How did Hank Bachmeier’s first start rank among true freshman QBs, Boise State debuts?
Boise State true freshman Hank Bachmeier is part of a national trend toward giving starting jobs to quarterbacks right out of high school.
And Bachmeier showed that he belonged in his first college game last week — throwing for 407 yards and one touchdown on 51 attempts at Florida State. Bachmeier was 17-for-23 for 215 yards in the second half, helping the Broncos erase what was an 18-point deficit in the second quarter and win 36-31.
“Just the competitiveness stood out,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Zak Hill said Wednesday. “Just the level he stepped up to was impressive. ... You could really see in a game, he elevated his game even to a higher level than we’ve seen at times in practice. That was fun to see.”
Bachmeier will make his home debut Friday against Marshall (7 p.m., ESPN2).
By this weekend, at least six of 247Sports.com’s top 11 quarterback recruits in the 2019 class will have played this season, with five of them starting.
Here’s how Bachmeier’s performance ranks among true freshmen in college football openers this season (247Sports.com QB recruit ranking in parentheses):
1. Sam Howell, North Carolina (No. 6). He engineered a 24-20 win against South Carolina of the SEC. Howell was 15-for-24 for 245 yards and two touchdowns. Both TDs and a two-point run came in the fourth quarter as the Tar Heels overcame an 11-point deficit.
2. Bachmeier (No. 11). His 407 yards were the most by a freshman in opening week, and he faced one of the most difficult opponents. More impressive was that he excelled despite taking a physical pounding from Florida State’s pass rush. The only flaw: two turnovers.
3. Bo Nix, Auburn (No. 2). Nix gets bonus points for degree of difficulty, winning the only battle of ranked teams with a thrilling touchdown throw in the final minute against Oregon (27-21). But the top dual-threat prospect of 2019 struggled much of the game, going 13-for-31 for 177 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He also rushed for 42 yards.
4. Jayden Daniels, Arizona State (No. 3). Daniels started his college career with a 30-7 win against Kent State. Daniels was a big-play passer — going 15-for-24 for 284 yards and two touchdowns.
5. Brett Gabbert, Miami (Ohio) (No. 71). Gabbert was 17-for-27 for 186 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. The RedHawks lost 38-14 to Iowa. Gabbert is the brother of NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
6. Max Duggan, TCU (No. 10). The No. 5 dual-threat prospect didn’t start but he did shine against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He was 16-for-23 for 165 yards and a touchdown.
7. Kedon Slovis, USC (No. 47). Slovis replaced the injured JT Daniels. Slovis was 6-for-8 for 57 yards with an interception to close out the win against Fresno State. He’ll start this week.
NOTE: Ryan Hilinski (No. 4) will take over as South Carolina’s quarterback this week because of injury.
AMONG BOISE STATE STARTERS
Here are the results of the first starts by Boise State quarterbacks since 2001 (not including the Senior Day start by Bush Hamdan, who was intercepted on his only pass). Bachmeier’s quarterback rating ranks sixth out of the 11 players, but second among those who made their first start against a Power Five team.
▪ Ryan Dinwiddie (2001, loss at South Carolina): 18-of-31, 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 int., 106.15 rating
▪ B.J. Rhode (2001, win vs. Central Michigan): 13-of-27, 191 yards, 1 TD, 1 int., 112.39 rating
▪ Jared Zabransky (2004, win vs. Idaho): 11-of-16, 234 yards, 0 TDs, 1 int., 179.10 rating
▪ Taylor Tharp (2007, win vs. Weber State): 14-of-19, 184 yards, 1 TD, 0 ints., 172.40 rating
▪ Kellen Moore (2008, win vs. Idaho State): 14-of-19, 274 yards, 2 TDs, 0 ints., 229.56 rating
▪ Joe Southwick (2012, loss at Michigan State): 15-of-31, 169 yards, 0 TDs, 1 int., 87.73 rating
▪ Grant Hedrick (2013, loss at BYU): 25-of-42, 232 yards, 1 TD, 1 int., 109.02 rating
▪ Ryan Finley (2015, win vs. Washington): 16-of-26, 129 yards, 0 TDs, 1 int., 95.52 rating
▪ Brett Rypien (2015, win at Virginia): 24-of-35, 321 yards, 3 TDs, 0 ints., 173.90 rating
▪ Montell Cozart (2017, win vs. New Mexico): 15-for-19, 137 yards, 2 TDs, 0 ints., 174.25 rating
▪ Hank Bachmeier (2019, win at Florida State): 30-of-51, 407 yards, 1 TD, 1 int., 128.40 rating
MARSHALL AT BOISE STATE
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,387, FieldTurf)
TV: ESPN2 (Dave Flemming, Jim Mora, Paul Carcaterra)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Both teams are 1-0
Series: Boise State leads 1-0 (last meeting: Boise State won 28-24 in a 1994 Division I-AA semifinal)
Vegas line: Boise State by 12
Weather: 88 degrees, partly cloudy, light wind
