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Boise St. great for the state

| September 8, 2010 9:00 PM

For those of us who openly bleed Vandal silver and gold, it was difficult to cheer too loudly for Boise State's boys in blue in a showcase national football game Monday night. You know how it goes: Our two favorite teams are Idaho and whoever's playing Boise State.

But when the final score showed Boise State 33, Virginia Tech 30 and the Broncos players took a victory lap around FedEx Field outside Washington, D.C., those weren't bitter butterflies we felt fluttering inside.

That was pride.

It was pride that transcends North vs. South, population center vs. rural communities, government HQ vs. outlanders.

It went above and beyond football rivalries, academic rivalries, and most of all, image rivalries - the style over substance that is in incomprehensible vogue these days.

For a few hours Monday night we could forgive Boise State its audacity, not just in pretending it is the state as witnessed by its name, but for its recent leadership stance that it has left the mortal plane upon which lowly University of Idaho is mired. The Broncos represented the entire state - from Twin Falls to Bonners Ferry - in championship fashion, scoring in the waning moments thanks in part to an unsportsmanlike penalty against their foes.

A bonus came in the second half, when announcer Brent Musburger noted that Lake City High grad Byron Hout had made a tackle. Musburger, a famous broadcaster who was raised in Billings, Mont., gushed about Coeur d'Alene and Hayden, telling millions of viewers about our beautiful lake country.

In the end it was all good. Boise State is a legitimate contender for the national championship, having silenced yet another wave of critics with its great showing on a national stage.

Well done, Broncos. See you Nov. 12 in Moscow.