As Boise State football’s COVID-19 numbers climb, the threat of cancellations looms

He didn’t look out of place jogging off the sideline toward the Boise State defense, clad all in orange, at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds.

Ben Dooley, in even a somewhat normal world, should not have been out there.

But this year, in this sport, is a bizarre alternate universe.

A redshirt freshman offensive lineman, Dooley saw significant snaps on the other side of the ball during the Broncos’ 52-21 rout Thursday of Colorado State.

It was a quirky little twist — Dooley certainly held his own when he was in, making a pair of tackles. The fact he was even in that position lays bare just how close the Broncos, and every team in the country, are to not even playing.

Boise State had 14 players out because of COVID-19, nine of them because of positive tests, and another five because of contact tracing.

That’s a trend going in the wrong way — just as it is in this state outside the alternate reality bubble over The Blue.

When the Broncos opened the season Oct. 24, they had zero players out for COVID-19 reasons. The next week, it was one, then it was four, and now 14.

“It’s concerning every week,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said.

Though the school did not name those 14 players who were out, four Broncos listed as interior defensive linemen — Jackson Cravens, Keeghan Freeborn, Herbert Gums and Scale Igiehon — were on the team’s list of inactives. Freeborn and Gums have season-ending injuries, Harsin said following the game.

So Dooley got some work on the defensive line during the week, just one padded practice. He also saw some time Thursday at his usual position.

The Mountain West stated that a game can be canceled if a team has fewer than 53 players eligible to play, and among them, teams must have at least four interior defensive linemen. On Thursday, the Broncos used Dooley, a backup defensive end (Mike Callahan) and a walk-on (Jaydn Ewing) behind starters Scott Matlock and Divine Obichere.

As the game kicked off, 11 games across the country slated for the weekend had been canceled, including four in the SEC and one in the Mountain West (Air Force at Wyoming).

Harsin said he spends every day thinking about COVID-19, how it affects his team, and even, he concedes, perhaps selfishly, if he might get that notice that he tested positive.

Prior to the season, he admitted it was going to be close to impossible to fully prevent positives on his team, that “I know hope’s not a great plan.”

“It’s a juggling act of being focused, but also being real about what we’re dealing with each week,” Harsin said.

And that is the strange part of the season moving along — it just doesn’t feel real. The roar of the crowd is gone, the usual pomp and circumstance replaced by a feeling like every game is a preseason contest. New Mexico has uprooted itself and the Lobos are making Las Vegas their home away from home this fall.

As said in this column less than a month ago, if you are a fan and you are watching, just enjoy it while you can.

Thursday provided plenty of memorable moments, like Avery Williams’ final-boss-level special teams skills, the Broncos’ continued comical dominance of Colorado State, a Statue Left cameo, Dooley’s iron man game, and even an offensive tackle – Nick Crabtree - scoring a touchdown.

If current trends continue, that could mean Boise State is at risk of making you remember Thursday’s rout just a little longer.

“Hopefully moving forward, we’re able to keep it under control … as crazy of a year as it is, you’ve got to be ready for anything,” senior linebacker Riley Whimpey said.

But as Harsin said, hope isn’t a great plan.

Boise State has its precautions, and by all accounts, most have taken them seriously.

Yet something like a once-in-a-century pandemic doesn’t play by the rules.

Everywhere, people are facing statistics that are not encouraging. If sports are the reward for a functioning society, the latter is not doing its part. But if Boise State can stem the tide of its own numbers, at least you can rely on a game every week, strange as it may be.

Dave Southorn is a former Boise State football beat writer for the Idaho Statesman. He’s providing occasional coverage for us this season.

This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 1:35 AM.