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
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)

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.^[1]

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]

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

Rankings

Roster

References