True Freshman Hank Bachmeier to start versus Florida State, Harsin sort of confirms

Boise State’s fall scrimmage just wrapped and of course the question on everyone’s minds was “who will start at QB against Florida State”. Well, attendees were able to speculate the QB pecking order ahead of the scrimmage based on who was lining up with the first and second teams and surprise...it was true frosh Hank Bachmeier that got all the work with the 1s in drills and live reps. So, sans announcement, Hank’s the starter, right? Don’t worry, Harsin cleared that up post-scrimmage in a kinda-sorta non-committal coy fashion that left the window open for another QB in the slightest way but we’re talking maybe large enough for a small fly or ant to crawl through—not one of those huge ants you find in the amazon, mind you. Here’s the video.

To be sure...Harsin did NOT have to phrase things that way...that was calculated. Hank is the better QB today. Whether that can even change in a week is doubtful, but I’m sure Harsin has his reasons for not just saying, “Hank’s our starter...happy?” So, the non-confirmation confirmation could leave open the door for a bit of the dual QB as the year goes on...it could place the frosh on a short leash, or it could just be semantics so he doesn’t fail to acknowledge the good work of the other QBs on the roster (this one is my guess). Remember, Chase Cord sat out spring camp (a camp that Hank was here for) rehabbing an ACL tear—his SECOND ACL tear. That’s not an easy thing to do and even though he’s mostly been a full participant in fall camp, it doesn’t mean he’s 100%, so the hard-charging Bachmeier was able to pull ahead, no matter how slightly.

Harsin said last week that Hank rarely makes the same mistake twice and does a lot of little things right. Extrapolate that over a season plus and the youngster could really be something special. He IS the highest rated QB ever to commit to the Broncos, after all. So, if this is it...buckle up. Freshman seasons are never without their bumps, but if he remains the starter and can at least do as well as our LAST true freshman starter at QB, I think we’ll be fine. It’s not like he doesn’t have a ridiculously deep and talented WR cupboard to play with.