Boise State to face opportunistic secondary; Harsin mum on injuries; Yates out at Arizona
Boise State quarterback Chase Cord’s two interceptions in his first career start on Oct. 19 at BYU could have easily turned into three or four as he threw a couple passes into crowds, but the Cougars’ defenders couldn’t come up with the ball.
Freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier missed the BYU game while recovering from a hit he took the previous week against Hawaii. Boise State football coach Bryan Harsin was tight-lipped during his weekly press conference on Monday about which signal caller will start on Saturday at San Jose State, but he knows whoever takes the snaps can’t afford to toss up a bunch of jump balls against the Spartans (4-4, 1-3 MW).
San Jose State’s 13 interceptions this season lead the Mountain West Conference and rank No. 2 in the country behind Oregon’s 14. Harsin said the Spartans’ defensive backs have been opportunistic, and that’s a credit to their preparation.
“They’re around the ball and they’re catching the ones that are thrown to them,” Harsin said. “I think they put teams in some tough situations, too, where they’ve had to make some difficult throws and they’ve been able to create some turnovers, and you’ve got to be aware of that.”
The secret to San Jose State’s success in the secondary is its depth. The Spartans have had five different players start a game at cornerback this season, and they’re led by a trio of junior college transfers in Nehemiah Shelton, Bobby Brown II and Brandon Ezell — all of whom have three interceptions to their credit.
Sophomore Tre White made his first start of the season last weekend against Army, and the depth at cornerback has been bolstered by the addition of Zamore Zigler, who spent the first three years of his San Jose State career as a running back and made the move to corner last spring. This fall, he has started six of the Spartans’ eight contests. Shelton is right behind him with five starts.
On Saturday against Army, Zigler also returned a kickoff 46 yards to set up a late field goal, which sent the Spartans into halftime with a 23-10 lead.
“He’s an awesome young man and a great leader,” San Jose State coach Brent Brennan said on Monday during his weekly press conference. “It has been fun to watch him grow and develop, and he’s finding lots of ways to contribute on the field.”
Harsin mum on injuries
On Monday, Harsin didn’t update the conditions of safety Kekoa Nawahine or running back Robert Mahone other than to confirm Mahone’s injury isn’t season ending. Both left the BYU loss in the first half and didn’t return.
Harsin did say the Broncos spent the bye week focused on the same goal they began the season with — finding consistency on both sides of the ball.
“I hope you guys understand this, win or lose, we go through the same process,” Harsin said. “... You can still lose, but as long as you’re correcting and fixing it and you know what your issues are and you’re open and honest about it, then you have a chance to get back in the next game and go out there and win.”
Another night game
Boise State’s home game on Nov. 9 against Wyoming will kick off at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN, the school announced on Monday.
It will be the sixth straight Broncos’ game that begins after 8 p.m. Mountain time, and the ninth kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. or later this season. Boise State’s game at Utah State on Nov. 19 is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m.
The late game times have drawn the ire of fans, but Harsin said he enjoys the experience. He’s able to get up leisurely, get a workout in and kick back and watch a little football before diving into last-minute preparations.
“There’s a lot of time where you just get a chance to catch up, and we don’t get to do that very often,” Harsin said. “And then I like playing under the lights. That’s always a fun way to go out there and play a Saturday night game.”
Harsin said he also likes the fact that late starts on the west coast mean Boise State is one of the few teams on television at that time, and he likes how that resonates with recruits.
“I know our recruits love that,” Harsin said. “They love just to watch us and not be interrupted with other teams throughout the day.”
Yates out at Arizona
Arizona gave up 41 points on Saturday in a loss to Stanford. One day later, football coach Kevin Sumlin fired defensive coordinator Marcel Yates and linebackers coach John Rushing.
Yates was an assistant coach at Boise State from 2003 to 2011, and he was the Broncos’ defensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. He left in 2016 to become the defensive coordinator at Arizona and that same year, he was the subject of a lawsuit stemming from a failed business venture in Boise.
Under Yates this season, Arizona is giving up 35 points a game, which ranks No. 118 in the country. The 469.9 yards the Wildcats surrender per contest rank No. 119.
NO. 21 BOISE STATE AT SAN JOSE STATE
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: CEFCU Stadium (30,456 grass), San Jose, California
TV: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor, Jenny Dell)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State is 6-1 overall, 3-0 Mountain West; San Jose State is 4-4, 1-3.
Series: Boise State leads 13-0 (last meeting: Boise State won 45-31 in 2016 in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 17
Weather: 77 degrees, sunny, 8 mph wind
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 5:40 PM.
