SMOTHERING HERD

KTIK STAFF

Boise State’s defense held Marshall to zero yards and no points in the second half, and the offense did just enough with two touchdowns, as the 24th-ranked Broncos beat the Thundering Herd 14-7 on Friday night. The announced attendance for the home opener at Albertsons Stadium was 31,951.

The touchdowns included quarterback Hank Bachmeier’s 1-yard run late in the first half, and Bachmeier’s 47-yard pass to John Hightower late in the third quarter.

“Our guys fought through it and made adjustments in the second half that helped us. The defense played extremely well and as good as you can in the second half,” said head coach Bryan Harsin, who is 6-0 in home openers at Boise State. “Offensively, we did just enough to take care of the football at the end of the game where we could run the ball and take a knee.”

Boise State (2-0) hosts Portland State of the Big Sky on Saturday, Sept. 14. Kickoff at Albertsons Stadium is 8:15 p.m.

GAME NOTES FROM BOISE STATE MEDIA SERVICES
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Boise State won its 18th straight home opener, and won for the eighth straight time playing six days or less after their previous game. … Marshall had five second-half possessions, and ran 14 plays. … Bachmeier’s first six completions went to six different receivers. On third down, he was 7-for-9 for 129 yards, five first downs and a passing touchdown. He added six runs for 33 yards on third down, including three first downs and a touchdown. Bachmeier was picked off in the red zone late in the third quarter. … Running back George Holani rushed 22 times for 103 yards – the first Boise State freshman to rush for 100 yards since Alexander Mattison (100 yards, Nov. 4, 2016, San Jose State). … Hightower’s 47-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was the seventh scoring play of 40 yards or more in his Boise State career. … Redshirt junior tight end John Bates set career highs with five receptions and 63 receiving yards. … Redshirt junior STUD Curtis Weaver recorded a sack in the third quarter to move into a tie for fourth all-time at Boise State with 22.5 (Shawn Anderson, 1988-91). His total is most among active FBS players. … Boise State plays at Marshall in Huntington, W.V., next season.