2006 Boise State Broncos football team

The 2006 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship with an undefeated 12–0 regular-season record (8–0 in the WAC), their second unbeaten regular season in the past three years. This was also Boise State's fifth consecutive season with at least a share of the WAC title, and the fourth in that period in which they went unbeaten in conference play. They became only the second team from outside the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to play in a BCS bowl game when they faced Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, defeating the Sooners in a dramatic thriller.

2006 Boise State Broncos football
WAC champion Fiesta Bowl champion
Fiesta Bowl, W 43–42 ^OT vs. Oklahoma
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 5
2006 record	13–0 (8–0 WAC)
Head coach	Chris Petersen (1st as HC; 6th overall season)
Offensive coordinator	Bryan Harsin (1st as OC; 6th overall season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Justin Wilcox (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Bronco Stadium (Capacity: 30,000)

2006 Western Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Boise State $		8	–	0					13	–	0
Hawaii		7	–	1					11	–	3
San Jose State		5	–	3					9	–	4
Nevada		5	–	3					8	–	5
Fresno State		4	–	4					4	–	8
Idaho		3	–	5					4	–	8
New Mexico State		2	–	6					4	–	8
Louisiana Tech		1	–	7					3	–	10
Utah State		1	–	7					1	–	11
$ – Conference champion and BCS representative as top non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteria Rankings from AP Poll

The Broncos completed the first undefeated and untied season in school history with a 43–42 overtime win over the Sooners. The Broncos led most of the game, but fell behind late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Jared Zabransky threw an interception that was returned for an Oklahoma touchdown. They tied the game on a 50-yard hook and lateral play that ended in a touchdown with 7 seconds left. In the overtime, Sooners star running back Adrian Peterson scored a touchdown on the first play of Oklahoma's possession. Zabransky led the Broncos on a touchdown drive, capped off by a trick play in which backup receiver Vinny Peretta connected with tight end Derek Schouman on a fourth-down pass. They then gambled for the win on a two-point conversion, and tried another trick play. The Broncos ran a play very similar to the Statue of Liberty play, with Zabransky looking toward three receivers before handing the ball off behind his back to star running back Ian Johnson, who ran into the end zone untouched for the win. (The play would later be named the 2nd greatest highlight of all time in a 2008 ESPN Sportscenter poll behind Mike Eruzione's goal against the Soviets in the 1980 Miracle on Ice)

Due to Florida's 41–14 thrashing of previously unbeaten Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game, the Broncos ended the season as the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I football, as no other team in Division I-AA (officially known as the "Football Championship Subdivision") finished undefeated (Three teams in lower divisions finished unbeaten: Grand Valley State in Division II, Mount Union in Division III, and Sioux Falls in NAIA.)

The Broncos play their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "Smurf-turf."

Previous season

Boise State finished the 2005 regular season with a 9–3 record. The Broncos' 7–1 conference record was good enough for a share of the title with Nevada. They ended their season with a 21-27 loss to Boston College in the MPC Computers Bowl on their home field in Boise to finish the season at 9–4. After the season, head coach Dan Hawkins left to take over the head coaching vacancy at Colorado, with offensive coordinator Chris Petersen taking his place.

Pre-season

The 2006 Broncos were an overwhelming favorite in the league's Preseason Media Poll to win the WAC title. They returned more starters than any other team in Division I FBS football—nine on offense and nine on defense, as well as their placekicker and punter. Among the returning starters was quarterback Jared Zabransky, whose 20 wins in the previous two seasons was the most by any returning quarterback in Division I FBS.[1]

