GLENDALE, Ariz. — The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, Ecclesiastes' author wrote from a press box many years ago. Of course, few Old Testament teams had to tackle Adrian Peterson or block Rufus Alexander.
Which brings us to Boise State's Fiesta Bowl dilemma Monday night. The Oklahoma football Sooners are bigger, stronger, faster. No one really argues otherwise.
"It's the Big 12; they get the blue-chip player,” said Boise State center Jadon Dailey.
But Solomon didn't get to be a wise old king by talking nonsense. Time and chance, he wrote, happeneth to them all.
This is Boise State's chance. But against the bigger, stronger, faster Sooners, can this be Boise State's time?
It won't be easy.
"We got invited to the Fiesta Bowl, there was all this hoopla,” said Boise coach Chris Petersen. "Then we sat down to watch film, and we got brought back to reality really fast.”
Here's Boise's problem: Teams can win ball games against better athletes. But they must play smart and efficient, with fire and zeal. They must seize opportunity.
Boise must boldly play better than it's ever played before.
"Our margin for error is just so much different than it's been in the past,” Petersen said. "That big, that fast, like they are, we've got to make sure we're good tacklers, because you miss a tackle, it could be over right then and there. We can't throw the ball late. We've got to be accurate throwing it. Those type of things.
"When you play a team that's this caliber of athlete, the margin for error across the board just changes.”
Oklahoma superiority will show on offense with muscle and on defense with speed.
Size-wise, Boise State is not a typical Big 12 squadron. The Bronco lines aren't any smaller than the Sooner lines, but the stoutness shows at linebacker. OU's
