OU vs. Boise State in Fiesta Bowl

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Boise State coach Chris Petersen knows his Broncos have a lot to prove when they face Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1. "We know we've got to go out and compete well and show well, or people will be saying, 'Yeah, they shouldn't have been there anyways,' " said Petersen, the Broncos' rookie coach. "It's a great challenge."

As unbeaten champions of the Western Athletic Conference, Boise State (12-0) is only the second non-BCS school to earn an invitation to college football's lucrative postseason party. The first was the Mountain West Conference's Utah, which capped a perfect season by routing Big East champion Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta two years ago.

That game shows why Oklahoma would be foolish to take the Broncos lightly.

"It will not be hard for us to focus in on this," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. "I look at people's track records. I look at what people have done over a great period of time, and Boise State has been excellent."

Oklahoma Bowl History | OU History & Tradition

Still, this game may not mean quite so much to the Sooners.

When this season began, the Sooners were hoping to finish it in Glendale -- in the new BCS national title game, which will be held one week after the Fiesta in University of Phoenix Stadium.

But the Sooners' national title hopes took a blow in August, when Stoops dismissed starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and projected starting guard J.D. Quinn for accepting illegal benefits. Then the Sooners lost Sept. 16 at Oregon, which was aided by a botched officials' call.

Had the Sooners won that game, they may well have been among the once-beaten teams contending for a shot at top-ranked Ohio State in the BCS national title game. Oklahoma's other defeat came against rival Texas in Dallas.

The Sooners, who earned the Fiesta bid by beating Nebraska in the Big 12 title game Saturday, showed remarkable grit throughout the year. They withstood the loss of star tailback Adrian Peterson, who broke his collarbone Oct. 14 against Iowa State. Stoops said he expects Peterson to play against the Broncos.

Stoops patched together a 10-win season behind quarterback Paul Thompson, who had been moved to wide receiver.

"We did our job through the entire year," Stoops said. "In the end, you know, it's a long year."

This is Oklahoma's fifth BCS appearance. Only Florida State, with six, has more.

It's Oklahoma's third Fiesta Bowl appearance but its first since the bowl became affiliated with the BCS. The Sooners beat Wyoming 41-7 on Dec. 25, 1976, and lost to Arizona State 32-21 on Jan. 1, 1983.

Boise State didn't face very much adversity on its way to the biggest bowl game in school history. The Broncos rolled through a weak schedule, winning by an average margin of 39-16.

Boise State faced one team from a BCS conference, walloping Oregon State 42-14 on Sept. 7 in Boise.

The Broncos withstood close calls against Wyoming (17-10), Hawaii (41-34) and San Jose State (23-20). Boise State needed a 37-yard Anthony Montgomery field goal with no time remaining to avoid going to overtime against San Jose State.

"I think our season that we just went through has been pretty good training for us," Petersen said. "We knew that if there was one game that we lost, we were out of any hopes of being in a game like this.

"This is certainly uncharted territory for the Boise State Broncos, being in a BCS game," Petersen said. "It's something we've been fighting, clawing and scratching for the last five or six years."

Boise State is an offensive powerhouse that ranks second in the nation in scoring, averaging 39.4 points per game.

The Broncos do their best work on the ground, averaging 222.8 yards per game, sixth in Division I-A. Tailback Ian Johnson is the nation's No. 2 rusher, averaging 146.6 yards per game, and he leads the nation in scoring at 13.09 points per game.

The Broncos' ground game will face its toughest test of the season against the Sooners, who allow 97.85 yards per game, 18th in the nation.

"We certainly haven't seen a defense of this caliber all year long," Petersen said.

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