BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…September 26, 1998:
What a coincidence. This item was planned all along for today’s feature, but it’s ever-so-appropriate now after what happened over the weekend. This day produced one of the most storied drives in Boise State football, leading to a 31-28 upset of Utah in Salt Lake City. With 2:08 left, quarterback Nate Sparks replaced Bart Hendricks, who had a pretty good night. But coach Dirk Koetter had a hunch. The Broncos had the ball on their own one-yard-line, trailing 28-24. Sparks marched Boise State 99 yards, capping the drive on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Smith with 45 seconds left.
It was a pivotal win for Boise State, coming as it did over a quality team from the WAC. And the Broncos were coming off two consecutive losing seasons wrapped around the death of Pokey Allen. Without the upset of the Utes, there would have been a third in Koetter’s first year as head coach. But the Broncos posted a 6-5 record, and when they got win No. 6 in November, Koetter made sure everybody marked the spot, as he trumpeted the school’s first winning season as a Division I-A program. There hasn’t been a losing season since.
Boise State beat Utah again in 1999, 26-20 on the Blue Turf. It was actually the Broncos’ second victory over a Mountain West school in that conference’s inaugural season (they had also defeated New Mexico in Bronco Stadium a couple weeks earlier). That was the year Boise State won its final six games, capturing the Big West championship and winning its first bowl game in the Humanitarian Bowl. The Broncos repeated as champs and H-Bowl winners in 2000, and after the season Koetter headed to Arizona State. His final victory at Boise State came against UTEP.
After six seasons with the Sun Devils, Koetter embarked on his NFL career and quickly became one of the league’s most respected offensive coordinators, working with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons. A three-year stint as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t go so well. But Koetter’s new interim role with Boise State is his sweet spot — he’s an OC. Why do this? He’s retired from the NFL, and he’s living in Boise, and his son is on the team. Koetter’s not looking for a job. He’s doing it as a hobby — and as a challenge. Oh, and because he cares.
(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.)
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