Two-Point Conversion Magic

TCU's Josh Boyce pulls away from a Bronco defender to score a two point conversion.

As much as I malign Boise State's Smurf Turf, because it's deserving, there's a mystical power over the field when it comes to two-point conversions.

The latest evidence happened Saturday, when the TCU Horned Frogs walked out of Bronco Stadium with a rare, dramatic come-from-behind win.

TCU converted a successful two-point play late in the third quarter to draw even with Boise 28-28.

Then with Boise State seemingly in firm control 35-28 late in the fourth quarter, Broncos backup running back Drew Wright fumbled.

Horned Frogs quarterback Casey Pachall torched the Broncos secondary, marching his team down the field, before firing a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:05 left in the game.

Again TCU coach Gary Patterson made a gusty call and it worked. Pachall tossed a short pass to Josh Boyce, who fought his way into the end zone for two-points putting TCU up 36-35.
Any victory by a road team on the blue turf is basically unprecedented. And there's a reason: the refs.

Boise State got bailed out by the officials on a phantom pass interference call after a fourth down incompletion on its final drive. But, redshirt freshman kicker Dan Goodale badly missed a 39-yard field goal attempt a few plays later.

The Horned Frogs win ended Boise State's 65-game regular season home winning streak and 47-game home conference streak.

The Vandals celebrate after Joel Thomas scored
on a two-point conversion to win in overtime (1998).

The last conference loss Boise suffered in Bronco Stadium was to the arch-rival Idaho Vandals in 1998. Then members of the Big West conference, the Vandals choose to go for two-points in overtime and won 36-35. Just a little poetic.

The Vandals also won the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl on the blue field, by making a successful two-point conversion with just four seconds left in the game.

And while it wasn't in Boise, who can forget the Broncos signature Fiesta Bowl win using the Statue of Liberty to beat an average Oklahoma squad in 2006?

The magic of two-point conversions has been woven into that ugly blue field.

Bye Bye Boise State Blues

Boise State got its big wish this past off-season, they graduated from playing the "Little Sisters of the Poorer" (the WAC) to just the "Little Sisters of the Poor" (the Mountain West).

But its acceptance into the Mountain West brethren will cost Boise its camouflaged fashion.

The Broncos blue uniforms on the ugly Smurf Turf, where they have won 63 straight regular-season games, must go.

The prohibition only applies to Boise State, one of a handful of teams to color coordinate its uniforms with its turf, and was part of the school's agreement to join the MWC.

MWC commissioner Craig Thompson called the blue-on-blue motif a 'competitive advantage.'

While San Diego State's coach Rocky Long pointed out the blue field forces players to "track the ball differently."

"I think they ought to get rid of that blue turf. I think it's unfair," Long said back in April.

It's a breathe of fresh air that the conference is calling Boise's bluff, and it will at some point cost the Broncos a couple home wins.

But this news it not all good news.

By doing away with blue uni's for conference home games, the Broncos will have to use a combination of colors, which could include its orange-on-orange assault on the eyeballs.

The Broncos fashion blitz is only going to get worse.

It's a trap! and other sideline mayhem

The countdown to the unofficial kickoff of fall is less than three weeks away. Soon tailgates and the pageantry of football Saturday's will return to college campuses across the country.

Before we get there, two off-season story lines were too bizarre not to write about. I was reminded of the first over the past weekend when I found myself watching a sci-fi flick.

The University of Mississippi ditched its former mascot Colonel Reb (or Colonel Sanders if you're from north of the Mason-Dixon) in 2003. One of his possible replacements, none other than the most famous Mon Calamarian, Admiral Ackbar.

Yes, this Admiral Ackbar.

A Star Wars alien as a mascot!?! Talk about a complete break from the previous imagery of Colonel Reb -- old-white plantations owners, slavery, 19th century South (and KFC). After all the Colonel was dropped because his image was too Old South and might offend minorities.

I'm not sure where the mascot search committee is at this point, but Ackbar's candidacy wasn't taken seriously so we won't be seeing him on a football sideline anytime soon. Too bad really.

A trip to the 'Red Zone', literally

Eastern Washington football is going to bring a entirely new meaning to the term "red zone".

That's because its turf will be bright red.

Former EWU standout and current Tennessee Titan starter, Michael Roos, donated $500,000 to help with the "Red Turf" project.

When the Eagles take the field for the first time Sept. 18 versus Montana, the red artificial turf will be the only of its kind in the entire country.

But why play on red field? Taking after Smurf turf.

"There is no doubt that one of Boise State's claim to fame has been their blue turf and like it or dislike it, it has certainly brought them a tremendous amount of notoriety," EWU athletic director Bill Chaves said in a media release.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. But staring at a red field for three hours can't be any worse than a blue one.

Also, I can quickly see the idea of installing a unique football turf color getting out of hand. Good thing Eastern is out in front of this curve.

Putting the 'F' in Smurf Turf

Smurf Turf No. 5 was recently installed in Boise, and it's as ugly as ever.

Ask the question "Who we do hate?" on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow and you'll get an exuberant response, "Boise State!"

But what's seen as passion by some, is viewed as rancor and ill will by others. And that has a 40-year-old gridiron rivalry between the Idaho Vandals and Boise State Broncos in serious doubt after this season.

In fact it looks like it's dead already, when the Broncos make a proverbial step up and join the Mountain West Conference in 2011.

"I frankly don't care whether we ever play 'em again as long as it goes," BSU president Bob Kustra said this week to the Idaho Statesman editorial board. "It's a culture that is nasty, inebriated and civilly doesn't give our fans the respect that any fan should expect when visiting an away team."

Kustra wasn't done, "for me, this is not about football. For me, this is a cultural issue. ... What bothers me more than anything else, is that the fans are not about denigrating our athletic program. ... What bothers me personally is the denigration of our academic programming."

Boise State's president got one thing right in all of that. It is a cultural issue, just not of the inebriated type.

A lot of this "hate" has do to with geography.

Moscow sits in Idaho's panhandle, which was mistakenly made part of the state. A general culture of contempt has been brewing between the panhandle and the south since 1864, when bandits stole the capital from Lewiston (30 miles from Moscow) and moved it to Boise.

So what's really driving this college rivalry apart? Napoleon's complex.

Boise didn't open its doors until 1932, and started as a junior college. Since then it has battled against the establishment, to move up.

It's widely rumored (because these things are not published) that BSU has repeatedly struggled to earn accreditation for several of its academic programs. That's why Vandals "denigrate" Boise's academics, making them the butt of some pretty funny jokes.

But now on the Smurf Turf, the Broncos have its one area that it can beat Idaho. Football is Boise State's way to compensate for its "F's" in the classroom.

Before the Broncos bolt for the MWC, they want to stick it to their "big brother" one last time and then permanently shut the door, cutting off any risk of enduring another 12-game rivalry losing streak.

If this is indeed the end of the Idaho-BSU rivalry, it doesn't change a thing for me. I'll still hate Boise State.

Update - Friday, July 30, 2010

It now appears this column, “Can't hide Vandal pride,” is what started this rivalry brouhaha.

Part of this professional response was included in the Idaho Statesman article, but here's the full statement from U of I president Duane Nellis on the rivalry situation.

Some people are starting to take notice of what I've known all along, there's an arrogance growing in Boise. SI.com writer Andy Staples says Boise State is becoming a big-time program in all the wrong ways.

And some people are just having fun with the whole thing. “Nasty Inebriated” T-shirts are starting to sell in Moscow.