Best Finish Ever!

Not sure how many of you guys stayed up long enough last night to catch the end of the Boise State/Oklahoma game, but it was the best last three minutes and overtime of any football game I have ever seen. Yes, I know it is easy to get swept up in the moment, but I've spent a good part of the day trying to think of a game that compares to all the action packed into the final three minutes and overtime and can't think of anything remotely close.

Early in the third quarter, I thought Oklahoma was cooked. They showed no life whatsoever for most of the game and their offense made mistake after mistake as they fell behind 28-10. Then suddenly, the Sooners woke up and worked their way all the way back to 28-26 after they scored a TD on a tipped pass. At that point, all hell broke loose.

First, the sequence that led to the tying two point conversion by Oklahoma on their third attempt was amazing. I was then stunned when the Sooners' picked off the Boise State's QB pass to nobody in particular and returned it for a TD with less than 90 seconds left in the game. I was sure the clock had struck midnight for the Cinderella Broncos. However, I was wrong.

The Broncs got the ball back and quickly moved into Sooner territory. Then on 4th and 18 and under 20 seconds left, Boise State pulled off a play for the ages. They used the ol' hook and lateral to perfection and tied the game with seven seconds left. Boise's version was similar in design to the one the Giants tried back in 2001 at the Vet, but they pulled it off successfully unlike the G Men. The execution and drama of the Don Strock/Nat Moore/Tony Nathan hook and lateral that the Dolphins used for a TD in that classic early 80's playoff game against the Chargers was close to this one, but Boise's miracle touchdown was more deceptive and executed more crisply. It left me flat out flabbergasted. The game then moved to OT....

On their first possession of OT, the Sooners o-line and Adrian Peterson bitch slapped the tiring Boise State defense on their way to a 25 yard td. Then, Boise State got the ball back and the magic started all over again.

It took six plays for Boise State to score a TD, but all but two of the plays were gimmicky trick plays. I loved the shots of OU coach, Bob Stoops on the sideline. He clearly seemed pissed that Boise didn't line up and play "big boy" football and kept trying these gimmicky plays. I have to admit I was getting annoyed as well, but the what the hell do I know? The strategy worked as the final trick play, a direct snap to the half back, which led to a TD pass to the Broncos TE pulled them within one. What followed next was sheer genius.

Boise State's coach realized that his defense was tiring and would not be able to hold off the Sooners throughout OT, so he decided to go for two and the win. As I'm sure you've all seeon on TV at this point, Boise used the most inventive Statue of Liberty play I've ever seen. The fake flanker screen/Statue of Liberty was executed so flawlessly, RB Ian Johnson could have walked into the end zone. Undoubtedly, this play will be in every high school and college playbook by August 1, 2007. Hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Plus, right after the game, the guy that scored the winning two point conversion asked his girlfriend, a Boise State cheerleader, to marry him. I wonder if he'll follow through with it when all those ladies start throwing themselves at him when he reaches the pros. It won't take long for him to realize that the quality of NFL women is about 83.5 times higher outside Boise.

Anyhow, I have a couple questions after watching this game.

1. If you are a white dude in Boise, are you required to get a least ten bad tats? Man, those Boise State guys had some brutal tattoos;
2. How often does Boise State practice those trick plays? They must spend a portion of every practice on them. They execute them way too well; and
3. Will Adrian "All Day (aka AD)" Peterson ever let his old man watch one of his games again? For those uneducated on the topic, earlier this fall, AD's pop, Nelson, was released from a federal pokey after an eight year stint. He then showed up at the Oklahoma/Iowa State game to watch his son for the first time and AD broke his collarbone on a meaningless 4th quarter TD. Well, believe it or not, but Nelson was back in the house last night and the Sooners got upset by Boise State in a crushing loss. If I'm Peterson, there is no way I'm bringing him to the NFL draft as it will surely mean he gets drafted by the Texans and their non-existent offensive line and passing game.

Well, I just hope we get one more BCS bowl that even comes close to the level of excitement this game provided. I'm sitting here watching the 'Ville/Wake game and I'm just not feeling it despite the fact it is a four point game half way through the 4th quarter.