Field Level Media
Sep 7, 2019
True freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier passed for 282 yards in his first home start to help No. 24 Boise State post a 14-7 victory over Marshall on Friday night.
Bachmeier passed for one touchdown and rushed for another, completing 22 of 34 passes with one interception. His 47-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver John Hightower in the third quarter represented the decisive score as the Broncos (2-0) won their 18th consecutive home opener.
Boise State freshman running back George Holani had 103 yards on 22 carries while receiving most of the workload after junior Robert Mahone (14 yards on seven carries) departed due to a shoulder injury.
Sophomore running back Brenden Knox rushed for 71 yards and one score on 10 carries for Marshall (1-1). Sophomore quarterback Isaiah Green completed 10 of 17 passes for 56 yards with one interception.
Boise State totaled 437 yards and had a 22-9 edge in first downs while controlling the ball for 39 minutes, 12 seconds.
Bachmeier and Hightower hooked up on Boise State's first drive of the second half. Hightower found room between two defenders and caught a downfield pass from Bachmeier and raced the final 25 yards to give the Broncos a 14-7 lead just 93 seconds into the third quarter.
Marshall couldn't get the offense moving in the second half as it totaled zero offensive yards after having 172 in the first half.
Green was intercepted by Boise State senior safety Kekoa Nawahine with 7:36 left, and the Broncos began working the clock. Boise State closed out the game with a 15-play, 67-yard drive that ended inside the Marshall 10-yard as time expired.
The score was tied 7-7 at halftime.
The Thundering Herd struck first with a five-play, 68-yard drive. Knox completed the journey with a 13-yard run with 1:02 left in the first quarter.
Boise State's offense got untracked in its final first-half possession by moving 88 yards on nine plays. The Broncos were stopped twice on the goal line before Bachmeier kept the ball to score from the 1 to tie it with 10 seconds left in the half.
--Field Level Media