Hank Bachmeier wasn’t supposed to be the story.

Saturday would be Florida State’s opening salvo, a reinvigoration of a program following a two-year struggle. The Seminoles came out hot, too. They led 24-6 early, 31-19 at halftime and held that same 12-point cushion with 17 minutes remaining in the contest. Bachmeier, all of a true freshman, fumbled after a sack at the five-minute mark of the third quarter. It didn’t look like the Broncos’ day 2,362 miles away from home.

Then something notable occurred: Bachmeier provided a spark.

First came a seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive to cut the Seminoles’ lead to five. Then came a 11-play, 60-yard touchdown drive to snatch the lead for the first time all day. Finally, an eight-play, 63-yard drive ended in a Boise State field goal.

Three straight scoring drives were led by a true freshman quarterback. It was enough for the Broncos to escape Tallahassee with a 36-31 win.

Bachmeier finished the game 30-for-51 with 407 yards passing and a touchdown against an interception. It’s the most yards ever thrown by a Bronco passer in his college debut. Given the situation and opponent, it is more than good enough for Bachmeier to be 247Sports’ True Freshman of the Week.

“What I found out about our quarterback today is he wanted to win and he wanted to win so bad that he found a way to get that done,” Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin said postgame.

Bachmeier got hit plenty in his debut. The Seminoles had six sacks and eight quarterback pressures. But the true freshman came up clutch when it mattered; he finished 8 of 12 for 136 yards on third down, per the Associated Press.

Boise State is no stranger to impact freshman signal callers.

Kellen Moore made his college debut as a redshirt freshman in 2008 and went on to a record-setting four-year career. Recently, Brett Rypien ascended to the starting role as a true freshman and would eventually throw for 13,578 yards and 90 touchdowns between 2015-18.

Forecasting too far into the future is a fool’s game – too often injuries and off-field issues derail careers. But it looks as if the Broncos might have another four-year starrer on their hands.

This true freshman might also be more talented than anyone who came before him. No offensive recruit in Boise State history ranked higher as a than Bachmeier, who slotted as the No. 235 overall player in the 247Sports Composite for the 2019 cycle, out of high school.

Georgia and Tennessee wanted him. But the California state record holder for total touchdown passes picked the Broncos.

“I think Hank understood that how we do things and the things we had to offer him fit him best,” Harsin told 247Sports in February. “He followed that process, and that lead to Boise State.

“I think that doesn’t happen often enough.”

The partnership is working out quite well for both parities early on.