Two former Boise State QBs have NFL wins this year; Broncos lose WR to transfer portal
Two former Boise State quarterbacks have led NFL teams to wins this season.
Cincinnati quarterback Ryan Finley led the Bengals in a 27-17 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, claiming his first win as an NFL quarterback.
He follows Brett Rypien, who led the Denver Broncos past the New York Jets on Oct. 1 in his first game as a starter.
Finley was in the starting lineup Monday because previous Bengals starter Brandon Allen suffered a knee injury Dec. 13 in a loss to the Cowboys. The Bengals’ franchise quarterback, Joe Burrow, is out for the season.
Making his fourth career start, Finley completed 7-of-13 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown and added a rushing touchdown, handing the Steelers their third straight loss. Finley also started three games for Cincinnati last season, but all three were losses.
Finley began his career at Boise State and appeared in eight games during the 2014 and 2015 seasons before transferring to N.C. State, where he threw for 3,928 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior in 2018. The Bengals picked him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Rypien replaced Finley as Boise State’s starting quarterback in 2015 when Finley was injured.
Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was the first former Boise State quarterback to start a game in the NFL, but he was 0-2 as a starter.
WR Waleed in transfer portal
Boise State wide receiver Khyheem Waleed confirmed Tuesday morning that he is transferring.
Waleed (6-foot, 199 pounds) joined the 2019 class as a three-star prospect from Casteel High in Arizona. 247Sports rated him as the No. 10 overall prospect in the state, and he was rated in the top 100 nationally at his position by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.
He appeared in three games last season, preserving his redshirt year, and in five this fall, recording one tackle on special teams.
Waleed was in the same class as quarterback Hank Bachmeier, running back George Holani, safety JL Skinner and cornerback Markel Reed — all of whom are starters or regular contributors.
He was also joined in the 2019 class by fellow wide receiver Shea Whiting, who has also yet to see consistent playing time and spent the bulk of the season on the inactive list.
Senior Octavius Evans was also missing in action this year. He played in the first two games of the season — catching four passes and a touchdown — but spent the rest of the season on the inactive list.
Redshirt sophomores Stefan Cobbs and Billy Bowens saw their snaps increase this season. Cobbs appeared in all seven games, catching four passes for 72 yards and carrying the ball on a couple jet sweeps. Bowens appeared in six games and caught five passes for 39 yards.
Junior Khalil Shakir led the receivers this season with 52 catches for 719 yards and six touchdowns. Senior CT Thomas finished with 20 receptions for 347 yards and two scores.
Waleed’s path to playing time wasn’t likely to get any easier next season. The depth chart may not change much, given the extra year of eligibility offered by the NCAA, and the Broncos have signed talented wide receivers in each of their past two classes.
LaTrell Caples signed with the 2020 class, and Boise State signed explosive receivers Jalen Richmond, Eric McAlister and Kaden Dudley as part of the 2021 class last Wednesday.
DB Evans is in the portal
Defensive back Marques Evans announced Tuesday afternoon that he’s also transferring.
Evans announced the move on Twitter, thanking his coaches for what he called an amazing three years.
“I have built lifelong relationships at Boise State and throughout the community,” Evans said. “I’ll be forever thankful for such an amazing place.”
Evans, a native of Pasadena, California, joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in their 2017 class. He redshirted that year and appeared in one game in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons before spending much of this year on the inactive list.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 1:01 PM.
