Kickoff Countdown: 11 Best Games Since 2000, BSU vs Fresno ’01

Boise State wasn’t always the Luke Skywalker of BCS busting. Predating the Broncos’ rise to national prominence was a Shaun King-quarterbacked and undefeated Tulane in the first BCS season, then LaDainian Tomlinson’s TCU teams followed. But the original New Hope against this new system some see as football’s Empire was Fresno State. In 2001, Pat Hill’s Bulldogs boasted a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback in David Carr and opened the season with a defeat of the reigning Fiesta Bowl champion, Oregon State.

The buzz emanating from the Valley only grew in Week 2, when Fresno State beat Wisconsin at Camp Randall. More Saturdays came, and more Ws were notched in the record book. But on a Friday night in October, a WAC encounter that would turn the tide not just in ’01, but for the next decade was broadcast to a national audience. Boise State was a newcomer from the recently football-folded Big West, and though a very good non-BCS conference team in its own right, certainly no Oregon State or Wisconsin. Right? If only Admiral Ackbar had been in the Fresno State locker room to warn the Bulldogs of what was coming.

Seemingly everything went Fresno State’s way to look back at the box score. Carr was at least as good as Boise State’s Ryan Dinwiddie (Carr: 30-49, 345 yards, 3 TDs/1 INT; Dinwiddie: 20-32, 297 yards, 4 TDs/2 INTs). Paris Gaines rushed for more yards alone than the Broncos’ top two rushers combined. Fresno State also jumped out to an early advantage, 20-7.

But Fresno State proved to be just Han Solo — outstanding in its own right, but lacking the Force necessary to be a Jedi. The Broncos’ capitalized on Fresno State’s missed opportunities, then used a stingy defensive effort in the second half to lock down the Bulldogs. Fresno State was outscored 21-10 in the second half and failed to score any offensive points in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs’ last gasp effort got them to the BSU five-yard line, but Carr was sacked and fumbled on fourth down. No one could have guessed that when the ball slipped out of Carr’s hands, status as the non-BCS heavyweight slipped away from Fresno State.

Ever since, the rivalry has been one-sided. The Broncos BSU only cedes its control over the WAC by virtue of leaving for the Mountain West. A reunion is coming next season when the Bulldogs move to the MWC. With the roles reversed, maybe a shift in fortune is in Fresno State’s future. But as the Star Wars prequels taught us, nothing is as good as the original.