Boise State, Boston College have met only once, but it was full of oddities and twists

More than 2,000 miles apart, Boise State and Boston College rarely cross paths, but they have once before in football — and it was one of the strangest games in the Broncos’ FBS era.

The Broncos and Eagles face off Wednesday in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas. Drama is always potentially there, but it probably won’t match the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl played on Dec. 28, 2005, at what was then Bronco Stadium.

“That was an interesting game,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said Sunday with a knowing smile.

The stage was set for weirdness well before Boston College won 27-21, ending the Broncos’ 31-game home win streak.

Coach Dan Hawkins had taken the head coaching position at Colorado two weeks prior but, in a rare move, opted to coach the Broncos in their bowl game. Harsin was the Broncos’ tight ends coach at the time, but it had already been announced he would be the offensive coordinator under newly hired coach Chris Petersen.

“As coaches, it’s like, ‘I’m going to be in this position and he’s going to be in this position, but I’m coaching this position this game.’ I can only imagine what it was like for the players,” Harsin said.

So there was a little bit of dysfunction on the Broncos’ sideline to begin with, but something entirely out of their control inspired Boston College to take a 27-0 lead late in the third quarter.

The night before the game at the bowl’s welcome banquet, the then-CEO of MPC Computers intentionally mispronounced Boston College star defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka’s name. The event ended with a “Go Broncos!” from Mayor Dave Bieter. Technically, it was a game on a neutral field, but it was obvious to the Eagles that day it wasn’t going to be.

“There was definitely some disrespect,” Kiwanuka said in a recent phone interview. “We felt it was a little tasteless. I think I’d had my name out there enough with what I’d done to warrant them saying it correctly. We had a huge extra incentive. It was like poking the bear — whoever was in front of me was going to get it.”

The infamous banquet didn’t do the Broncos any favors either, as a montage of their highlights included a handful of trick plays the coaches had up their sleeve for the game. They scrapped those ideas with all of the Eagles watching.

Boise State fought back, however, scoring the game’s last 21 points on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Jared Zabransky to Drisan James, a 2-yard Zabransky touchdown run set up by Marty Tadman’s interception of Matt Ryan, and a 92-yard punt return touchdown by Quinton Jones. The cold, pouring rain during the near-comeback just added to the oddity.

And the Broncos had a shot to win, too, but Zabransky threw an interception in the end zone on a third-and-goal at the 5 with 37 seconds to play. The loss capped a disappointing season for the Broncos’ junior quarterback, but it set the narrative for a triumphant finish a year later.

An Oklahoma interception return for a touchdown for a 35-28 lead with 1:02 to play seemed to spell doom in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, but Zabransky hit James, who pitched to Jerard Rabb on fourth-and-18 on the hook-and-ladder to force overtime. The Broncos prevailed in one of college football’s most-storied games.

“It kinda created the drama for the next bowl game, right?” Harsin said. “... There was a silver lining, we just didn’t realize it until (then).”

MPC Computers issued an apology soon after the snafu, but Boise State has not played in the hometown bowl, now the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, since.

Kiwanuka was drafted the following spring in the first round (32nd overall) by the Giants. He played nine seasons for them, won two Super Bowls and retired in 2015. He is a co-founder of Wandering Wines. But his last collegiate game remains a cherished memory alongside future NFLers like Ryan, BJ Raji, Gosder Cherilus and Will Blackmon.

“That group of guys, we saw ourselves as a different breed,” Kiwanuka said. “We thought for us, handling the whole spectacle, it being a road game, going out with a win, there were some guys that had no trouble being inspired and working hard to get what we wanted.”

For Boise State’s seniors, it left a bad taste that persists even today. Maybe it isn’t revenge, but some on Boise State’s staff sure would like to knot the series at one win apiece. Like the Broncos’ leading rusher that day (with just 24 yards — BC’s defense was pretty good, if anyone forgot).

“We didn’t finish how we want, and I’m excited to get another shot at them 13 years later,” said Lee Marks, now Boise State’s running backs coach. “This is definitely one of those where I wish I could suit up.”

First Responder Bowl

Who: Boise State (10-3) vs. Boston College (7-5)

When: 11:30 a.m. MT Wednesday

Where: Cotton Bowl, Dallas (grass, 92,100)

TV: ESPN (Lowell Galindo, Ahmad Brooks, Kris Budden)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Series: Boston College leads 1-0 (beat Boise State 27-21 in 2005 MPC Computers Bowl)

Vegas line: Boise State by 2

Weather: Low 60s, rainy, 15 mph winds

This story was originally published December 23, 2018 at 5:43 PM.