Boise State is the only conference title contender relying this heavily on three QBs
It’s the stuff of nightmares — and that shows at most places where it’s happening.
But not at No. 20 Boise State, where the football team will play in the Mountain West championship game in a season in which the Broncos have needed significant contributions from three quarterbacks.
The Broncos are one of nine FBS teams to get at least 300 passing yards from three quarterbacks this season. The rest are a combined 37-51 with an average of 24.5 points per game and an average scoring rank of 88th.
Boise State is 10-1 and scoring 37.9 points per game — 12th-most in the nation.
It’s a remarkable feat that will become an even more incredible story if the Broncos win Friday at Colorado State to sweep the Mountain West regular-season schedule — something they couldn’t do in Kellen Moore’s senior year, or any of Brett Rypien’s four seasons.
It remains unclear which quarterback will lead the Broncos in the final three games: true freshman Hank Bachmeier, sophomore Chase Cord or senior Jaylon Henderson.
“I would say we’re fortunate that we’ve got three guys like that, that we’ve recruited three guys like that,” coach Bryan Harsin said. “(Offensive coordinator Zak) Hill has done a great job of getting three guys like that to stick together, that are all highly competitive and capable of playing and winning games, to still be part of a team and focused on the team and not themselves.”
The Broncos opened the season with the adrenaline rush that was Bachmeier (1,760 yards, nine TDs) — a new star for a Bronco Nation that adores its offensive playmakers and was immediately taken by the youngster’s willingness to sacrifice his body to score points. Bachmeier started the first six games and seven of the first eight, winning each of those contests. But he exited the Hawaii game early, missed the BYU game, returned for the San Jose State game and hasn’t left the sideline the past three weeks.
Sophomore Chase Cord (670 yards, nine TDs) replaced Bachmeier — and there was potential for an emotional, comeback triumph. Cord raced back from a torn ACL sustained last October to compete for the starting job in fall camp only to lose out to Bachmeier. Cord made his first career start at BYU and his second against Wyoming, but he struggled on both occasions — a loss to the Cougars and an overtime win against the Cowboys. He visited the medical tent against Wyoming and has sat the last two weeks.
Senior Jaylon Henderson (567 yards, seven TDs) was the next — and last — option. The former Texas-San Antonio and Trinity Valley Community College quarterback joined the Broncos in 2018 to provide depth in case of just such a disaster. His passing is inconsistent but he has shown leadership and big-play ability, helping the Broncos outscore New Mexico and Utah State by a combined 98-30 in two starts. His “last man standing” status was confirmed when he remained in the game to take the final snaps in both blowouts.
Harsin has complimented Henderson for his ability to play in the moment — enjoying the opportunity he has and not lamenting the opportunity he never got.
“He was chosen by the coaches as the third one in the pecking order, but he might have been the first one,” Harsin said. “We all say, ‘Well, he’s the third-string guy.’ … That’s just how it worked out. Look at how he’s playing. Maybe when it’s all said and done he could have been the first.”
Other schools with three 300-yard passers include BYU (7-4), which beat Boise State with third-stringer Baylor Romney in the starting role; Kentucky (6-5), which has used a wide receiver as a starting quarterback; Louisville (7-4), which lost its original starter to a season-ending injury but is second to Boise State in scoring on this list; North Carolina State (4-7), which started three QBs in a four-game stretch; Old Dominion (1-10), which doesn’t have a 1,000-yard passer; Purdue (4-7), which has gotten wins from three different starters; Rutgers (2-9), which had a starting quarterback decide to redshirt and another have his career ended by concussion; and Toledo (6-5), which has plummeted from ninth in scoring last year to 68th this year. Only Boise State remains in contention for a conference title or is ranked in the Top 25.
Boise State’s ability to not just weather the quarterback injuries — the school hasn’t started three quarterbacks in a season since 1993 — but to thrive despite them is a credit to Harsin and Hill. Those two often are criticized for the Broncos’ offensive inconsistency, but they’ve built one of the rarest assets in college football — a deep quarterback room.
It’s a credit to the maturity of Bachmeier, Cord and Henderson — they’ve worked well together despite the inherent competition for playing time, and each has been ready when his opportunity arrived. That’s obvious in the fact that the Broncos have scored a touchdown on the opening drive in all four games in which Cord or Henderson started.
And it also says a lot about this 2019 team — one that began the season talking about accountability and developing a player-led program. They’ve found ways to overcome a quarterback situation that usually wrecks seasons.
Predictions
Boise State wraps up the Mountain West regular-season slate Friday at Colorado State (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network) before facing Hawaii in the championship game Dec. 7 at Albertsons Stadium (2 p.m., ESPN).
Boise State is a 13.5-point favorite with Las Vegas oddsmakers at Colorado State with an over/under of 57.5 total points. The Broncos are 22-12 against the spread in their past 34 games.
Colorado State is 10-10 ATS in its past 20 games, and 2-6 ATS against Boise State.
My pick (8-3 straight up, 4-7 ATS): I’m on the bad kind of roll picking Boise State games, so my confidence level is low. Colorado State, statistically, has had a much better season than its 4-7 record indicates. But the Rams have struggled to defend the run, and if Boise State can bring the same attitude to the ground game it had last week at Utah State, that could doom the Rams. The Broncos also should handle this chance at an 8-0 Mountain West season better than two years ago at Fresno State, when the weirdness factor was high knowing they’d get a rematch the following week. Boise State 38, Colorado State 21
Colorado State perspective, from Kelly Lyell of The Coloradoan in Fort Collins (opponent view is 5-4, 4-5): “It’s difficult to say how Colorado State will respond after being eliminated from bowl eligibility last Friday in a loss at Border War rival Wyoming. Players say they’re viewing this game as their bowl game, excited about the opportunity to beat Boise State for the first time ever and to defeat a Top 25 team for the first time since 2002. The Rams are probably better this year than their record indicates, and they have a dangerous passing game when quarterback Patrick O’Brien, star receiver Warren Jackson and tight end Trey McBride are in sync. But with nothing left to play for and the possibility that this game could be the last for coach Mike Bobo and his staff, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see a total collapse — particularly if Boise State builds an early lead.” Boise State 45, Colorado State 17
Betting expert Lee Sterling of Paramount Sports, who appears weekly on KTIK (7-3, 4-6): “Sometimes in bad weather people think, not going to see scoring. Sometimes, you see more scoring.” Boise State 41, Colorado State 14
Chadd Cripe is the Idaho Statesman’s assistant editor and sports columnist. Contact him at ccripe@idahostatesman.com and follow @chaddcripe on Twitter.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
