# 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.
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 second 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."

## 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.

### 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. The keys to their offense were running back Ian Johnson, who was the nation's leading scorer and second in rushing yards per game, and Zabransky, eighth in passing efficiency. 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). In a more obscure statistic, they led the country in percentage of fourth-down conversions, converting 15 of 19 attempts.
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.

### 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 StadiumBoise, ID | KTVB | W 45–0 | 29,647 |
| September 7 | 5:30 p.m. | Oregon State* | | Bronco StadiumBoise, ID | ESPN | W 42–14 | 30,711 |
| September 16 | 1:30 p.m. | at Wyoming* | | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | MTN | W 17–10 | 17,880 |
| September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | Hawaii | No. 25 | Bronco StadiumBoise, ID | KTVB | W 41–34 | 30,642 |
| September 30 | 2:30 p.m. | at Utah* | No. 22 | Rice-Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | Versus | W 36–3 | 45,222 |
| October 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | No. 20 | Bronco StadiumBoise, ID | KTVB | W 55–14 | 30,572 |
| October 15 | 6:00 p.m. | at New Mexico State | No. 20 | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | ESPN | W 40–28 | 16,872 |
| October 21 | 3:00 p.m. | at Idaho | No. 18 | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID (Battle for the Governor's Trophy) | KTVB | W 42–26 | 17,000 |
| November 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Fresno State | No. 14 | Bronco StadiumBoise, 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 StadiumSan Jose, California | KTVB | W 23–20 | 21,742 |
| November 18 | 1:00 p.m. | Utah State | No. 13 | Bronco StadiumBoise, ID | KTVB | W 49–10 | 30,515 |
| November 25 | 2:00 p.m. | at Nevada | No. 12 | Mackay StadiumReno, NV (rivalry) | ESPN2 | W 38–7 | 25,506 |
| January 1, 2007 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. No. 7 Oklahoma* | No. 9 | University of Phoenix StadiumGlendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl) | FOX | W 43–42 $^{OT}$ | 73,719 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Mountain time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 5 (1) |
| Coaches Poll | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 22 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 9 | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 8 | Not released |