Presented by ZAMZOWS.
This Day In Sports…September 18, 2021, five years ago today:
Boise State hosts a Big 12 team during the regular season for the first time, and Oklahoma State takes away a 21-20 nail-biter on the blue turf. (The Broncos had faced Iowa State at home in 2002, but that was in the Humanitarian Bowl.) In this one, Boise State mounted a 20-7 lead late in the second quarter before the Cowboys scored two quick touchdowns just before halftime. The second half was scoreless, but it shouldn’t have been.
Boise State’s Riley Whimpey forced a fumble by OSU’s Jaylen Warren with just over three minutes left, and JL Skinner scooped it and returned it for a TD. But it was reviewed, and alas, officials ruled that the play had been blown dead. It had to be the most booed review result in Albertsons Stadium. So the Broncos instead got possession at the Cowboys’ 41-yard line. They got it down to the 19, but Oklahoma State barely got fingertips on Jonah Dalmas’ 36-yard field goal attempt, and that ended their final threat.
Regarding Boise State’s scoreless second half, well, things were different in the trenches in those days. It was hoped that running back George Holani would be the magic elixir, as he was playing his much-anticipated first full game in 11 months. But Holani had nowhere to run and finished with 12 carries for just 28 yards. The Broncos defense had trouble with the Cowboys’ Warren, the former Utah State Aggie and current Pittsburgh Steeler. Warren ran for 218 yards, the most against Boise State since East Carolina’s Chris Johnson racked up 223 in the 2007 Hawaii Bowl. But the Broncos did shut out OSU in the second half themselves.
Skinner was something else, though. He led the Broncos with 10 tackles, added the fumble recovery (that should have included a 41-yard return for a TD), and had the hit of the century when he sniffed out an OSU double-reverse and sent Brennan Pressley ass over tea kettle. Boise State began the season 3-4 in Andy Avalos’ first year as head coach, but one of the wins was at No. 10 BYU. The Broncos also beat a ranked Fresno State squad on the road in November and finished 7-5, typifying the rollercoaster known as the Avalos Era.
(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.)
