Final: No. 9 BYU 51, No. 21 Boise State 17; QBs Bachmeier, Sears sidelined
BYU scored 22 points in the third quarter behind excellent play from quarterback Zach Wilson and rolled past Boise State on Friday night at Albertsons Stadium.
The No. 9 Cougars won 51-17 — their first win in the series on The Blue. Wilson was 21-for-27 for 359 yards and two touchdowns, plus he ran for a score and set up another touchdown on what was ruled a lateral.
No. 21 Boise State was severely shorthanded with starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier out for the second straight game for undisclosed reasons and backup Jack Sears exiting in the first quarter after taking a hit to the head. That left freshmen Cade Fennegan, who was on a church mission last year, and walk-on Andy Peters to play quarterback. They were a combined 19-for-34 for 208 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. The two touchdowns came in a fourth-quarter flurry of 10 seconds, after BYU was up 45-3.
Broncos’ missing pieces
Former USC quarterback Jack Sears made his second start in place of Bachmeier.
Running back George Holani also missed the game after suffering an apparent leg injury early in last weekend’s 49-30 win at Air Force.
Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said Tuesday that Bachmeier is expected back this season. Bachmeier was on the sideline during Friday’s game.
Boise State has not said why Bachmeier is out, but a team spokesperson said four players were out Friday because of positive COVID-19 tests. Defensive back Tyric LeBeauf and linebacker Brock Miller were new additions to the list of players out for the game, as were punter Joel Velazquez, receiver Octavius Evans and reserve wide receiver Shea Whiting.
Sophomore safety JL Skinner also missed last weekend’s game at Air Force, but he and nose tackle Scale Igiehon returned to action. Igiehon left last weekend’s game early after he was limping around between plays in the first quarter on the same ankle he injured in the season opener against Utah State.
Sears leaves with injury in first quarter
Sears was injured on a 3-yard keeper on third-and-1 on the Broncos’ second possession of the game. He struggled to get up after the play and went back down to one knee. An official appeared to tell him to leave the field, and he was then taken to the medical tent with 8:11 on the clock in the first quarter.
Sears was replaced at quarterback by true freshman Cade Fennegan.
It appeared Sears took a helmet-to-helmet hit from a BYU defensive player.
Fennegan played the remainder of the first half and was 7-for-12 passing for 46 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Fennegan also had a fumble, but BYU was not able to convert on either BSU turnover.
Follow the action with our scoring summary, news and notes, and tweets below:
QUICK PREVIEW
It’s not often that Boise State is an underdog on its home field, but that’s exactly the case for the Broncos’ contest Friday against No. 9 BYU at Albertsons Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 1, and the game can also be heard on the radio at KBOI 670 AM or KTIK 93.1 FM.
As of Friday afternoon, the Cougars (7-0) are a four-point favorite. The last time Boise State (2-0) was an underdog at home was in 2018 against then-No. 16 Fresno State.
Boise State leads the series against BYU 7-3, including a 5-0 record on The Blue. But Friday’s game will be the first time Boise State and BYU have played when both are ranked, and the first time the Broncos have hosted a top-10 opponent.
Utah State was No. 14 when it visited in 2018, and Fresno State was No. 16 when it came to town that year. Oregon was ranked No. 16 when the Ducks played in Albertsons Stadium in 2009.
Boise State won all three of those games. The Broncos are 5-3 at home against ranked opponents and 15-18 all-time regardless of location.
The Broncos are 5-2 against opponents ranked in the top 10, and they won their last four such games: No. 7 Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl (43-42, OT), No. 4 TCU in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl (17-10), No. 10 Virginia Tech in 2010 (33-30) and No. 10 Arizona in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl (38-30).
