MCGILL: No. 24 Boise State rallies to beat Herd

By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State entered Friday night's game against Marshall as the winningest team in major college football this century. Here, at Albertsons Stadium, the Broncos rarely stumble.

Although Marshall flirted with the upset for nearly a half, No. 24 Boise State rallied, just as it did a week earlier at Florida State, and the Broncos won their home opener for the 18th consecutive season, 14-7, in front of a nationally televised ESPN2 audience.

Boise State, playing in front of a boisterous blue-and-orange crowd of 31,951, did not take the lead for the first time until its opening possession of the second half, when the Broncos' highly touted true freshman quarterback, Hank Bachmeier, made quick work for the Herd defense. Bachmeier led a four-play, 72-yard drive that used 93 seconds, connecting with John Hightower on a 47-yard touchdown to give the home team a 14-7 lead.

Suddenly, after not scoring for the first 29 minutes and 57 seconds of the game, Boise State managed two touchdowns in a 96-second span.

Boise State avoided being shut out in the first half on its home field with an 88-yard scoring drive on its final possession of the second quarter. The Broncos started with the ball on its own 12, and then navigated nearly the length of the field for its only score in the opening two quarters, a 1-yard touchdown run by Bachmeier to tie the score at 7-7 with three seconds left. That drive was highlighted by a 45-yard completion from Bachmeier to Khalil Shakir, which gave Boise State the ball at the 2. Bachmeier scored three plays later to even the score.

That gave the Broncos, who entered Friday night's game 113-9 at home since 2000, an edge heading into the locker room and receiving the ball to open the third quarter.

Even though the deficit was only a touchdown, the Herd rarely threatened after Boise State finally took the lead. One of the best chances came early in the fourth quarter when senior defensive end Fermin Silva, a graduate transfer from FIU, recorded a strip-sack of Bachmeier that was recovered by MU at its own 49. But the offense sputtered with a three-and-out, which included a sack of sophomore quarterback Isaiah Green on third down. Marshall's offense punted on the final two drives of the first half, and opened the second half with four straight three-and-outs.

That lack of production was a stark contrast from when Marshall opened scoring late in the first quarter. After Boise State squandered choice field position with a three-and-out and missed field goal, the Herd offense marched 68 yards on five plays, punctuated by a 13-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Brenden Knox. Other than a 26-yard completion from sophomore quarterback Isaiah Green to junior tight end Xavier Gaines, Knox did the heavy lifting on the drive, carrying four times for 42 yards, including 30 yards on the final two attempts.

Prior to that, momentum appeared to swing in Boise State's favor when junior running back Tyler King had the ball stripped as he fought for additional yardage, and Boise State recovered at the MU 33 with 4:16 left of the first quarter to set up a short field. The turnover came moments after Green barely picked up a first down on a nifty QB keeper on third-and-10.

But the Herd defense answered, shutting down the Broncos by forcing a three-and-out, and then Eric Sachse missed a 49-yard field goal that would have opened scoring.

That became a theme in the first half for the visitors from West Virginia.

Boise State had a drive fizzle at Marshall's 29 when the Broncos decided to forgo the field goal attempt and go for it on fourth down. Herd defensive tackle Channing Hames blew through the line of scrimmage to put pressure on Boise State QB Hank Bachmeier, who threw an errant pass under duress that fell harmlessly to the blue turf.

On the next drive, Marshall foiled a flea flicker play call by Boise State when cornerback Jaylon McClain-Sapp recorded the pass breakup, and then a lengthy touchdown was called back for holding, and the Broncos eventually punted the ball away again.

It wasn't until that final drive of the half that the Boise State offense put it together, but the Broncos still held a 202-172 edge in total offense at intermission. Both teams averaged 5.9 yards per play in the first two quarters.

Marshall returns home to face Ohio this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in the Battle for the Bell.

Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).

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Team Stats

Isaiah Green

Xavier Gaines

Players Mentioned

Xavier Gaines

Isaiah Green

Channing Hames

Brenden Knox

Jaylon McClain-Sapp

Fermin Silva

Marshall University Athletics