Pre-season awards

Korey Hall

• Dick Butkus Award watch list

Ian Johnson

• Walter Camp Award watch list
• Doak Walker Award watch list

Jared Zabransky

• Maxwell Award watch list
• Davey O'Brien Award watch list

During the season

The Broncos started the season unranked in both the Coaches Poll or the AP Poll, and would not enter the polls until they had won their first three games. They steadily rose in the rankings mainly on the strength of an offense that finished the regular season second in scoring.[2] The keys to their offense were running back Ian Johnson, who was the nation's leading scorer[3] and second in rushing yards per game,[4] and Zabransky, eighth in passing efficiency.[5] Due to their threats on both the ground and in the air, they were one of only two teams in the country to rush and pass for over 200 yards per game (the other being Oklahoma State).[6][7] In a more obscure statistic, they led the country in percentage of fourth-down conversions, converting 15 of 19 attempts.[8]

The Broncos played five bowl-bound teams during the season—Oregon State, their only opponent from one of the six BCS conferences; Utah; and conference rivals Hawaii, San Jose State, and Nevada. Four out of five of these teams won their bowl game. The only loser, Nevada, lost by one point. Notably, they put a 42-14 defeat on an Oregon State team that would later in the season end the 38-game regular-season winning streak of USC.[9]

Postseason awards

Chris Petersen

• Paul "Bear" Bryant Award winner
• AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year
• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year finalist

Korey Hall

• WAC Defensive Player of the Year
• Lott Trophy quarterfinalist

Ian Johnson

• Doak Walker Award semifinalist
• Walter Camp Award final watchlist

Jared Zabransky

• Maxwell Award semifinalist
• Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist
• Fiesta Bowl Most Valuable Player
• Cover athlete of NCAA Football 08 video game

2007 Espy Awards

• Best Game - 2007 Fiesta Bowl
• Best Play - Fiesta Bowl Statue of Liberty

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 p.m.	Sacramento State*		Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	KTVB	W 45–0	29,647
September 7	5:30 p.m.	Oregon State*		Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	ESPN	W 42–14	30,711
September 16	1:30 p.m.	at Wyoming*		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	MTN	W 17–10	17,880
September 23	6:00 p.m.	Hawaii	No. 25	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	KTVB	W 41–34	30,642
September 30	2:30 p.m.	at Utah*	No. 22	Rice-Eccles Stadium Salt Lake, City, UT	Versus	W 36–3	45,222
October 7	6:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech	No. 20	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	KTVB	W 55–14	30,572
October 15	6:00 p.m.	at New Mexico State	No. 20	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	ESPN	W 40–28	16,872
October 21	3:00 p.m.	at Idaho	No. 18	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID (Battle for the Governor's Trophy)	KTVB	W 42–26	17,000
November 1	6:00 p.m.	Fresno State	No. 14	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID (Battle for the Milk Can)	ESPN2	W 45–21	30,604
November 11	4:00 p.m.	at San Jose State	No. 14	Spartan Stadium San Jose, California	KTVB	W 23–20	21,742
November 18	1:00 p.m.	Utah State	No. 13	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	KTVB	W 49–10	30,515
November 25	2:00 p.m.	at Nevada	No. 12	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 38–7	25,506
January 1, 2007	6:00 p.m.	vs. No. 7 Oklahoma*	No. 9	University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	FOX	W 43–42 ^OT	73,719
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

