Boise State’s success aided by focus on winning bowls: ‘It’s so ingrained in us’
It was a quote Texas coach Mack Brown often repeated to Bryan Harsin while he served as the Longhorns’ offensive coordinator, and it’s a simple one, but Harsin made sure to repeat it Monday.
“It’s always better to finish with a win,” Harsin said.
As the head coach at Boise State, Harsin is 3-1 in bowl games, and he will have the shot to win another Wednesday in the First Responder Bowl. The Broncos are 12-6 all-time in bowls, having won seven of their last nine.
It is a badge of honor to play well in the postseason for Boise State. It is written in big letters in the team’s meeting room that the goal is to win a conference championship — and a bowl game.
“It’s so ingrained in us, every week that we meet with each other, we can’t help but see it,” senior STUD end Jabril Frazier said. “We didn’t accomplish the goal of winning the Mountain West, but we still have a shot at achieving that other big goal.”
Harsin said that the Broncos have maintained motivation and have kept their eyes on the task at hand, even with nightly bowl events or something like their visit to Sunday’s Cowboys game. When it comes to bowl games, that is a factor that doesn’t play into most games during the regular season.
“I think it comes down to your preparation, it comes down to how you’re focused ... you can enjoy those events and still be prepared to go out there and do what you’ve got to do,” Harsin said.
Of course, whatever happens can be used as a motivational tool. Win, and it’s about carrying momentum into the offseason. Lose, and it’s about using it as inspiration to work hard. But since this is the last time this edition of the Broncos will be together, a win would mean a lot to those who won’t be back in 2019.
“That’s all you’re remembered for, that you’re as good as your last game, it’s what the guys that are coming back will think about, and us seniors leaving, we don’t want to go out with two losses (in a row),” Frazier said.
No orphans honored, yet
Wednesday is the ninth edition of the First Responder Bowl, known as the TicketCity Bowl in 2011 and 2012, then the Heart of Dallas Bowl until this year. And the bowl almost went away just a few months ago.
In September, the Dallas City Council narrowly approved, by an 8-6 margin, to use a taxpayer subsidy of $300,000 to ESPN to keep the bowl this year and next. Reasons among those speaking against it were low interest (last year’s game between Utah and West Virginia drew 9,300), and also that beyond offering free tickets to military, police, firefighters or paramedics, the game did little to support those groups.
Council member Scott Griggs, according to the Dallas Morning News, said the rebrand was a cynical attempt to get city approval, saying it might as well be called the “First Responders, Veterans and Orphans Bowl.”
The bowl’s trophy has a light similar to a police siren or ambulance atop it with a switch that can toggle it on or off.
News and notes
The Broncos practiced Monday and will have a walk-through Tuesday at the Cotton Bowl after having a team Christmas meal. ... With no defensive line coach, graduate assistant Kharyee Marshall has run the group’s meetings, and defensive coordinator Andy Avalos has aided as needed. ... Boise State is the home team for the bowl game.
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 1/2
Weather: Low 60s, rainy, 15-20 mph winds
This story was originally published December 24, 2018 at 1:33 PM.