2007:43-42

So, you made it! The other day when I wrote it was still 2006 and I wished you a happy new year. So, now you've made it, and how's it looking? Good, good, glad to hear it!

It's looking pretty nice from here, but I'm a little tired. Getting old, I guess. Sure, we stayed up late on New Year's Eve. But instead of dancing and partying the night away, we were a little less funky. Maybe next year - I understand they do this every December 31st.

Of course, I MIGHT be tired from what happened New Year's EveNING, when I and the rest of the Great NW stayed up to watch the BSU Broncos play the Oklahoma Sooners. Sure, the Broncos were too small, too slow, too weak, from a cupcake conference. Las Vegas was generous enough to have them underdogs by only 7 points, but the whole world knew they had no chance. Poor things.

Until they went up 14-0 in the first quarter and most of the world had to sit up and take notice (all except for the good people of Oklahoma, who just wanted to crawl under a rock). After that, though, things got REALLY interesting. Scores back and forth. Long bombs. A flukey punt bobble (or whatever you call it when the ball bounces off the heel of a blocker) that gave UOK first down right by the BSU goal line. A 2-minute scoring drive that tied the game. A badly timed pass, intercepted and returned with 63 seconds left for the winning touchdown. Except that the Broncos pulled out an amazing final drive and scored the game-tier at James Bond Time: 007 left on the clock.

Then Oklahoma put the game away. On the first play of overtime their running back, Heisman nominee Adrian Peterson sprinted 25 yards for the score to put them up by 7. But...

BSU gets the ball back, right? How about a first down! Then how about nothing more until fourth down, when the quarterback leaves the play and another guy throws a touchdown pass! And then - like you've probably seen already - the BSU Broncos, the little guy, the Champs of the Cupcake Conference, lined up for the 2-point conversion and the win.

Now, we here in Boise weren't surprised. NOBODY from Atlantic City to Vegas to the west coast Indian reservations gambles like BSU. In fact, I was thinking they'd go for 2 at the end of regulation time. But they didn't. They waited until overtime.

And with a quick non-pass to the receivers on the right side of the field, the quarterback confused the defense. Then, a behind-the-back handoff to Heisman-nominated running back Ian Johnson, a quick scamper, and the Boise State Broncos are Fiesta Bowl Champions. 43 to 42.

It was 11:00, four hours after the starting time, and David had brought down Goliath once again. It was the most exciting football game I've ever seen. It was the best ending to a football game ever (sorry, Cal; your claim to the title involved NON-players NOT playing the game). And I stayed up until 2:00 watching the reruns.

Amazing stuff.

So, if the rest of 2007 is as good as the start was, we're in for a great year. Deep snow, an early spring, and global peace would all be in the cards. But to be honest, I think we've seen the best... so it's going to be all downhill from here.

Fortunately, the Broncos set us up so high that even going downhill ain't so bad!