Former Boise State quarterback and 2008 NCAA Football cover-boy Jared Zabransky, in Boise to promote the All-State Good Hands Roadside Assistance Program, was kind enough to spend a few minutes with Bleacher Report readers and dig into all the hot topics in college football, including the Heisman race, the dramatic finish to the Boise State-Nevada game, and the coaching rumors swirling around the country.
I remember watching Boise State travel across the country to take on the Georgia Bulldogs on September 3rd, 2005. It was supposed to be the game that launched the Broncos into the BCS machine for the first time. A win over an over-matched, but over-sized Bulldog squad that lost NCAA career wins leader David Greene to graduation was to be the first step to an undefeated season and a Fiesta Bowl berth.
Unfortunately, not even Miss Cleo could have forseen the events that would transpire after kickoff. Thirty-eight unanswered points by Georgia. Six Boise State turnovers. And a 48-13 butt-whooping.
The one lasting image from the game for me was watching Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky, a junior at the time, sitting on the sideline after being benched in favor of Taylor Tharp, but not before tossing three interceptions and fumbling once on Boise's first five drives. He would go on to finish the game with four picks, only 70 yards passing, and two fumbles. Talk about a confidence shaker.
I always hoped that wouldn't be the final image for Zabransky, arguably one of the top three QBs of all-time at the university (along with Ryan Dinwiddie and Kellen Moore). Luckily for me, and for Jared, he finished off his road to redemption in a place that has become a second home to the Boise State program, the Fiesta Bowl.
My lasting image of that game isn't the hook and ladder, or the half-back pass, or even the Statue of Liberty play that won the game in overtime. Rather, it was watching the steely resolve on Zabransky's face as all the cameras focused on him after his "almost" game-ending interception that put Oklahoma on top 35-28 with less than a minute remaining. I just knew he wasn't going to let his team down, or let them lose.
Nowadays, Zabransky is still playing ball, this time north of the border. He's spent the past two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, where he has served as the main backup to starter Ricky Ray. He did earn two starts this past season, winning both, and finishing the season with four touchdown passes, 208 rushing yards and his first CFL rushing touchdown.
During the off-season, Zabransky resides in Houston with his wife Melissa.
Here's some snippets from a Bleacher Report exclusive interview.
Sienna Guillory Tricia Vessey Aki Ross Ashley Tappin Carmen Electra
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