Boise St. still perfect after Fiesta win
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Boise State coach Chris Petersen stayed out of the national title debate after his sixth-ranked Broncos defeated No. 3 Texas Christian 17-10 in a Fiesta Bowl duel of unbeaten BCS busters on Monday night.
It's clear he thinks his spunky team can play with anyone.
"I just know that these kids have the most unbelievable heart," Petersen said.
Petersen and his staff are known for their gadget plays, and they stunned the Horned Frogs with one called "Riddler" — a gutsy fake punt with game tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter and the Broncos facing fourth-and-9 on their own 33-yard line.
Punter Kyle Brotzman hit wide-open Kyle Efaw with a 30-yard strike, and four plays later, Doug Martin scored the decisive touchdown on a 2-yard run.
For the second time in four years, the Broncos (14-0) won the Fiesta Bowl with a YouTube-worthy play.
"I think that's what they expect us out of us, so we're happy to deliver," Petersen said.
TCU coach Gary Patterson said the Horned Frogs (12-1) had worked on the fake in practice, but they were caught flat-footed.
"The fake punt was a great call," Patterson said. "They outcoached us on that play."
The trickery evoked memories of Boise State's BCS debut three years ago, when it pulled out a passel of gadget plays to defeat Oklahoma on the same field.
"Our coaches are creative and they dial stuff up and it works a lot of the time," said Efaw, whose team became the second in modern history to go 14-0, joining Ohio State in 2002.
Unlike the thriller against OU, this game offered little drama for the first three quarters.
It was the first time two schools from conferences without automatic BCS bids have met in one of college football's biggest bowls. But for long stretches TCU and Boise State played as if they belonged in the Poinsettia Bowl, the site of TCU's 17-16 victory over Boise State in December 2008.
Boise State entered as the nation's highest-scoring team (44.2 points), and the Horned Frogs were fourth (40.7), but their expected offensive duel turned into a tedious series of punts.
Neither team could muster an offensive touchdown until the final minute of the first half, when TCU's Andy Dalton hit Curtis Clay for a 30-yard score to make it 10-7. TCU's Ross Evans kicked a 29-yard field goal to tie it at 10 heading into the fourth quarter.
