‘Wow.’ True freshman QB exceeds the hype as Boise State football rallies past Florida State
The legend of Hank Bachmeier continues to grow. And it’s only getting started.
The true freshman quarterback led Boise State to a 36-31 win at Florida State. Making his debut on national television against one of college football’s blue bloods, Bachmeier led the Broncos back from an 18-point deficit, the largest rally against a Power 5 program in Boise State history.
Bachmeier impressed from the opening whistle to the final horn, completing 30-of-51 passes for 407 yards and a TD with one interception. The 407 yards set a Bronco record for a quarterback’s debut regardless of age in the school’s FBS era.
“He’s handled himself well. He’s been focused,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “(Coming into) today, you never know. He showed tremendous competitiveness and toughness, especially when he needed to.”
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Nothing rattled the 20-year-old, the highest-rated quarterback to ever sign with Boise State.
Not Hurricane Dorian, which moved the game from Jacksonville to Florida State’s home field in Tallahassee. Not an overwhelming pass rush, which hammered Bachmeier for five sacks, countless hits and sent his helmet flying twice. Not even surgery two weeks ago to remove a brain tumor from his father, forcing Mike Bachmeier to miss his son’s game for the first time since he was 6 years old.
“I’d get on the phone with him in between series, and it was nothing but, ‘Coach, we gotta score. Keep calling ‘em,’ ” Boise State offensive coordinator Zak Hill said. “... He’s just that playmaker, gamer. It was fun to see.
“What a gutsy performance for him for a first game. He was just in high school last year. It was cool to see him after the game and give him a big hug and go, ‘Wow, here we are. We just beat Florida State.’ ”
Bachmeier remained cool, calm and collected Saturday and throughout camp, becoming the first Bronco true freshman to start at quarterback since Boise State joined the FBS division in 1996. When he received news of his father’s surgery during fall camp, Bachmeier informed the Boise State coaching staff he needed to return home.
He missed just one day of practice. But Harsin said that maturity spoke volumes.
“One day of practice, that’s nothing,” Harsin said. “Going back there and being with your dad and being there with your family and prioritizing certain things, that showed me a lot about his character in a very tough moment.”
So when Florida State started blitzing and knocking the freshman around Saturday, Bachmeier never blinked. He climbed the pocket as Florida State sent pressure from the edge. He scrambled when the interior rush prevented him from stepping into throws. And he stood strong and absorbed monster hits if it meant finishing a completion.
He saved his best for the key moments, going 7-for-11 for 115 yards on third downs. All seven completions resulted in a first down.
Bachmeier found Khalil Shakir for an 11-yard touchdown pass, the first of his career, to cut the deficit to 31-26 with 2 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third quarter. He then engineered an 11-play, 60-yard drive to take the Broncos’ first lead at 33-31 with 12:44 left in the fourth.
Bachmeier and Boise State never surrendered the lead from there, scoring 23 unanswered points to finish the game.
“He’s tough,” Boise State running back Robert Mahone said. “He took some hits, and he got right back up like it’s nothing. He’s a tough guy, and he’s only going to get better.
“He’s just a freshman.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2019 at 2:21 PM.
