For those of you that don’t know, I am a Boise State University alumnus, graduating from the school in 2008. I’ve always been thankful for time as a Bronco; the school was good to me and prepared me for a career that I have had the past 17 years. I have been a season ticket holder for the majority of the last 17 years, but haven’t been able to attend any bowl games outside of the 2012 Las Vegas Bowl. My wife and I decided this was an opportunity our family could not miss, especially since the game was taking place on my 40th birthday. She stayed home with our youngest child while I took the three oldest with me. After arriving the previous night in Tucson (it was cheaper to fly there), we made the drive to Glendale to see our beloved Broncos take on Penn State. It was a memorable experience, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected.
Initial Thoughts
The crowd was overwhelmingly in favor of Boise State. I would say it was a 75-25 split in favor of the Broncos. There were also a lot of empty seats. I think this is one of the unintended consequences of this new system. It’s not realistic to ask fans to travel to multiple bowl games, especially around the holidays. It’s hard to see college football going away from these traditional bowl games, but I think the experience would be better for fans if quarterfinal games were played on college campuses. It is better for the fans and for the viewing experience.
The in-game experience was interesting. Both teams ran out to the songs they would as if they were at home. However, the Broncos did not have the “Bronco Girl” run them onto the field like they have in past Fiesta Bowls. Honestly, the in-game experience was kind of underwhelming. I don’t think the Fiesta Bowl did enough to engage either fan base. When you are at a game in Boise, they always do something to keep fans engaged during the long and numerous timeouts that fans have to deal with. Fiesta Bowl made a big deal about downloading an app where lights would sync with music, but this was only used twice during the entire game. Lines for merchandise were also extremely long. I came with the full intent of buying a shirt but decided not to wait in a line that would have made me miss out on my first opportunity to soak in a game of this magnitude.
The game itself was highly entertaining. I will be honest, I did not go in with high hopes of the Broncos coming away with the victory, but I knew the program would represent itself well and look like they belonged. However, this game played out much differently than I thought it would. The best kicker in program history missed two field goals that he would usually make with relative ease. Both were in instances where the Broncos needed to come away with points. The Broncos were uncharacteristically undisciplined; they finished the game with 13 penalties, including an illegal hands to the face that negated a Prince Strachan touchdown catch. I don’t want to take anything away from Penn State, but the Broncos hurt themselves way too much in this game. They left far too many points on the field. This should have been a one score game that came down to the final minutes, not a game where the Broncos were forced to compromise who they are and throw the ball way too much. However, this season was still a massive success that will always be remembered for Boise State fans. The Broncos had a star running back in Ashton Jeanty who won the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards, finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, and finished the season with over 2600 rushing yards. The team also went undefeated at home, won the conference championship, and earned a spot in the first College Football Playoff. It was a memorable year for a program that has worked hard to get to where it is.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad I attended the game and had the opportunity to make those memories with my kids. I ultimately had to decide between going to the Fiesta Bowl or attending the Broncos’ game at Notre Dame this October. I decided to go to the Fiesta Bowl because it was on my birthday, and I didn’t have to take any time off of work to attend the game. If I had to make the decision again, I would probably choose to go to the Notre Dame game. The Fiesta Bowl did not have the feeling or pageantry of a college football game. There is nothing like attending a college football game and seeing the passion of a home crowd. I know it is unlikely, but I would like to see all of the games outside of the championship played on college campuses. We may eventually see quarterfinal games in campus stadiums, and I would jump at the chance to travel to Austin or Ann Arbor. I hope college football seriously contemplates making a change.
I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to attend this game; it was a great experience! But I’m not sure I would make the same financial commitment again given my experience. However, I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to attend my alma mater’s first playoff game.
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