Roster

2006 Boise State Broncos football roster[10]
Wide Receivers  1 Jerard Rabb^† - Senior  4 Legedu Naanee - Senior  9 Jeremy Childs - Freshman 11 Drisan James^† - Senior 19 Xavier Lucas - Freshman 19 Vinny Perretta - Sophomore 21 Toshi Franklin - Sophomore 45 Jovan Hutchinson - Senior 83 Nick Harris - Sophomore 84 Aiona Key - Freshman 87 Tanyon Bissell - Sophomore Offensive Guards 61 Jeff Biedermann - Junior 64 Pete Cavender* - Junior 64 Jeff Cavender^† - Junior 65 Cameron Filkins - Freshman 66 Tad Miller^† - Junior Offensive Tackles 60 Andrew Woodruff^† - Sophomore 70 Tony Volponi - Senior 71 Ryan Keating - Senior 75 Dan Gore - Junior 77 Ben Iannacchione - Sophomore 79 Ryan Clady^† - Sophomore Centers 69 Jadon Dailey^† - Senior 78 Paul Lucariello - Freshman Offensive Linemen 62 Kevin Sapien - Freshman 68 Mitch Rudder - Freshman 72 Matt Slater - Freshman 76 Jon Gott - Sophomore		Tight Ends 39 Ryan Putnam - Junior 40 Richie Brockel - Freshman 49 Jared Hunter - Senior 80 Peter Elliott - Junior 82 Julian Hawkins - Sophomore 85 Tommy Gallarda - Freshman 86 Sherm Blaser - Senior 88 Chris O'Neill - Sophomore 91 Derek Schouman^† - Senior Fullbacks 30 Michael Lose - Junior 34 Brad Lau^† - Senior 37 Michael Orris - Quarterbacks  3 Bush Hamdan - Sophomore  5 Jared Zabransky^† - Senior  7 Michael Coughlin - Sophomore 10 Taylor Tharp - Junior 15 Nick Lomax - Freshman Running Backs 27 Jeremy Avery - Freshman 28 Jarvis Hodge - Freshman 32 Andy Silsby - Freshman 33 Jon Helmandollar - Junior 35 Brett Denton - Junior 41 Ian Johnson^† - Sophomore Defensive Ends 48 Kapono Rawlins-Crivello - Freshman 53 Sean Bingham - Sophomore 74 Mike Dominguez - Senior (starting long snapper) 93 Mike T. Williams - Sophomore 96 Mike G. Williams^† - Senior 97 Nick Schlekeway^† - Junior 98 Ryan Winterswyk - Freshman Defensive Tackles 57 Andrew Browning^† - Senior 59 Will Lawrence - Freshman 67 Joe Bozikovich - Sophomore 90 Ian Smart - Junior 92 Dennis Ellis^† - Senior 94 Phillip Edwards - Sophomore 95 Sione Tavaki - Junior 99 Steven Reveles - Junior		Linebackers 13 Mike Altieri - Junior 24 Tim Brady - Sophomore 25 Korey Hall^† - Senior 31 Colt Brooks^† - Senior 43 David Shields^† - Sophomore 44 Kyle Gingo - Sophomore 51 Dallas Dobbs - Sophomore 52 Derrell Acrey - Freshman 55 Garrett Tuggle - Sophomore 56 Josh Bean - Junior Cornerbacks  6 Rashaun Scott - Junior  8 Orlando Scandrick^† - Sophomore 16 Tristan Patin - Freshman 22 Kyle Wilson^† - Freshman 23 Quinton Jones - Senior (starting return specialist) 26 Ia Falo - Junior 29 Evan Surratt - Freshman 37 Austin Smith - Junior Safeties  2 Gerald Alexander^† - Senior 14 Jason Robinson - Freshman 18 Ellis Powers - Sophomore 20 Marty Tadman^† - Junior 36 Seth Anderson - Freshman 38 Jeron Johnson - Freshman 46 Jon Barry Van Hoogen - Sophomore Punters 42 Kyle Stringer^† - Senior (also holder) Kickers 47 Anthony Montgomery^† - Senior
† Starter at position     * Injured; did not play in 2006.

References

1. "2006 Bronco Football Media Guide" (PDF). Boise State Broncos Football. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-09. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
2. "Division I-A National Team Report: Scoring Offense". NCAA. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
3. "Division I-A National Player Report: Scoring". NCAA. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
4. "Division I-A National Player Report: Rushing". NCAA. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
5. "Division I-A National Player Report: Passing Efficiency". NCAA. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
6. "Division I-A National Team Report: Rushing Offense". NCAA. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
7. "Division I-A National Team Report: Passing Offense". NCAA. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
8. "Division I-A National Team Report: Offense Fourth-Down Efficiency". NCAA. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on February 28, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
9. "Three and out: Beavers stun USC; BCS race wide open". ESPN. October 28, 2006. Archived from the original on February 18, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-08-12. Retrieved 2006-12-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)