Boise State short on details about Sears’ surprise start. Now BYU must prepare for two QBs
Reporters approached the question from every angle Saturday night in postgame interviews, but Boise State football coach Bryan Harsin and backup quarterback Jack Sears didn’t crack.
While it may have been a frustrating exchange for inquisitive media members, the non-answers on the status of starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier effectively served as the No. 21 Broncos’ opening play in a showdown with No. 9 BYU next week.
The nonconference matchup scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Friday at Albertsons Stadium (Fox Sports 1) will be Boise State’s first game playing a ranked opponent while ranked since the 2018 Mountain West championship game. It’s also the first time BSU (2-0) and BYU (7-0) will meet when both teams are ranked, and the Cougars will be the highest-ranked opponent to ever play on the blue.
And now the Cougars will have to prepare for two quarterbacks instead of one.
Bachmeier did not make the trip to Air Force on Saturday for an undisclosed reason, and Sears made the case for more playing time by guiding the Broncos to a 49-30 victory at Falcon Stadium. Sears also became the fourth starting QB in the last eight games for Boise State.
“It was great to get out there and play and get a win as a Bronco and help out this program,” Sears said. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve been preparing like I’m a starter, just being ready. Next-man-up mentality, so once they gave me the green light, I was ready to go.”
Exactly when Sears received word of his impending start remains the million-dollar question.
The CBS Sports Network broadcast said Sears knew he’d be the Broncos’ starter on Tuesday, but Harsin and Sears refused to provide any specifics on when that happened and what kept Bachmeier out of Saturday’s game.
“I don’t really remember. I was just busy putting my head down and working,” Sears said when asked for the second time when he first learned he would start. “Just trying to grind, tweaking the playbook and getting into our game plan for this team, watch film and show up each day and do my job.”
“I don’t know, because I didn’t tell them that. I don’t know who told them that,” Harsin said of the CBS report.
Bachmeier and safety JL Skinner were two of 29 Broncos inactive for the Air Force game, but the only starters who did not make the trip. Teams can only dress 74 players for games this season due to Mountain West COVID-19 protocols.
Boise State did not specify which players were out because of positive COVID-19 tests or those missing the game because of injury or disciplinary reasons, but the team did indicate that just one player was missing because of a positive test.
If Bachmeier or Skinner missed the game because of a positive test, a Mountain West spokesperson said the conference would adhere to CDC guidelines, which suggest an infected person isolate for no fewer than 10 days.
“It’s an unusual season and, you know, you never know,” Harsin said. “The way the week goes and things that happen. We had an injury in practice, and so those are some of the things that might keep guys out. And obviously what we’re going through each and every week with our testing to make sure that we’re able to play. And you know what? Knock on wood, so far so good in a lot of areas.”
Sears, a graduate transfer from USC, threw as many touchdowns as he did incompletions against Air Force. It was Sears’ first game — and first start — since Nov. 27, 2018. But it sure didn’t look like it.
Sears was 17-for-20 passing for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and he also rushed for 36 yards and another score on five carries. He threw a 75-yard TD toss to CT Thomas on the Broncos’ first play from scrimmage, and he ended the first half with nine straight completions. The 6-foot-2, 219-pound redshirt junior finished with a QB rating of 252.1 — the highest by a first-time Boise State starter in the program’s WAC/Mountain West era (since 2001).
“I think Jack’s a cool customer. I really do,” Harsin said. “I think he expects to score. … He really handles himself well. He’s very focused — not too high, not too low — but he’s got it. He’s got that energy about him. He’s got the focus necessary to go out there and make plays.
“He was very easy to talk to tonight, very easy to make adjustments with. He had a few suggestions in there that were right on point. I mean, he showed some of that experience as a quarterback that’s a little bit older in how he played tonight. He’s talented.”
Sears’ stellar performance against Air Force may have materialized out of necessity, but it ultimately provides the Broncos with greater offensive versatility in the long run.
