BOISE, Idaho — This Day In Sports…November 15, 1975:
Boise State welcomes its first major college opponent to Bronco Stadium, as Utah State comes in to challenge the undefeated Broncos. This was a big deal—a test to see how far Boise State had come in only its eighth season as a four-year program. The Broncos were ranked No. 3 in Division II and were riding an 18-game home winning streak, and Tony Knap was fired up to face the team he once coached.
So what happened? The Aggies unleashed defending Division I rushing champion and future NFL running back Louie Giammona—and he was too much. Giammona, who had racked up 1,534 yards in 1974, rushed for 198 yards on a whopping 40 carries in a 42-19 Utah State victory. It was sobering to see the difference between Division II and I that day (there was no Division I-AA at the time). The Broncos , however, would beat Utah State 23-16 in Logan two years later.
The loss to the Aggies dropped Boise State to 8-1-1 (the Broncos had tied Idaho 31-31 in the Kibbie Dome Dedication Game in Moscow in October). The Big Sky championship was still on the table, though, and Boise State would defeat Idaho State 20-17 the following week in Pocatello to capture a third straight title. That would earn the Broncos another home game in the first round of the Division II Playoffs, where they would fall to Northern Michigan 24-21.
The playoff defeat would be the final game at Boise State for Knap, who had coached Utah State to a 25-14-1 record from 1963-66 before taking over the Broncos when they became a four-year program in 1968. Knap’s next (and final) stop would be UNLV, where he coached from 1976-81. As for Giammona, he was drafted in the eighth round by the New York Jets in 1976. He spent one year in the Big Apple before playing five more with the Philadelphia Eagles, including the 1980 team that lost to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
