Boise State’s Jaylon Henderson shines in first start as QB situation gets murkier
Boise State senior Jaylon Henderson was the first quarterback on the blue turf in Albertsons Stadium for warmups before Saturday’s game against New Mexico.
An hour before kickoff in a game the Broncos were favored to win by 28 points, Henderson was in a sleeveless gray hoodie warming up his arm with a few throws. As players began to filter out of the locker room, he backpedaled from one sideline to the other, stopping every couple yards to torque his right hip and fire an imaginary pass.
Henderson made the first start of his Boise State career against the Lobos, and it was over as soon as it began. The Broncos scored 28 points in the first quarter — the most they’ve scored in a quarter this season — and never looked back in a 42-9 laugher.
“Like (Oklahoma quarterback) Jalen Hurts said, it made me want to play with a boulder on my shoulder,” Henderson said of his opportunity. “I really went out there and tried to do the best I could for the seniors and the team and the coaches.”
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Henderson said he learned last Sunday he was probably going to be the starter, and Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said he was impressed with how his third-string quarterback prepared all week in practice.
“I thought Jaylon Henderson played extremely well tonight, and you guys all got a chance to see this kid play,” Harsin said. “He can throw it and he can operate, and he prepares himself. And this dude is really good. There’s a reason he’s here.”
Saturday marked the first time since 1993 that three different quarterbacks have started for Boise State. Henderson (15-of-28, 292 yards) threw touchdowns to three different receivers, but he also turned the ball over twice and, after leading three scoring drives in the first quarter, failed to lead one in the second.
Even with the game well in hand in the fourth quarter, though, Henderson remained on the field.
Harsin said after the game that he didn’t pull Henderson because it was senior night and he wanted to get him more reps, and he admitted there weren’t many options behind him. Henderson got the start because neither true freshman Hank Bachmeier nor sophomore Chase Cord were available, and the only other quarterback on the team is walk-on Zach Matlock.
After appearing to injure his shoulder two weeks ago against San Jose State, Bachmeier has now missed the past two games. Cord started last weekend’s game against Wyoming but took some big hits, one of which led to a brief trip to the medical tent.
Especially considering a win next Saturday at Utah State would clinch the Mountain Division and the right to host the Mountain West championship game for the Broncos, the question remains which of Boise State’s signal callers will lead the team?
Harsin didn’t have an answer Saturday night when asked who the starter moving forward would be, but he said he’s comfortable if the guy who began the season signaling in plays from the sideline is the one leading the Broncos onto the field in Logan, Utah.
“Whoever that guy is, we’ll get him ready,” Harsin said. “But I will tell you this: I have a tremendous amount of confidence in Jaylon and the way he went out there and operated tonight.”
The Broncos couldn’t have scripted a better first quarter for Henderson, and it all began with a drive that started on the Boise State 3-yard line. Henderson’s first pass was a 16-yard strike to John Hightower, and the 97-yard scoring drive was capped by a 17-yard touchdown run on a reverse by wide receiver Octavius Evans.
“He didn’t flinch,” Harsin said of Henderson’s first series, which began with a bootleg pass that forced him to throw out of his own end zone. “We didn’t plan on being at that yard line, but it was like: ‘Screw it, let’s go.’ … And he threw the longest throw on that entire concept on the very first play, right out of the gate. Pretty cool.”
Henderson opened the game 7-of-9 for 157 yards and two touchdowns. His first TD was a shovel pass, which Khalil Shakir turned into an 18-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead. The second was a 51-yard strike to Hightower, which gave Boise State its 28-point lead in the final seconds of the first quarter.
“The one ball he threw that I remember to Hightower was one of the best throws I’ve seen, period,” Harsin said. “I’ve coached quarterbacks for a while now. That ball was laid in there and John did a great job of catching it because it was a laser beam and it couldn’t have been thrown any more accurately than it was.”
Henderson’s second quarter wasn’t nearly as productive. He didn’t see New Mexico linebacker Alex Hart in underneath coverage and the Broncos’ first possession of the frame ended with an interception. Their next ended with a fumble after Lobos linebacker Jacobi Hearn stripped Henderson from behind, and the one after that ended with a sack after Henderson was late to recognize a blitz up the middle.
As with most first-time starters, Henderson’s start wasn’t perfect. He was the first to admit he left some plays on the field, but he’ll be back on the practice field Sunday preparing like he’s the starter all over again.
“It would be no different than if Hank were out there, Chase were out there or if anybody were out there,” Henderson said. “We’ve got a core and all of us can go.”
Senior night wasn’t just special for Henderson. Hightower (four catches, 124 yards) posted his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season, and tight end Garrett Collingham took a shovel pass from Shakir and scored a 2-yard touchdown for a 42-3 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Defensively, Chase Hatada forced a fumble on the first play of the game and fellow senior defensive lineman Sonatane Lui scooped it up and rumbled 24 yards for a touchdown. That was the first of two fumbles that Lui recovered, and Hatada finished with six tackles (four for loss) and a sack.
This story was originally published November 17, 2019 at 3:12 AM.
