1990 was a landmark year in
Boise
State
football. Other than what can be
achieved when a team is on the same page, there are no “lessons” that jump
out at you like the other “Time Capsules” we are featuring in the 45-Day
Countdown.
So just sit back and enjoy the tale!
Although
Boise
State
qualified for the Division I-AA playoffs in 1988, it had really been seven years
since the Bronco football team had the kind of success that fans were used to
under Tony Knap and Jim Criner. After
Criner left for
Iowa
State
following the 1982 season, the school experienced the longest dry spell
in their history.
Defensive coach Lyle Setencich took over for Criner
and did not fare well as the head man, going 24-20 in four frustrating years.
In Setencich’s last year (1986), the Broncos went 5-6.
A losing season was unheard of in
Boise
, with the last one being in 1946, the year before Lyle Smith grabbed the
reins of the program. Skip Hall, one
of Don James’ trusted assistants at
Washington
,
was hired by Boise State to inject new life into the program.
While Hall ran a crystal clear program and invigorated an offense that
was desperate for attention,
Boise
State
only went 6-5, 8-4 and 6-5 in Hall’s first three seasons.
A lot of things went the right way in 1990.
While the word “magical” is overused in sports and probably doesn’t
fully apply to the ’90 Broncos, a lot of things went
Boise
State
’s way that year.
Hall’s team opened with a 14-10 squeaker over
a highly-regarded Stephen
F.
Austin
State
in Bronco Stadium.
1990:
(10-4, 6-2 Big Sky)
#12
Boise
State
made a statement with a 14-10 win over #2
Stephen
F.
Austin
State
to
open the 1990 season in Bronco Stadium before a crowd of 19,312.
The Broncos rallied from a ten-point second-half
deficit to pull out the win. The
margin would have been more had it not been for a blocked field goal by Anthony Brown and an end zone interception by cornerback Elijah George.
The Bronco offense was held to just 101 yards in the first half.
The
Boise
State
defense was stout and recorded five interceptions on the evening.
The visitors from
Texas
were held to 177 yards and committed 6 turnovers in the 2nd half.
The Bronco offense woke up midway through the third
quarter. Chris Thomas scored from the 5 with
2:56
left in the quarter, capping a 66-yard drive in
11 plays,. After two
changes of possession, the Broncos got the ball on the Lumberjack 48.
Quarterback Mike Virden hit tight end Larry Stayner for 28 yards and Bart
Hull scored from the 20 for what proved to be the winning touchdown.
Thomas had 78 yards to lead the Bronco rushing
attack.
The
following week,
Boise
State
held a 17-0 lead in the third quarter and then held on to beat
Weber
State
24-14. Wildcat quarterback Jamie Martin’s passing barrage fell just short.
Martin threw for 190 yards in the second half in trying to bring his team
back.
The
game wasn’t over until linebacker Tim O’Connor intercepted a pass and ran it
back 25 yards for a touchdown with 20 seconds remaining.
O’Connor stepped in front of Trevor Shaw on an attempted screen and
sailed into the end zone untouched.
Weber
had closed to 17-14 with
3:22
remaining as Martin hit Scoye Jackson with an 8-yard pass.
Chris
Thomas ran for a 2-yard touchdown and Mike Black kicked a 21-yard field goal to
provide
Boise
State
’s
10 points at halftime. With
1:10
left in the third quarter, Virden hit Winky White with a 35-yard scoring pass.
Weber came back as Martin connected with Dane Hall for 65 yards to the
Bronco 12. Four plays later, Geoff
Mitchell scored from the one. After an exchange of punts,
Weber
State
drove 86 yards in 13 plays to make it close.
Jackson
and Mitchell combined for 168 yards for
Weber
State
while Thomas ran for 149 yards for the Broncos.
Thomas moved up to #5 on the all-time Bronco career rushing list,
trailing only Cedric Minter, Rodney Webster, Jon Francis and Terry Zahner.
Virden was 12-21 for 115 yards while White paced the Broncos in receiving
with 4 catches for 71 yards.
