Boise State can make history vs. Colorado State; QBs are ‘all available’; snow in forecast
Boise State has a chance to accomplish a feat Friday at Colorado State that no other team has in program history. The Broncos can go undefeated in the Mountain West Conference.
“Around here, let’s be honest, there’s not a lot of things you get the chance to do for the first time,” Boise State football coach Bryan Harsin said Monday during his weekly press conference. “When you get a chance to talk about doing something for the first time, if that doesn’t fire you up as a competitor, something’s wrong with you.”
The Broncos (10-1, 7-0 MW) have finished the regular season with one conference loss in five of the eight seasons since Boise State joined the Mountain West in 2011. They finished with two losses twice, and their worst record was 5-3 in 2015.
Boise State went 7-1 in Harsin’s first season in 2014 and in each of the past two years. Last fall, San Diego State upset the Broncos 19-13 at home. In 2017, they were 7-0 in conference play heading into the regular-season finale at Fresno State, and their perfect record was ruined in a 28-17 loss.
The following week, Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien led a fourth-quarter comeback in a 17-14 win over Fresno State in the Mountain West championship game.
“You learn things along the way, and I know that was upsetting to a lot of guys on that team,” Harsin said. “I think everybody’s attention is on what we have to do this week, and it’s all about us finishing and that’s really the mindset.”
In 2017, the Broncos’ undefeated run through conference play almost ended a couple weeks before their loss to Fresno State. They were 5-0 heading into a game in November at Colorado State, and before they knew it, the Rams were up 35-10 late in the second quarter.
Behind running back Alexander Mattison’s 242 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner in overtime, Boise State battled all the way back to win, 59-52.
“That was about as ugly a game as it could be early on, and there’s not anybody in this room that wants to see that happen again,” Harsin said.
Several current players were on the field for that near-loss in 2017. Running back Robert Mahone scored a touchdown, which cut Colorado State’s lead to four points with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. Safety Kekoa Nawahine led the defense with 10 tackles, cornerback Avery Williams came away with an interception and backup linebacker Matt Locher added a sack.
Neither the players who were on the field nor the ones getting ready to face the Rams for the first time need to be reminded of that day. Harsin said Monday the coaches have pulled the game film out multiple times as a cautionary tale.
“We started slow, the crowd was crazy and the student section was behind us,” said Boise State STUD Curtis Weaver, who was also on the field at Colorado State in 2017 and finished with one tackle. “We don’t let that stuff get to us, but the energy they had was different and they came out and punched us in the face, but we got the last one.”
No matter what happens Friday, No. 20 Boise State will host Hawaii on Dec. 7 in the Mountain West championship game. But Harsin said the chance to make history has to be too enticing to pass up for every player on the roster.
“We talked about this in January. The goal has always been to win every single game you play in, and this is no different,” Harsin said. “There’s no guarantees (in January) of a championship game. There’s no guarantees of a bowl game. There’s guarantees of the season that you have ahead of you, and that’s always been the focus.”
‘Guys are all available to play’
When asked Monday if quarterbacks Hank Bachmeier and Chase Cord were available to play, Harsin paraphrased an answer Alabama coach Nick Saban gave in 2018 during a postgame interview when he was the one being peppered with questions about quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.
“You can keep asking but I’m not answering it,” Harsin recited.
Bachmeier and Cord have both been in uniform the past two games against New Mexico and Utah State, but neither has played. Instead, third-string quarterback Jaylon Henderson has led the Broncos to 98 points in a pair of lopsided wins.
Bachmeier was knocked out of the Hawaii game with a hip injury, which caused him to miss the Broncos’ loss at BYU. He returned to start at San Jose State, but exited briefly with what appeared to be an injury to his throwing shoulder before returning to finish the game. Cord started at Wyoming and took some hits, one of which briefly sent him to the medical tent, but he also finished that game.
On Monday, Harsin said he didn’t have an update on the health of either quarterback, but he did appear to suggest they could play if needed.
“There’s no season-ending injuries. Guys are all available to play,” Harsin said. “If guys need to play, they can play.”
Harsin also didn’t update the condition of right guard Eric Quevedo, who missed Saturday’s game at Utah State after getting tangled up in a pile and going down awkwardly against New Mexico. Redshirt junior Jake Stetz started in his place.
Snow in the forecast
The Broncos may have to deal with some winter weather Friday at Colorado State (1:30 p.m., CBSSN).
The forecast shows a 70 percent chance of snow in Fort Collins, Colorado, with temperatures dipping down to 19 degrees.
“We’ve been in those conditions before and it should not be a factor as far as mentally,” Harsin said. “Physically, it obviously will be and we’ll deal with that. Cold is just a matter of mentality. … It’s just part of the game.”
NO. 20 BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE
When: 1:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Canvas Stadium (36,500), Fort Collins, Colorado
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Murray, AJ Ross)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State is 10-1 overall, 7-0 Mountain West; Colorado State is 4-7, 3-4
Series: Boise State leads 8-0 (last meeting: Boise State won 56-28 in 2018 in Albertsons Stadium)
Vegas line: Boise State by 13
Weather: High of 35 degrees, 70 percent chance of snow, 7 mph wind at kickoff
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 5:06 PM.
