THIS DAY IN SPORTS…September 3, 2009, 15 years ago today:
In what was billed as the biggest home game in Boise State history, the 14th-ranked Broncos smother 16th-ranked Oregon, 19-8, before a record crowd of 34,127 and a national audience on ESPN. The night belonged to the Boise State defense, as the Ducks didn’t register a first down until midway through the third quarter and had only 152 yards for the game in the debut of new head coach Chip Kelly. The biggest play was a takedown of Oregon star running back LeGarrette Blount by the Broncos’ Billy Winn in the end zone for a safety. I maintain that to be the loudest single moment in Albertsons Stadium history to this day.
The Boise State defense had only one senior starter. But it still might be the best defensive performance in school history. There were some freakzoid numbers in this one. Oregon had nine possessions in which it didn’t gain a first down—seven three-and-outs and two four-and-outs. The Broncos led in first downs 22 to 6. They had a stunning time of possession advantage, 42½ minutes to 17½. That led to Boise State running off 89 plays to the Ducks’ 44. The Broncos’ leading tackler, Winston Venable, only had four stops. There just weren’t many tackles to make.
Boise State had been laying in the blue weeds, waiting to test its game plan against a team with myriad reasons to want this game (not the least of which was a 37-32 loss to the Broncos in Autzen Stadium the year before). But it was not at all glued together Kelly, for the former offensive coordinator who had replaced Mike Bellotti. Conversely, for all but one member of Chris Petersen’s Boise State staff, this was their 40th consecutive game together. Those coaches were all on the same page.
It seemed the Ducks felt they could out-physical the Broncos from the opening bell. It was obvious after the first two three-and-outs that wasn’t going to happen. There was little imagination in the Oregon offense after that.
But it was the aftermath that was long remembered—marred when Blount sucker-punched the Broncos’ Byron Hout. Blount had been held to minus-5 yards rushing. The helmetless Hout smack-talked and tapped Blount on the shoulder and had just turned away while he was been yanked on by Petersen—then Blount delivered the blow. The incident became an instant YouTube sensation and resulted in a season-long suspension for Blount (though he was reinstated that November).
(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.)
