SEATTLE – Things certainly have changed in a hurry at Boise State.
In the span of one wild Fiesta Bowl finish, the Broncos, Washington’s opponent Saturday, have gone from the little-mid-major-that-could to college football’s feel-good story.
Since their victory over Oklahoma in last year’s Fiesta Bowl, a win that included a fourth quarter and overtime that many are calling one of the best finishes in college football history, the Broncos of the Western Athletic Conference have been on a wild ride. Suddenly running back Ian Johnson is a Heisman Trophy candidate appearing on the cover of magazines and video games.
Broncos coach Chris Petersen has a nice way of summing up Boise State’s rise to national prominence.
“I know that in the past when we talked to people at other schools, they didn’t know much about Boise State and they’d say, ‘Oh yeah, you guys got the blue field,’” Petersen said, referring to the blue turf at Bronco Stadium.
“Now at least they’ll say, ‘You guys got the blue field, and you played in that Fiesta Bowl.’ It’s a slow process, but we’re making headway.”
And while the attention of last season brings plenty of positives to the Boise State football program, part of Petersen’s challenge this year is to leave the past behind.
“There’s just a lot more stuff going on outside of the football part of things,” Petersen said. “More media, just more of everything, which has been great. It’s been great exposure for our program and for our players, but we’ve really had to work hard on how to try to keep this thing balanced and keep enough time to still be able to get done the things we need to get done that make us good.”
Another aspect of their past the Broncos are trying not to dwell on is their lack of road success against BCS conference teams. For all of their other successes, Boise State is 0-12 on the road against BCS teams, including 0-7 on the road against the Pac-10.
“We try not to get too hung up on what’s happened in the past, good or bad,” said Petersen. “We try to leave all the stats and figures and hype for other people to figure out.”
Boise State comes into Saturday’s game against Washington at Husky Stadium having won 14 straight, the longest current streak in the nation. But like the Fiesta Bowl and the 0-12 road record, the current winning streak is something the Broncos are leaving in the review mirror as they head to Seattle this weekend.
“We’re leaving last year in the past, and just knowing that this is a new season with a bunch of new challenges,” Petersen said.
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