The
Broncos traveled to
Cheney
,
Washington
the following week. Harold Wright
ran roughshod through the Bronco defense for 152 yards on 40 carries as
Boise
State
fell to
Eastern
Washington
16-10. The
Eagle defense sacked Virden five times and held
Boise
State
to a negative 16 rushing yards in the second half.
Still,
Boise
State
had a chance with the ball on the Eagle 42 with
2:01
to go. A pass interference call gave
the Broncos a first down at the 30. Virden
spotted White alone in the back of the end zone.
White made the catch but the official said he did not get a foot down in
bounds, despite replays clearly showing White dragged his right foot before falling out of bounds. Three
subsequent attempts to reach the end zone were unsuccessful.
Thomas
churned out 61 yards on 17 carries to top the 2,000-yard mark for his Bronco
career.
The
following week,
Boise
State
ran out to a 27-0 first-half lead and downed
Boston
University
34-21 in Bronco Stadium. Thomas, who had 99 yards on 27 carries, moved into fourth
place on the all-time
Boise
State
rushing list.
Boise
State
methodically drove 72 yards in 16 plays after the opening kickoff as Thomas dove
in from a yard out. Virden hit Chris
Sweeting with a 63-yard bomb and Winky White hauled in an 87-yarder to put the
Broncos up 21-0. Mike Black added
field goals of 31 and 47 yards before the teams went into the locker rooms.
Boston
lost four fumbles in the first half, including two on kickoff returns.
Boston
came back in the third quarter. Star
Greene hit Brian Straughter in the end zone with
1:45
left in the quarter. On their next
possession, Green finished a drive by hitting All-American Daren Altieri with a
three-yard score. Altieri was held
to six catches for 50 yards by Bronco cornerback Kenny Kuehl.
With
the score 27-14, Virden hit White with another touchdown pass to put
the game out of reach. Virden
finished with a steady 13-of-19 for 223 yards. The Broncos recorded 416 yards of
total offense.
The
Broncos traveled to
California
for another meeting with Division I-A Long Beach State.
Boise
State
blew a 20-14 lead in the fourth quarter and fell to legendary coach George Allen’s team 21-20.
Black
missed a 37-yard field goal that would have nearly iced the game with
4:10
to go. Instead, the 49’ers drove
80 yards for the winning score.
Long Beach
staked a 14-0 lead when Todd Studer hit Sean Foster with a scoring strike and
Sean Cheevers scored. But
Boise
State
fought back with four unanswered scores. With
the Broncos leading 17-14 and
5:58
to go, Frank Robinson blocked a punt, giving his offense great field position.
Black booted his second field goal of the game to extend the lead to
20-14.
Anthony
Brown intercepted a Studer pass at the 50 and returned it to the LBS 25-yard
line but the missed field goal left the door open and the 49’ers took
advantage.
White
led
Boise
State
with 251 all-purpose yards and was the top receiver with 150 yards on 7
receptions. Thomas gained 119 yards
and scored once on 29 carries.
Not
only did
Boise
State
get to return home after the disappointing loss in
California
;
they would also get a chance to exact revenge on
Montana
,
who had trounced the Broncos 48-13 in
Missoula
the year before.
Boise
State
exploded for a 34-3 halftime lead and coasted to a 41-3 win over
Montana
.
The Broncos accumulated 267 yards of total offense in the first half to
just 51 for the Grizzlies.
Montana
came into the game averaging 41 points a game but star quarterback Grady Bennett
committed 5 first-half turnovers. He
fumbled after being sacked by Helgeson on the first
Montana
play. Bennett was just 5-13 for 42
yards with 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles and was sacked twice.
Hull
finished with 12
carries for 67 yards while Thomas had 16 carries for 63.
Virden completed 15-of-24 passes for 176 yards and a score.
Terry Heffner was the leading receiver with 3 receptions for 73
yards.
The
Walkup Skydome was not an easy place to win at.
Down 20-9 midway through the second quarter,
Boise
State
mounted a comeback to get a 28-20 win over
Northern Arizona
in
Flagstaff
.
It would prove to be a huge win for the Broncos.