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
BYU — Tyler Allgeier 86 run (Jake Oldroyd kick), 11:41. Key plays: The Cougars were pinned at their own 5-yard line after a 39-yard punt from BSU backup punter Gavin Wale. That didn’t faze BYU, which needed just two plays to score. Drive: 2 plays, 95 yards, 0:43. BYU 7, Boise State 0
BSU — Jonah Dalmas 39 field goal, 3:32. Key plays: After starting QB Jack Sears went out with an injury, true freshman Cade Fennegan stepped in to lead the scoring drive. Fennegan completed a 15-yard pass to TE Riley Smith on second-and-8 to get the Broncos to the BYU 24-yard line. Drive: 16 plays, 53 yards, 7:57. BYU 7, Boise State 3
Second quarter
BYU — Oldroyd 47 field goal, 14:54. Key plays: The Boise State defense chased BYU QB Zach Wilson out of the pocket and forced an incomplete pass on third-and-8 from the BSU 30-yard line. The Cougars had to settle for a field goal. Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 3:28. BYU 10, Boise State 3
BYU — Zach Wilson 4 run (kick blocked), 1:00. Key plays: The Cougars benefited from a pass interference penalty to reach the BSU 2-yard line. Boise State DT Scott Matlock blocked BYU’s PAT attempt. Drive: 8 plays, 96 yards, 1:26. BYU 16, Boise State 3
Third quarter
BYU — Isaac Rex 5 pass from Wilson (Oldroyd kick), 12:48. Key plays: Wilson completed back-to-back passes of 38 yards each to Dax Milne and Gunner Romney to get to the BSU 5. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:11. BYU 23, Boise State 3
BYU — Rex 20 pass from Wilson (Neil Pau’u pass from Wilson), 6:57. Key plays: The Cougars opened this drive with a 39-yard pass from Wilson to Milne. Then Wilson found Rex on back-to-back plays, the first a 5-yard pass on fourth-and-2 from the BSU 25 and the second for a score. Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 2:21. BYU 31, Boise State 3
BYU — Lopini Katoa 20 run (Oldroyd kick), 1:26. Key plays: Wilson found Pau’u for a 28-yard strike to the BSU 32. Katoa slipped past several BSU defenders to reach the end zone. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 2:36. BYU 38, Boise State 3
Fourth quarter
BYU — Pau’u 1 run (Oldroyd kick), 11:27. Key plays: Khyiris Tonga blocked the punt of Boise State’s Gavin Wale, giving the Cougars good field position at the BSU 30. A 15-yard pass from Wilson to Gunner Romney brought the Cougars to the BSU 1. Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 3:01. BYU 45, Boise State 3
BSU — Khalil Shakir 52 pass from Cade Fennegan (Dalmas kick), 9:17. Key play: On third-and-4 from BSU’s own 34-yard line, Fennegan connected with CT Thomas on a 14-yard pass to keep the drive alive. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:09. BYU 45, Boise State 10
BSU — Shakir 46 pass from Fennegan (Dalmas kick), 9:07. Key play: Shakir recovered Boise State’s onside kick at the Broncos’ 49-yard line. After an offside penalty by BYU, Fennegan found Shakir in stride once again for the second TD in a stretch of 10 seconds. Drive: 1 play, 51 yards, :07. BYU 45, Boise State 17
BYU — Allgeier 2 run (kick failed), 7:59. Key play: Boise State attempted another onside kick, but this time it was recovered by BYU’s Isaac Rex at the BSU 45-yard line. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 1:06. BYU 51, Boise State 17
NEWS & NOTES
Quick hits
Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Scott Matlock, a Homedale High graduate, served as Boise State’s fourth captain. ... Junior Khalil Shakir represented Boise State in the coin toss. ... The Broncos won the coin toss and elected to receive. ... Boise State wore black jerseys, black pants and black helmets. ... Redshirt sophomore STUD Dylan Herberg carried the Dan Paul Hammer, redshirt sophomore left guard Garrett Curran carried the American flag and STUD Sam Whitney carried the Bleed Blue flag. ... Redshirt sophomore Riley Smith (TE) and redshirt sophomore Keeghan Freeborn (NT) each made their first career starts for the Broncos. ... Trailing 16-3, Boise State faced its largest halftime deficit at home since the MPC Computers Bowl in 2005 when the Broncos trailed Boston College 24-0 at halftime.
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
Boise State will have fans in Albertsons Stadium this fall after all — but only a select few
Boise State QB Sears — once a marquee recruit — showed his talent in first Broncos start
Boise State’s Bachmeier vs. BYU’s Wilson: The matchup that may never happen
Boise State hopes to have some fans at BYU game; rebuilt defensive line loses key piece
Keys to victory, matchups and predictions for Boise State football’s home game vs. BYU
Boise State gets Election Day off; Williams, Sears pick up weekly conference awards
Boise State climbs in AP, coaches polls after passing road test at Air Force
Boise State short on details about Sears’ surprise start. Now BYU must prepare for two QBs
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 6:47 PM.
