Five questions Boise State has to answer as it prepares to debut new offense at UCF
The Boise State football team shifted its focus this week from position battles to preparing for the season opener on Sept. 2 at UCF (5 p.m. Mountain time, ESPN).
“It’s not Boise versus Boise anymore,” Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier said. “We really locked into (UCF), and we’re just getting a feel for their DNA, defensively and schematically.”
Bachmeier said Sunday was the first day the team focused specifically on installing a game plan for the Knights. That effort continued on Monday, though not just in terms of X’s and O’s.
The Broncos held their “inferno” practice on Monday. It was moved from the grass field outside Albertsons Stadium to the Caven-Williams Indoor facility, where the heat and humidity were cranked up to give the players a taste of what the conditions are expected to be like in Orlando, Florida.
It’s a tradition that dates back to season openers at Louisiana in 2016, Troy in 2018 and Florida State in 2019. Boise State won all three of those games.
With the season opener just eight days away, here are some questions Boise State’s offense must answer if Andy Avalos is going to produce a winning product in his first season as the head coach at his alma mater.
1. How can QB Hank Bachmeier get better in year three?
Bachmeier is heading into his third season as the Broncos’ starter after beating out USC transfer Jack Sears for the second year in a row. He has the arm and the toughness to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Mountain West, but that toughness has cost him some playing time.
Bachmeier missed six games in 2019 because of injuries — the first of which he suffered while scrambling after a play broke down in a regular season game against Hawaii. He missed two games last season because of COVID-19, but just like the year before, he took too many hits for new offensive coordinator Tim Plough’s liking.
Plough said job No. 1 for Bachmeier this offseason was getting rid of the ball more quickly.
“Hank’s an extremely competitive guy,” Plough said. “He’s very confident in his abilities, and sometimes that gets him into trouble. That’s led to him putting himself at risk of getting hurt and getting hit too many times.”
Bachmeier said his ability to understand protections and make quick decisions has vastly improved the past three years, but he can’t totally ignore his instincts.
“I really credit coach Plough with helping me understand protections, understand pressures and have a plan every single play,” Bachmeier said. “I’m just so stubborn. The competitor in me is always trying to win that play.”
2. How different will the offense look?
The Broncos didn’t give away much about Plough’s scheme during the spring game in April. The whole playbook is installed now, though, and it will be on display at UCF.
Plough and his players have been careful not to indicate how the new system will differ from what Boise State has run in the past. A few differences have emerged, though:
▪ The Broncos will operate at a much faster tempo, and may not huddle at times. That should mean more plays for the offense and fewer opportunities for the defense to substitute players.
▪ Much more has been heaped on the quarterbacks in terms of presnap reads and setting pass protection. Plough said he asks as much of his quarterbacks as any coach in the NFL.
▪ The quarterbacks will be asked to make decisions on more run-pass option (RPO) plays.
▪ More players will see the field, and Avalos said there won’t be as many plays designed to go to a specific player.
▪ Plough engineered one of the most aggressive passing attacks in the FCS, and that isn’t going to change. He hasn’t been shy about saying he won’t even look at the scoreboard until the Broncos hit 50.
▪ The running backs are going to play a larger role in the passing game.
▪ This isn’t going to be a gimmick-driven Air Raid offense, even though the Broncos may pass the ball a little more. At UC Davis, Plough’s offense averaged more than 40 passing attempts a game in 2018 and 2019, but running back Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. also racked up 2,225 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground.
3. Can the Broncos get better production out of the running game?
Boise State ranked last in the Mountain West last season with 107.1 rushing yards per game. That’s the fewest the Broncos have averaged in at least two decades, and that doesn’t sit well with anyone — especially the offensive linemen.
“It’s on us, and we’ve really been focusing on bending our knees and playing with lower pad level,” center Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez said. “It’s just realizing that we can work as a group. It doesn’t have to be individuals driving people off the ball.”
By all accounts, starting running back George Holani is back to full strength and looking as explosive as ever. He racked up 1,014 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns as a freshman, but missed most of last season with a knee injury.
Andrew Van Buren is back after leading the Mountain West last year with eight rushing touchdowns, and junior college transfer Taequan Tyler is healthy after missing last season and this spring with an Achilles injury.
The Broncos also added Oregon transfer Cyrus Habibi-Likio, who joined the team with 21 career rushing touchdowns.
After struggling to find healthy bodies last season, the Broncos feel like they have dependable depth in the backfield this year, and it’s already paying off. Avalos said the running game performed better in the team’s second scrimmage than it had in any live situation this spring or summer.
4. What role will Habibi-Likio play?
Habibi-Likio said it himself. He was seen as a short-yardage back at Oregon, and he’s excited to prove he can do more.
“One of the biggest reasons I came to Boise State was for a bigger role,” Habibi-Likio said. “I feel like I’ve earned that, and it wasn’t easy. I’ve grown a lot and I’ve learned a lot.”
The 6-foot-1 redshirt senior has slimmed down from the 220 pounds he weighed at Oregon to 210, and he was clocked running at more than 21 mph this summer, Plough said.
“I knew he’d be a good player, but he’s a special, special human,” Plough said.
Habibi-Likio was pretty much penciled in at No. 2 on the depth chart the moment he stepped on campus, and he seems like a good compliment to Holani. They’re both strong enough to pick up tough yards and athletic enough to break off long runs.
Holani is the obvious starter, but Habibi-Likio is going to get plenty of chances to touch the ball — especially if he catches the ball out of the backfield as well as his coaches and teammates say he has during camp.
5. Who will step up as the third option in the passing game?
Senior Khalil Shakir and super senior CT Thomas are more than likely going to be Bachmeier’s top two targets again this year. But the question remains, where will he turn if they’re covered?
Coaches and fans alike would love to see redshirt senior Octavius Evans step into that role. Whether he’s dunking a basketball or making big plays in practice, his potential is obvious to his teammates, but it hasn’t shown up on the field.
He was impressive as a true freshman, appearing in 14 games and hauling in a pair of touchdowns, but he hasn’t been a consistent threat. Evans caught 19 passes and two more touchdowns in 2019, but he missed all but two games last season for personal reasons. He’s one of eight super seniors back on the field for the Broncos this year.
The name on everyone’s lips this offseason has been redshirt junior Stef Cobbs, who was a playmaking machine in spring and fall practice, according to his teammates.
“He’s that dude,” safety JL Skinner said. “It’s going to show this year, too.”
The Broncos’ quarterbacks could decide to turn to the tight ends a bit more this fall.
Former quarterback Riley Smith has taken strides as a blocker and receiver, according to tight ends coach Kent Riddle. Smith caught a career-high five passes last season against BYU and finished the year on a high note after hauling in four passes in the Mountain West championship game, including a 40-yard reception.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Billy Bowens also saw his snaps increase last season, and Portland State transfer Davis Koetter has earned praise from the coaches in his second year with the program.
BOISE STATE AT UCF
When: 5 p.m. Mountain time, Sept. 2
Where: Bounce House, Orlando, Florida
TV: ESPN (channel 133 on Sparklight, 206 on DirecTV and 140 on Dish Network)
Series: This is the first game between the programs.
Vegas line: UCF by 5
Weather: 75 degrees at game time, 24% chance of rain, 9 mph winds
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
