BOISE, Idaho — This Day In Sports…December 3, 1994, 30 years ago today:
In a driving rainstorm at Bronco Stadium, Boise State outlasts Appalachian State 17-14, in the Division I-AA playoffs a week after edging North Texas 24-20 in the first round on the blue turf. The Broncos notched their 12th win of the season and earned a spot in the semifinals against Marshall, a game that would also be played in Boise. After a victory over the Thundering Herd, Boise State would go on to the I-AA national championship game—ironically, on Marshall’s home field.
The Appalachian State defense, led by future Dallas Cowboys linebacker Dexter Coakley, was a tough out. But touchdown passes of 61 and 64 yards from Tony Hilde to Ryan Ikebe and a Greg Erickson field goal got it done offensively. The chilled-to-the-bone Broncos managed 342 yards of offense in the sopping-wet conditions, surviving four interceptions.
The Boise State defense did the rest. The App State attack was directed by quarterback Scott Satterfield, now the head coach at Cincinnati. The Bronco's defense limited Satterfield to 7-of-27 passing for just 73 yards as the Mountaineers gained just 226 yards overall. Satterfield, by the way, went on to coach Appalachian State to three Sun Belt championships between 2013-18 before moving on to Louisville and earning ACC Coach of the Year honors in 2019. He just finished his second season with the Bearcats and is 8-16 overall.
Footnote: Appalachian State is scheduled to visit the blue turf for the first time since the 1994 playoff game next September, and when it does, there’ll be a new head coach. The Mountaineers fired Shawn Clark on Monday after a 5-6 season. Clark was 39-24 overall in five seasons. From athletic director Doug Gillin: "The expectation for App State Football is to annually compete for a conference championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.”
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