And it’ll keep reporters — and BYU — guessing for at least another week.
How Sears’ first start compares
The list below does not include the Senior Day start by Bush Hamdan, who was intercepted on his only pass.
▪ 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
▪ Chase Cord (2019, loss at BYU): 18-of-31, 185 yards, 2 TDs, 2 ints., 116.58 rating
▪ Jaylon Henderson (2019, win vs. New Mexico): 15-of-28, 292 yards, 3 TDs, 1 int., 169.39 rating
▪ Jack Sears (2020, win at Air Force): 17-of-20, 280 yards, 3 TDs, 0 ints., 252.1 rating
[RELATED: Instant Analysis: Backup QB leads Broncos’ potent offense past Air Force in first start]
Holani, Washington, Igiehon injured
Boise State sophomore running back George Holani left Saturday’s game in the first quarter with an apparent leg injury. He had two carries for 5 yards.
CBS Sports Network announced on its broadcast that Holani was spotted on the sideline wearing a knee brace.
Junior Andrew Van Buren replaced Holani in the lineup. Van Buren rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
Redshirt sophomore defensive end Demetri Washington was helped off the field in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury. He was replaced by JUCO transfer Shane Irwin. Washington was later shown on the TV broadcast being carted off to the locker room and was visibly upset.
Scale Igiehon was spotted limping around the field Saturday after suffering an ankle sprain last week. Keeghan Freeborn replaced Igiehon at nose tackle. Freeborn, a Rocky Mountain High graduate, led the Broncos in tackles with nine total, including five solo and one QB hurry.
Bowl games announced
Dates and locations for the 2020 college football bowl season were announced Friday, including the six bowls open for Mountain West teams.
The L.A. Bowl replaces the Las Vegas Bowl as the conference’s top tie-in. The Mountain West champion will play in the game on Dec. 30 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, unless it qualifies for a New Year’s Six bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. MT, and the game will air on ESPN.
The Mountain West’s representative will face a team from the Pac-12.
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will be played Dec. 22 at Albertsons Stadium and feature teams from the Mountain West and MAC. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN.
The New Mexico Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 24 at Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and features an opponent from Conference USA or the MAC. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. MT, and the game will air on ESPN.
The Arizona Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 31 at Arizona Stadium in Tuscon, Arizona, and will feature an opponent from the MAC. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT, and the game will air on CBS Sports Network.
The conference also has agreements with the Guaranteed Rate Bowl (formerly the Cactus Bowl), which is scheduled for Dec. 26 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. If the Big 12 and Big Ten don’t have enough qualifying teams, a Mountain West team will be eligible. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. MT, and the game will air on ESPN.
The Mountain West also has an agreement to play in an ESPN-operated bowl game that is likely to be held in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, according to a press release from the conference.
The conference has two less options this year as the Hawaii Bowl and Redbox Bowl (formerly the San Francisco Bowl) are two of six bowl games that have already been canceled.
Quick hits
Linebacker Nick Provenzano carried the Dan Paul Hammer, linebacker Bruno DeRose carried the U.S. flag and running back George Holani carried the Bleed Blue flag. ... Boise State won the coin toss and elected to receive. ... Air Force starting QB Haaziq Daniels left with an injury on the Falcons’ first play of their second drive. He was replaced by Warren Bryan. ... Avery Williams and Kekaula Kaniho started at safety for the Broncos. Skinner was a late scratch, and Tyreque Jones was injured last week. ... With Octavius Evans’ 21-yard TD reception with 47 seconds to play, Boise State has scored in the final minute of the first half in 11 straight road games. ... The last time the Broncos had scored on their first offensive play from scrimmage was on Nov. 20, 2015, on Jeremy McNichols’ 83-yard run against Air Force. ... Skyview High graduate and redshirt freshman Tyler Crowe hauled in his first career reception on a 15-yard pass from Sears late in the third quarter. ... Avery Williams scored the sixth special teams touchdown of his Boise State career on an 88-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter.
This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 10:56 PM.
