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Peterson to play for Oklahoma vs. Boise St in Fiesta Bowl

Jan 1, 2007 - 2:57 PM No. 9 Boise St (12-0) at No. 7 Oklahoma (11-2) January 1 Fiesta Bowl 8:30 pm EST

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Boise State did not lose a game all season, but the Broncos also never faced a running back the caliber of Adrian Peterson.

After missing seven games with a broken collarbone, Peterson is back to lead No. 7 Oklahoma into Monday's Fiesta Bowl against Boise State.

The Heisman Trophy runner-up as a true freshman in 2004, Peterson ran for 935 yards and 10 touchdowns through the first six games this season before suffering his injury diving into the end zone in a 34-9 win over Iowa State on October 14.

A likely top-five pick were he to declare for the NFL draft, Peterson returned to practice soon after the Sooners' 21-7 win over Nebraska in the Big 12 Conference championship game.

"He looks good. He's anxious to play I think as much as anything," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. "For us, it doesn't change anything in that we're going to play like we always do, like we have. We're not sitting here like there's a certain number of carries he has to have or not have. We're going to see how the flow of the game goes, how it's working, go from there."

In arguably his finest coaching performance in his eight seasons in Norman, Stoops guided the Sooners to an 11-2 record - a remarkable feat considering the absence of Peterson for more than half the season and starting quarterback Rhett Bomar for all of it.

Stoops dismissed Bomar on the eve of the season for receiving improper benefits from a local car dealership. Former quarterback Paul Thompson, who had moved to wide receiver, shifted back behind center and threw for 2,434 yards and 20 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

While Oklahoma has won eight straight games since a 28-10 loss to Texas on October 7, Boise State did not taste defeat once in 12 games. The only team besides No. 1 Ohio State to go undefeated in the regular season, the Western Athletic Conference champions are playing in their first BCS bowl.

The Broncos, who are playing their first season under coach Chris Petersen, are led by sophomore running back Ian Johnson, who led the nation in scoring with 24 touchdowns and ranked second in rushing at 146.67 yards per game.

"We're not going to ask 'em to go out and go out and do something all of a sudden that we haven't been doing all year," Petersen said. "I think sometimes that's what players think when they get up against a team like Oklahoma, that I got to go play better than I've ever played. Well, that's not going to happen. You just got to do what you've been doing."

The teams will be meeting for the first time.

Oklahoma will be playing in its third Fiesta Bowl. The Sooners posted a 41-7 win over Wyoming in 1976 and lost to Arizona State, 32-21, in 1983.