Boise State receiver is dangerous on third down. And an even more devoted father
Catching a pass on third-and-long has become CT Thomas’ specialty, but there are some joys even football can’t top.
Thomas tested positive for COVID-19 just before the start of Boise State’s 2020 football season. His only symptoms were a loss of taste and smell, and he spent 14 days in isolation while the Broncos carried on in fall camp without him.
The hardest part of the whole experience, though, was being away from his daughter.
“It was no better feeling when I got out of COVID and I went to go see her,” Thomas said. “She ran into my arms and jumped into my arms. I feel like that was the best feeling I ever had in my life. It just made me be proud. That’s my daughter, you know, and I have to try to do my best to be the best father that I can.”
Taytum’s arrival on Sept. 26, 2019 — serendipitously on a Boise State bye week — has changed Thomas’ life for the better, he said. Although he didn’t know how to handle his daughter’s crying at first, he has attacked the challenges of fatherhood the same way he tackles adversity on the football field.
“I think that’s the best thing that ever happened to me. She just simplified my life a lot,” Thomas said. “She made me focus on the task at hand. I just try to stay focused for her and try to stay prepared for her. Everything I do now it’s not just for me. It’s for her and my family.”
Thomas was named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List this season, which honors the legacy of Texas legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Earl Campbell. The award is given annually to college football’s top performer who meets any of the following criteria: born in Texas, and/or played football at a Texas high school, junior college or university.
Thomas, who was born in Dallas and grew up in Lancaster, Texas, has played in 44 games for the Broncos throughout his career, totaling 110 receptions for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has 10 carries for 84 yards and another score.
This season, Thomas ranks second on the team with 13 catches for 256 yards and first in yards per catch (19.69). He has two receiving touchdowns, both of which came against Air Force, highlighted by a 75-yard TD reception from Jack Sears on the Broncos’ opening play from scrimmage.
“If my number gets called, I always pride myself on trying to catch every ball that’s thrown my way,” Thomas said. “That’s one thing I take to heart.”
The 5-foot-8, 175-pound senior is coming off a strong performance against Colorado State in which he caught six passes for 103 yards. All six catches came on third down, earning him a spot on the Pro Football Focus team of the week.
Although smaller in size than some receivers, Thomas packs a punch. He can bench press 320 pounds, which is nearly twice his own weight.
“It’s just good to see him flourish and get his time, get these extra reps and make some plays,” Boise State offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau said. “You look at CT, he might be little, but that guy is a huge competitor and he feels like nobody can stop him.”
Of Thomas’ 13 receptions this season, eight have been on third down. Sophomore quarterback Hank Bachmeier worked out with Thomas during the offseason, further developing their connection.
“I definitely trust just getting him the ball, and our chemistry is great,” Bachmeier said. “I just think he has an incredible knack for getting open.”
Thomas has gone 34 consecutive games with a reception, which ranks third nationally among active players.
“Repetition, I think that’s the biggest thing,” Thomas said. “If you ever want to be good at anything that you do, you have to have repetition and get a lot of reps in. I just practice strong hands, strong catch. I practice in my mind, even in the summer time. … It comes natural to you after you’ve done it so much. We hold ourselves to a high standard in the receiver room. Any ball come your way, catch it, no matter what down it is.”
One MW game canceled, another postponed
The Utah State at Wyoming and UNLV at Colorado State football games will not be played this week.
Thursday’s Utah State-Wyoming game fell through because of an upward trend in COVID-19 cases within the Aggies program. UNLV is unable to play Saturday against Colorado State due to positive COVID-19 tests and the resulting contact tracing.
The Utah State-Wyoming game will be declared a no contest, and there is no plan to reschedule it, according to a news release from the Mountain West. However, UNLV and Colorado State are exploring all options to get the game played later this season, a Mountain West spokesperson said.
So far this week, at least 14 college football games have been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus, including Ohio at Miami (Ohio) (canceled), UAB at UTEP (canceled), Arizona State at Colorado (canceled), Ole Miss at Texas A&M (postponed), Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana Tech (canceled), Georgia Tech at Miami (postponed), Charlotte at Marshall (canceled), Wake Forest at Duke (canceled), Houston at SMU (postponed), Navy at USF (postponed), Central Arkansas at Louisiana (canceled) and Texas at Kansas (postponed).
BOISE STATE AT HAWAII
When: 9 p.m. MT Saturday
Where: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
TV: CBS Sports Network (John Sadak, Randy Cross). That’s channel 139 on Sparklight, 221 on DirecTV and 158 on Dish Network.
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 3-1, 3-0 Mountain West; Colorado State 2-2, 2-2.
Series: Boise State leads 14-3 (last meeting: Boise State won 31-10 in the 2019 Mountain West championship game in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 14
Weather: High of 83 degrees, 23 mph wind