With
12:08
remaining in the game, Virden hit Chris Sweeting for 17 yards to put
Boise
State
ahead for the first time 21-20. After
the Bronco defense held, Thomas put the game away with runs of 54, 14 and 8 to
set him up for a one-yard plunge. Thomas
finished with 139 yards on 21 carries.
NAU
drew first blood with an 81-yard drive to begin the game that resulted in a
4-yard pass from John Bonds to Lamont Shedrick.
Boise
State
came back as Helgeson got a safety and on the ensuing Bronco possession, Sheldon
Forehand shook his defender for a 58-yard scoring play from Virden.
The Lumberjacks burned the Bronco defense with a 68-yard run by Charles
McKenzie followed by a Big Sky Conference record 99-yard pass from Bonds to
Hendricks Johnson.
After
Anthony Brown blocked a field goal try,
Boise
State
drove 70 yards with Virden scoring on a 10-yard run to bring
Boise
State
within 6 at 20-15. The Broncos went
for two and did not convert.
Thomas
bothered the NAU defense with 139 yards rushing on 21 carries while Heffner had
4 catches for 47 yards and David Tingstad had 4 receptions for 31.
Eric Helgeson had three sacks to lead the defense despite being
double-teamed constantly.
A
trip to the Minidome was next.
Boise
State
grabbed a 24-9 lead in the first half and blitzed
Idaho
State
44-16 in
Pocatello
.
The
Broncos ran out of the gate with a 61-yard drive in 10 plays to score off the
opening kickoff. Virden floated a
10-yard pass in the end zone to Forehand. After
Idaho
State
’s
Darren Goodman nailed a 48-yard field goal,
Boise
State
’s
Mike Wilson scored on a 37-yard reverse on his first collegiate carry.
“It
was a very workmanlike performance,” Bronco head coach Skip Hall said.
“Everybody contributed and played well.”
Chris
Thomas moved into third place all-time with 3,553 career all-purpose yards.
He gained 82 on the ground on 21 carries.
Virden
fired 3 touchdown passes and was 21-27 for 210 yards.
The Broncos were well-balanced with 288 rushing yards and 223 through the
air. White led Bronco receivers with
6 catches for 98 yards.
Thomas
(4 yards) and Spearman (28 yards) found paydirt on the ground while Heffner (1
yard) and White (30 yards) were on the receiving end of Virden’s other TD
passes.
Boise
State
traveled to
Bozeman
riding a three-game winning streak. The
Broncos defeated
Montana
State
31-27 in dramatic fashion as a wild rally was successful.
With
Montana
State
leading 21-20 and
3:05
left in the game, MSU advanced their lead to 27-20 as Si Ryan dove over from the
one. The Bobcats lined up for the
extra point. But Frank Robinson
burst in from the right side for his fifth blocked kick of the season and
Boise
State
’s
10th of the year. The
ball bounced right into the arms of Elijah George, who ran 80 yards untouched
for two points to make it 27-22.
Boise
State
got the ensuing kick and drove into Bobcat territory only to be intercepted.
There now was not much room for error, but the Bronco defense held to
force a
Montana
State
punt. Punter Darren Svendsen could
not field the high punt and the ball sailed through the end zone for a safety.
That
made it 27-24 with
1:39
left, no Bronco timeouts and star playmakers Thomas and White sidelined with
injuries.
Boise
State
got the ball again and this time did not waste their chance.
The Broncos drove down the field to the MSU 22, where quarterback Mike
Virden hit tight end Larry Stayner with a perfect pass as only 53 seconds
remained to give
Boise
State
the win. Fullback David Tingstad led
the team in rushing with eight carries for 50 yards.
Virden finished 21-of-43 for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
Bart
Hull bulled over for three touchdowns to lead #6
Boise
State
to a 30-14 win over #2
Nevada
in Bronco Stadium the following week. The
Bronco defense, meanwhile, held the Pack to a season low 14 yards on 49
attempts.
“They
did a great job,”
Nevada
head coach Chris Ault said. “They
played a hell of a game.”
A
crowd of 22,611 watched the contest between 2 of the top 3 I-AA teams in the
land. Helgeson had 3 sacks of Pack
quarterback Chris Gatlin for 26 yards and was credited with 4 hurried passes.
