Hermiston Grad Recalls Stunning Fiesta Bowl Upset

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SI Article
Sports Illustrated has an oral history of the stunning 2007 Fiesta Bowl featuring former HHS quarterback Jared Zabransky.

Sports Illustrated magazine has taken a look back at one of the greatest college football bowl games of all time – the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Ten years ago, on Jan. 1, 2007, “Boise State put the major in mid-major, ambushing Oklahoma and turning college football upside down.”

The game ended 43-42 on Boise State’s Statue of Liberty play on a two-point conversion in overtime, but the highlight may be the postgame proposal by Broncos back Ian Johnson to his cheerleader girlfriend.

Jared Zabransky, a Hermiston High School graduate who played quarterback for the Broncos, joined in SI’s retrospective:

“We would score and they would look at each other like, “What the heck is going on?” You could tell that they were shocked. They weren’t prepared for a game like that.”

In a sidebar story of what’s become of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl champions, SI noted that Zabransky played two years in the NFL (Texans, Steelers) and two years in the CFL (Edmonton). Today he works in real estate sales and investment in Boise.

Read the full story online.