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Boise State-Idaho continues the tradition
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A good college football rivalry embodies the true spirit of the game. While most Boise State fans look at Fresno State and Oregon State as the biggest games of the season, a much bigger game lurks on the 2006 schedule.
On Saturday BSU will travel to upstate rival University of Idaho for the 36th gridiron meeting between the two schools. As the rivalry has grown through conference and NCAA division changes, parity has never been a problem for these two teams.
The series record currently stands at 17-17-1 for the two schools. With both teams coming into Saturday’s game tied for first place in the Western Athletic Conference (3-0), there is much more than rivalry pride on the line.
“The Boise State-Idaho thing, there’s a lot of history there,” BSU Head Coach Chris Petersen said. “When you’ve got two teams that are both doing well in conference, I think it throws another factor into the whole mix.”
The grudge match will feature a first time head coach in Boise State’s Petersen.
Petersen will be looking across the field at legendary coach Dennis Erickson. Erickson is in his second stint with the program,
which makes the rivalry an old tradition for him.
“I know it’s a big thing in the state for everybody,” Erickson said. “For both the Bronco fans and the Vandal fans and you know this is what college football is all about. I know that our students are excited and it’s going to be a sold-out crowd. I’ve had the opportunity to play in games like this before and it’s what college football is all about, that’s why guys come and play.”
In recent years BSU has owned the Vandals in the series. The Broncos haven’t lost to Idaho since 1998, a game in which the Vandals prevailed 36-35 in an overtime thriller. A BSU win in Moscow this year would raise the win streak over Idaho to eight consecutive games.
Last year the Vandals gave Bronco fans a scare for two and a half quarters. Idaho evened the score midway through the third quarter, 21-21. However, Boise State managed to rattle off 35 unanswered points to finish the game with a 70-35 victory.
The win was the fifth game since ‘98 the Broncos had won by more than 30-points. The closest game in Boise State’s seven-year run came in 2003 when the Broncos escaped Moscow with a 24-10 win.
“Well it’s a great challenge for us obviously,” Erickson said. “The last seven years we haven’t play very well in this game and have had it handed to us pretty convincingly. So the rivalry hasn’t really been a close rivalry of the immediate past. But it’s exciting for our players to get an opportunity to play against one of the best teams in the country and to get the opportunity to play them here.”
After the inaugural game in 1971, the series went back and forth evenly until the 1982 season. In 1975 the series
saw its only tie between the two teams. The ‘75 game ended in a 35-35 stalemate.
Despite recent dominance by the Broncos, U of I enjoyed its own streak of excellence during the 80s and 90s. From ‘82 to ‘93 the Broncos fell to the Vandals 11 consecutive times. With the eighth consecutive win on the horizon, BSU fans have plenty to enjoy while trying to bring the series lead back to Boise.
However, Idaho may not be the “push over” Bronco fans have come to enjoy lately. Despite opening conference play with wins over teams who have a combined season record of 4-15, the Vandals return a strong core of players from 2005.
With a little success in 2006, Idaho appears to be finding a rhythm and getting used to winning.
“I think that it’s always good when the so-called rival does well,” Petersen said. “I think it keeps you on your toes. I think it keeps pushing the envelope in your program. I think it will make us better in the long run.”
With a conference race on the line and bragging rights for both teams at stake, the 2006 version of the Bronco-Vandal showdown is setting up to be a classic.
“Idaho’s playing at a real high level and it’s gonna be a great challenge for us,” Petersen said. “Going up there in their neck of the woods, it’s always hard to go on the road and win, but it’s going to be a fun game."
Jake Garcin