He had five solo tackles and assisted on four others, all the while
battling against 6’7”
Nevada
tackle Tony Wells and more often than not, had to fight through double teams.
Thomas
hauled in a 15-yard pass from Virden and Black had a field goal to account for
Boise
State
’s
other scores. Thomas finished the
game with a workmanlike 69 yards on 23 carries.
The following week, Idaho
defensive end Robinson made a leaping interception to preserve a 21-14 win for
Idaho
.
#14
Idaho
was fighting for a I-AA playoff berth and needed the win.
Boise
State
was already in good position for the postseason.
After
a 5-yard gain on a fake field goal try,
Hull
burst through for a 2-yard score to tie the game at 14.
But
Idaho
controlled the fourth quarter.
Devon
Pearce ripped through the Bronco defense for 226 yards and 2 TD’s.
Scott Russell became
Boise
State
’s
all-time leading tackler with 18 stops on the day.
Russell’s total of 404 eclipsed the existing record of 397 by Carl
Keever. Robinson recorded his
seventh blocked kick of the season on a field goal attempt by
Idaho
’s
Thayne Doyle. Robinson added an
interception in the game.
Thomas
was held to 27 yards rushing on 14 carries and
Idaho
controlled the clock, holding on to the ball for 36:09 to
23:51
for
Boise
State
.
White
had 6 receptions for 151 yards while Virden was 20-34 for 252 yards but 3
interceptions.
The Bronco defense shone in a 20-3
win over #11
Northern
Iowa
in the NCAA Division I-AA first round, which saw
punter Mike Black tie the Bronco record with 11 punts and cornerback Frank
Robinson halt 3
Northern Iowa
drives with
interceptions. The Bronco defense held
Northern Iowa
to a negative 5 yards rushing and only 156 yards of total offense.
Northern Iowa
came into the game averaging 375 yards and 30 points per game.
It was the fourth time in five home games that
Boise
State
had held their opponent to negative rushing yards.
The
Bronco defense thwarted six drives with interceptions against a quarterback (Jay Johnson) who had thrown just seven picks all year. Johnson,
who came into the game as the #2 passer in the nation, was held to 13-45
passing.
Russell
and Shawn Anderson led the Bronco defensive effort with eight tackles each.
Black
booted field goals of 28 and 50 to put the Broncos up 6-3 at the half.
The Bronco offense finally got untracked when Virden hit White with a
7-yard pass to put Coach Hall’s team up 13-3.
Inspired that their offense had put points on the board, the “D”
snared interceptions on
Northern
Iowa
’s
next three drives. Lyle, Robinson
and Elijah George were the recipients.
With
starting backs Thomas and
Hull
both banged up, sophomore Sean Sanders had 42 yards rushing and a 6-yard
touchdown.
Bronco fans witnessed a thrilling 20-13 win over
Middle
Tennessee
State
in the I-AA Quarterfinals, when the stingy
Boise
State
defense again excelled, limiting MTSU to 26 yards passing. The key play of the game came with the score tied at 13 with 11:30 to go. Boise State had a fourth-and-two on its own 19-yard line. Hall gambled. Punter Mike Black took the snap and floated a pass to George. The Raiders smelled it out and dropped two men to cover him. But Black’s pass was perfect for an 18-yard gain and a first down. The Broncos went on to score the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run by Sanders with 5:27 to go.
The
Broncos advanced to a I-AA semifinal matchup with
Nevada
.
But the
Nevada
team that was trounced just four weeks earlier was not the same team this time
around. In a classic that lasted
nearly four hours, the Pack prevailed 59-52 in triple overtime in
Reno
.
But
not without a host of heroics on both sides of the ball.
Duane Halliday, who was
Boise
State
’s
starting quarterback in 1989 but lost his job to Virden, came in just before
halftime for an ineffective and pressing Virden.
Despite the fact that he hadn't played in 6 weeks, Halliday completed 23-of-37 passes in little over a half for an astounding 382 yards
and 3 touchdowns to almost pull off an incredible comeback.
Nevada
jumped on the Broncos for a 13-0 lead in the first quarter behind two field
goals and Joe Kaspers' 31-yard interception return of a Mike Virden
pass.
