2006 Boise State Broncos football team The 2006 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2006 college 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 ladder 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 would end 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 . Pre - season awards . Korey Hall Ian Johnson Jared Zabransky 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 in one of the six BCS conferences ; Utah ; and conference rivals Hawaii , San José 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 Southern California . Postseason awards . Chris Petersen Korey Hall Ian Johnson Jared Zabransky 2007 Espy Awards Schedule .