A spectator animated the start of the 4th quarter with a shirtless run on The Blue as fans sang to Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”. He was tackled by referee Sheldon Davis and another match official. Boise State lost to enemy Mountain West Nevada 41-31 on Saturday at Albertsons Stadium.
For the Idaho statesman
The day’s most talked-about run and tackle may not have involved players from either team in Boise State’s 41-31 home loss to Nevada on Saturday.
As Garth Brooks’ song “Friends in Low Places” was played early in the fourth quarter during a timeout at Albertsons Stadium, a fan stepped out of the stands and onto the pitch for a quick jaunt, and gave the security a run for its money.
The man jumped over the fence near the south end zone, ripped his shirt off and sprinted down the visitors’ touchline to the opposite end zone. A few security guards appeared to have circled him near the midfield, but he pulled away from the tackle attempts and sprinted to the south end zone, where he did a little dance for the fans.
Safety nearly cornered him in the end zone again, but he slipped out of the grip of a security guard and sprinted towards the 50-yard line. This is where his fun ended.
As he approached the midfielder, referee Sheldon Davis and Boise State equipment staffer Brogan Richards, who came off the Broncos sideline, combined to hand him a big tackle. The police then intervened to place him in police custody.
The man, identified by authorities as Reginald Desmond Macon, 25, of Fort Worth, Texas, has been charged with trespassing and jailed in Ada County Jail, arrest records show in line.
Richards, a sophomore at Boise State, said everyone on the Broncos sidelines believed the routine was planned early. But when it became clear that wasn’t the case, Richards got a little nudge from one of his coworkers to try his hand at taking down the elusive fan.
“It was like pure adrenaline,†said Richards. “Maybe it was a bit of peer pressure, but it just happened.”
Richards said he couldn’t celebrate his tackle for very long on the sidelines because the Broncos were so far behind on the scoreboard, but many players and staff came up to him for subtle congratulations.
It was an exciting few minutes for Boise State fans, who watched the Broncos struggle to get the ball back and lose another halftime lead.
But Richards was probably more excited about the moment than anyone in the stadium. He played defensive end and tight end at Boise High School and always dreamed of making a tackle on the iconic blue turf at Albertsons Stadium. He can check that on his bucket list.
The Broncos (2-3) led Nevada by one point at halftime, 21-20, but were outscored 18-3 in the third quarter and lost their third game of the season. Boise State only had 22 rushing yards at net, while the Wolf Pack had 130 rushing yards.
Boise State is back in action next Saturday on the road at No.13 BYU (5-0).
This story was originally published 2 October 2021 6:36 pm.