The
key play of the game came with Boise State leading 35-31 in the fourth. The Bronco defense moved to stuff a run by Whalen on a 3rd-and-2 at
Nevada
's
28-yard line. Six Broncos were on
hand to make the tackle. Whalen
miraculously slipped free from the pile, broke outside, and romped untouched for
a 72-yard backbreaking touchdown. The
Broncos had taken the lead on a 6-yard pass from Halliday to Heffner with
10:25
remaining.
It
was a wild fourth quarter as the lead changed hands three times.
Boise
State
had tied the game with 56 seconds left when Virden hit Ryan Teel on a 7-yard
scoring strike to cap a 9-play, 79-yard drive.
That followed a 10-yard Chris Vargas run with
3:55
left to put the Pack up 45-38. Black
had tied the game at 38 with a 38-yard field goal.
The
score was tied at 45 at the end of regulation.
Nevada
got first possession but missed a field goal.
Boise
State
had a chance to win and lined up for a 35-yard attempt.
But it was wide right and the teams went into a second overtime.
Whalen
bolted for his third touchdown of the game from eight yards out to put the Pack
ahead for good. When Halliday’s
fourth-and-10 pass fell incomplete, all of
Reno
celebrated
Nevada
’s
berth in the national championship game against
Georgia
Southern.
White
shattered a school record with 264 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns on 11
catches.
A
win would have put the Broncos in their 2nd national championship
game exactly 10 years after the 1st.
But it was not to be.
Starting
Lineup:
C
Jack Porter (#59)
RG
Carl Ramos (#79)
LG
Dave Giacomazzo (#73)
LT
71 Jermaine Belin (#71)
TE
Ryan Teel (#99)
SE
Winky White #1)
FL
Terry Heffner (#85)
QB
Mike Virden (#13)
TB
Chris Thomas (#20)
FB
David Tingstad (#11)
DT
Shawn Anderson (#97)
NT
Anthony Hernandez (#98)
DE
Todd Gilkey (#91)
DE
Erik Helgeson (#46)
OLB
Tim O’Connor (#58)
OLB
Kenny Kuehl (#7)
MLB
Scott Russell (#44)
CB
Elijah George (#27)
CB
Frank Robinson (#3)
SS
Tim Langhans (#40)
FS
Rod Johnson (#16)
Other
Key Players:
Anthony Brown (#43)
Defensive
Tackle Louis Ray (#94)
Linebacker
Tim Langhans (#40)
Defensive End Chris Shepherd (#93)
Defensive
End Durelle Goodloe (#55)
Safety
Darrin Lyle (#19)
Cornerback
Kenny Kuehl (#7)
Linebacker
Matt McLaughlin (#57)
Defensive
Tackle Jim Pantner (#90)
Linebacker
Rob Gates (#49)
Brian
Matson (#63)
Linebacker
Mark Criner (#33)
Cornerback
Marcell King (#29)
Linebacker
Scott Monk
Cornerback
Keith Morioka (#5)
QB
Duane Halliday (#18)
WR
Mike Wilson (#14)
Left
Tackle Dave Koch (#78)
Tackle—Greg Cooper #71
Tackle—George
Alexander #69
Tight
End—Larry Stayner #86
Left
Guard Mike Bills (#62)
Right
Tackle Lee Duncan (#66)
Center
Tim Fischer (#54)
Right
Guard Greg Alexander (#69)
Center
Jeff Pitman
Running
Back Isiah Spearman (#32)
Quarterback
Jeff Mladenich (#6)
Quarterback
Travis Stuart (#1)
Coaches:
Offensive
Coordinator—John Gough
Assistant—Heath
McInerny
Quarterback
Coach—Jim Zorn
Wide
Receivers Coach—Jeff Murphy
Running
Backs Coach—Jay Mills
Tight
Ends Coach—Jeff Lindsley
Defensive
Coordinator and Secondary Coach—Jim Fleming
Secondary
Assistant—Chris Culig
Defensive
Line Coach—Steve Burrato
Assistant
Defensive Line Coach—Pete Kwiatkowski
Linebackers
Coach—Scott Pelleur