Boise State hopes to have some fans at BYU game; rebuilt defensive line loses key piece
Boise State will ask Central District Health for an exception to its public health order pertaining to large gatherings in an effort to allow about 1,100 fans in Albertsons Stadium for games this fall, a university spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon.
CDH will hear the request at its next board meeting, which is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Fans admitted into the stadium would include family members of players, Boise State’s band and spirit squad and a limited number of students. A negative PCR test for COVID-19 would be required before entry, and masks and adherence to social distancing guidelines would also be required.
Ada County, which falls under CDH jurisdiction, is still in a modified Stage 3 of the Idaho Rebounds plan, which prohibits gatherings of 50 or more people.
Boise State did not allow fans to attend its season opener two weeks ago against Utah State.
Senior linebacker Riley Whimpey told reporters on Tuesday that he’s hopeful he gets to see some familiar faces in the stands on Friday.
“We’re hopeful that we can get them in the stands this weekend,” he said. “My parents are still planning on making the trip down, and we’re submitting our tickets, so hopefully everything goes as planned because we hope we can get them in the stadium this weekend. There’s no reason, I believe, we shouldn’t be able to, especially being able to social distance in that big of a stadium.”
Albertsons Stadium can hold more than 36,000 fans, and in September, former Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey estimated its capacity would be reduced to 25% or 30%.
Washington out for season
In a year when the Boise State football team is already trying to replace four starters on the defensive front, including top pass rusher Curtis Weaver, the Broncos’ defense will now be without one of its most versatile members for the rest of the season.
STUD Demitri Washington is out for the year after suffering a gruesome-looking injury on Saturday at Air Force, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said Tuesday morning. Harsin didn’t share any specifics about the injury, but said Washington had an MRI scheduled for Monday.
Washington went down in the second quarter after one of his teammates and an Air Force offensive lineman fell on him, pinning his right leg to the ground and contorting his knee at an unnatural angle. He was helped off the field and taken to the locker room on a cart.
“I feel terrible for him,” Harsin told reporters. “He has worked so hard. I think he actually was one of the guys, going clear back to June, with all the quarantining and all the different things that everybody had to do, I believe he didn’t miss one workout. He’s been at it the entire time.”
He’s listed as a STUD on the Broncos’ roster, but Washington has spent the first two games of the season operating mostly out of a three-point stance as a traditional defensive end.
Junior college transfer Shane Irwin filled in for Washington on Saturday at Air Force and finished the Broncos’ 49-30 win second on the team with eight tackles.
The No. 21 Broncos (2-0) are not only replacing interior defensive linemen David Moa, Chase Hatada and Sonatane Lui this fall, but also Weaver, who led the Mountain West last season with 13.5 sacks and finished his college career No. 2 all-time at Boise State with 34.
Will Bachmeier, Holani play?
Harsin said Tuesday morning that neither quarterback Hank Bachmeier nor George Holani is expected to miss the rest of the season, but he wouldn’t confirm if either was going to be available for Friday’s game against BYU (7:55 p.m., FS1).
He did, however, leave open the possibility of them suiting up against the No. 9 Cougars (7-0). Harsin said if a player can practice by Thursday during a normal game week, he would feel comfortable playing them in a game on Saturday.
The Broncos having Election Day off and a Friday night game make this anything but a normal week, but Harsin said the same unwritten rule applies. If Bachmeier or Holani can practice by Wednesday, he’ll feel comfortable playing them on Friday.
“For us, how we practice is how we play,” he said. “This isn’t always 100%, but I’m not a big believer in just rolling out there and thinking you can play in this game. You’ve got to get ready, and you’ve got to get into a groove.”
Bachmeier didn’t make the trip to Air Force on Saturday. Boise State didn’t specify why he or starting safety JL Skinner were out, but the university did confirm that one player missed the game because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Graduate transfer Jack Sears made his first start as a Bronco and completed 17-of-20 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and he added a rushing score.
Missing games is familiar territory for Bachmeier.
Last fall, he missed Boise State’s loss at BYU, the final four regular-season games and the Mountain West championship game because of injuries, but he was inserted into the lineup for the Las Vegas Bowl against Washington.
He was replaced by backup Jaylon Henderson in the third quarter of the Broncos’ 38-7 loss.
Holani exited Saturday’s game in the first quarter with an apparent leg injury and didn’t return. He was replaced by junior Andrew Van Buren, who posted 70 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
No waiver was requested
Harsin said Tuesday that the Broncos did not apply for a waiver in an attempt to practice on Election Day, and that he advised everyone in the program to go out and vote.
“This day was set for a reason,” Harsin said. “I told our staff and our players that they’ve got a responsibility today, so go take care of your responsibility today and then come back and let’s get ready for Wednesday.”
In September, the Division I Council voted that the first Tuesday after Nov. 1 will be a day off every year. Teams are not allowed to hold any mandatory team activities, including workouts, practice or position meetings.
The Broncos did practice on Monday evening to make up for having Tuesday off.
NO. 9 BYU AT NO. 21 BOISE STATE
When: 7:55 p.m. Friday
Where: Albertsons Stadium
TV: Fox Sports 1 (Aaron Goldsmith, Petros Papadakis). That’s channel 146 on Sparklight, 219 on DirecTV and 150 on Dish Network.
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 2-0; BYU 7-0
Series: Boise State leads 7-3 (last meeting: Boise State lost 28-25 last season in Provo, Utah)
Vegas line: BYU by 2.5
Weather: Low of 28 degrees, 40% chance of rain and snow, 5-10 mph winds
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 10:34 AM.
