All the Boise State Broncos have ever needed was a chance

In 1994, the Idaho Vandals visited Boise’s blue turf and got handed an L after beating the Broncos in the 12 previous meetings. Bronco Nation stormed the field, climbed the goalposts, and celebrated a win that transcended more than a single game on a single day.

1994broncogoalpost — Tami Dooley | The Tailgate Society *Boise State Coach Al Borges being helped up onto the NEZ goalposts after a victory vs. Idaho in 1994.*

Last Friday, the UNLV Rebels visited Albertson’s Stadium for the second time in two years to play for a Mountain West Championship. Out there on the cold blue turf, Ashton Jeanty and the Broncos defense willed a win to fruition that harkened back to that cold day in 1994. They stormed the field, tore down the goalposts, and threw them in the Boise River because this championship meant more than a single game on a single day.

Tami Dooley | The Tailgate Society *The goalpost from Albertsons Stadium taking a swim in the Boise River.*

It all winds back through Coach Pokey Allen riding his shining steed down Broadway Avenue in a Starter jacket and a black outlaw hat two days after beating Marshall, a stunt that worked to get buy-in on the Broncos for the next decade. Pokey took a 3-8 team in 1993 to 13-1 and ran through the D1-AA playoff. He brought back winning in Boise.

pokey allen rides through campus on a black horse in a snowstorm in 1994. black and white image. — Tami Dooley | The Tailgate Society *Boise State Coach Pokey Allen making good on his promise to take a ride down Broadway Ave after a sellout vs. Marshall in the 1994 D1-AA Playoff*.

It moves forward to 2006 and 14-0 and the first Fiesta and the GOAT victory vs. Oklahoma.

It winds back through WW2 and Lyle Smith taking a chance on coaching a junior college and leaving it better than he found it: a four-year institution with a record of 156–25–6.

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It loops forward again to Houston Nutt bailing for Arkansas and Dan Hawkins for Colorado and Chris Petersen taking the Washington job and Bryan Harsin taking Auburn for whatever ride that was.

It’s for Dan Paul.

Its for Dirk Koetter just trying to retire to his goldang cabin, but the siren song of The Blue bringing him back to the booth to squint over his reading glasses and make men on the other side of the ball wonder what they did to deserve facing him.

It’s the BSU Pimp and all the other grown-ass, taxpaying adults who dress up like the Yip Yip aliens or Darth Tater or the blue and orange Flintstones who showed up week after week, year after year, being insufferable all over the internet, telling them that the Broncos could win it all if only given a chance.

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It’s for the fans we’ve lost and the fans we’ve won, and for every player who has ever put on the helmet and now understands that “once a Bronco, always a Bronco” means that it’s bigger than any one human, but it’s taken all of them.

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Boise State has a 3 seed, a first round bye, Bronco Stadium South in Phoenix, a country that loves an underdog, Ashton Jeanty, and magic. Maybe even Jesus, if Spencer Danielson has anything to do with it. Their defense is pretty okay and so is their quarterback. Maddux Madsen has wheels and brains and doesn’t turn the ball over much. Boise went stride for stride with Oregon and then went on to beat everybody else they came up against, including ranked UNLV twice.

It’s a 12-team field. The Broncos aren’t the most likely to win, but they can’t be counted out. Not anymore.