
tvmunson
My mistake, Kevan.
It was Austin Smith who made that big hit on the Nevada punt returner, knocked the ball loose, and then recovered the fumble in 2006.
Boise State - The best in all the land (The "land" being Idaho, and large parts of California, Oregon, and Nevada.)
Remember Kyle Wilson as a freshman?
When he wore number 22?
Here he is in the 2006 Nevada game, stripping the ball away from a runner.
Boise State - The best in all the land (The "land" being Idaho, and large parts of California, Oregon, and Nevada.)
Ahhh, it's good to look back... unless your a Vandal, then it's better to look forward.
Boise State - The best in all the land (The "land" being Idaho, and large parts of California, Oregon, and Nevada.)
Hook and Lateral, No Question!
Still gives me shivers when i watch it. I had all but given up on the Broncos and was surrounded by Sooner fans. Then a few moments later i was overwhelmed with excitement as the improbable had happened. I don’t think anyone in the stadium had any hope for BSU except the players.
Side note, the safety against Oregon this year didn’t get any mention? While that might not have been that significant, it symbolized how the program has grown in the last ten years. Dominating a top Pac-10 team by defense would of been unthinkable 10 years ago.
by KsigBronco on Dec 31, 2009 12:54 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
add the 4th down stop at the start of the 4th quarter
by backup d-line. Unthinkable even 7 years ago.
tvmunson
Rec'd for using Hook and Lateral
While both “Hook and Ladder” & “Hook and Lateral” are widely used, I prefer “lateral” over “ladder”
And you are right…at 4th and 18 all hope had escaped me and then the impossible happened.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
"lateral" is the technically precise term
I think “ladder” is a colloquialism. Us old time Broncos remember a variation of it Broncos used in the early ‘70s.Don Hutt would pretend to fall down and then spin an dcome up an dmake a catch. Occassionallly they’d run someone passed him and he’d lateral. It got to where other teams would look for it and Broncos would create variations to screw them up.
tvmunson
Perratta to Schouman...
Every time I watch this play I can’t help but think what would have happened if they would have called Zabransky for forward motion and nullified the touchdown.
I remember watching it live and thinking it was close to a penalty and I have been surprised there hasn’t been the typical message board whining from Sooner fans that it should not have counted.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
Statue Left
is just a handoff-a great perfectly executed fake out of a handoff, but once Ian gets it its all over. On the Hook there are 80 different things that can go wrong, any one of them fatal to the play. Statue is a great call; sam linebacker is playing Shouman like he should. Once they line up, barring a penalty, Shou takes the DE and Clady goes around him to Sam-who’se screwed at that point. Great call, but Hook is the great play.Hook is why "boise state’ has become a verb/noun synonym for “gadget”.
tvmunson
Good #1 choice
All I have to say is bravo. I was very nervous when I started reading this article that the hook and ladder wasn’t going to be your #1. I was ready to skip down to the bottom just to see if it was #1, but I resisted and you didn’t disappoint me. I almost missed the play when it happened because I left the room I was so mad after the Zabransky pick 6.
I’m glad I came back. I love that you have the Avalos pick 6 also, but I might argue for it to be higher. When I saw the article that is the first play that I thought of after the Fiesta Bowl trifecta. A lot of the others I remembered after reading but not right away.
The only addition I would add is the Gerald Alexander de-helmeting/de-cleating of the Utah player (pretty sure it was the RB). Great play.
The Fiesta Bowl is on TV right now
And while the three plays from the 4th quarter and overtime were all amazing, Drisan James’ TD right before the half was pretty eye-popping too, the game was just full of “WOW” plays.
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Broncos Football Schedule
@
Georgia
|
Sat 09/03 | W 35 - 21 |
| @ Toledo | Fri 09/16 | W 40 - 15 |
| Tulsa | Sat 09/24 | W 41 - 21 |
| Nevada | Sat 10/01 | W 30 - 10 |
| @ Fresno St. | Fri 10/07 | W 57 - 7 |
| @ Colorado St. | Sat 10/15 | W 63 - 13 |
| Air Force | Sat 10/22 | W 37 - 26 |
| @ UNLV | Sat 11/05 | W 48 - 21 |
|
TCU
|
Sat 11/12 | L 35 - 36 |
| @ San Diego St. | Sat 11/19 | W 52 - 35 |
|
Wyoming
|
Sat 11/26 | W 36 - 14 |
| New Mexico | Sat 12/03 | W 45 - 0 |
|
Arizona St.
|
Thu 12/22 | W 56 - 24 |
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