Presented by VETERANS PLUMBING.
This Day In Sports…September 11, 1971:
Boise State and Idaho play each other in football for the first time. The Vandals were heavily favored over the upstart Broncos, who were only in their fourth year as a four-year program. But Boise State coach Tony Knap had an ambush waiting in Bronco Stadium, as his team beat the Vandals 42-14 behind quarterback Eric Guthrie and wide receivers Don Hutt and Al Marshall. A standing room only crowd of 16,123 looked on in the 14,500-seat facility (temporary bleachers had been added in the north end zone to accommodate the throng).
Idaho was the home team, as its home stadium in Moscow was still under construction. That would be known as New Idaho Stadium until 1975, when the roof was added and it became the Kibbie Dome. The crowd in Boise was fairly split between Broncos and Vandals fans, but the noise became one-sided in the second half as Boise State put the finishing touches on a surprising rout. Guthrie threw for 297 yards, and the Broncos added 125 on the ground for a Knap offense that was ahead of its time.
Many wondered if the two in-state schools could be rivals going into the game, as Idaho’s schedule was still dotted by what are now Power-4 schools in non-conference play, while Boise State’s non-league slate was a work in progress, filled out by NAIA schools such as Central Washington and College of Idaho. It was the Broncos’ second season in the Big Sky, but the Vandals couldn’t fit them onto their 1970 schedule. That was a particular bone of contention between the two schools.
After that initial clash, it was rivalry on. Idaho won the second game 22-21 in 1972, in Boise State’s home game at Bronco Stadium. The Broncos won the next two—then the teams tied 31-31 in 1975 in the Kibbie Dome Dedication game in Moscow. September 11 is, in fact, a big day in the history of the rivalry. On this day in 1976, Idaho spoiled the debut of Knap’s successor, Jim Criner, with a 16-9 win in Bronco Stadium. The late Robert Taylor ran back the opening kickoff 100 yards to set the tone for the evening.
And so it went. The Vandals racked up their memorable 12-game winning streak over the Broncos from 1982-93. Boise State answered by taking the last 12 games in the football edition of the rivalry from 1999-2010. It’s been 15 years now since the Broncos and Vandals have faced off, but there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. A return of the game to the blue turf is looking likely—both Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey and Idaho AD Terry Gawlik are in favor and are talking about it.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
