A platoon at center? With starter out for season, Boise State is making it work so far

Boise State starting redshirt junior center Mason Randolph was officially ruled out for the season earlier this week by head coach Spencer Danielson.

Randolph was a late scratch from the Broncos’ game at then-No. 6 Oregon in September with an upper-body injury, forcing redshirt junior Zach Holmes, a transfer from Oregon State, to step in and start.

Since then, Holmes and redshirt freshman Jason Steele have been splitting the snaps, generally swapping in on a drive-by-drive basis.

It’s a pretty unusual move to rotate players on the offensive line, and doing so at the center position is even bolder. That person is responsible not only for snapping the ball and blocking, but also reading the defense and relaying signals to teammates, all while helping dictate the game’s tempo.

A platoon at center could cause a level of disjointedness along the line. But for Boise State, the key word is “could.” So far, it’s working just fine.

The Broncos’ offensive line has allowed just two sacks this season — tied for 6th-best in the nation — and has helped Ashton Jeanty and the running game accumulate 1,253 yards through four games.

“I think we’ve both adjusted to it pretty well,” Holmes told the Idaho Statesman. “I’m going out there doing the best I can, picking up all the information that I can, playing super hard, and then coming out, and I’ve got to relay that information to Jason.”

So can this work all season, or is there a plan to nail down a starter?

Offensive line coach Tim Keane said Thursday that the goal is always to find a clear-cut starter, because it means one player elevated his game and won the position. But until that happens — if it happens — the Broncos are adjusting the playbook to accommodate the rotation at center.

Keane said the plan has been to focus on sustained drives so both players can get into a rhythm with the rest of the offensive line. He also said they try to keep the playbook consistent no matter which center is in the game, which is partly why the Broncos have played out of the shotgun so much this season.

Holmes said he and Steele went close to 50-50 in snaps against Washington State last weekend, with Holmes having enjoyed more of the ball in prior games. That could be because Steele was returning from injury, offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said earlier this week, and he’s now “playing his way back into it.”

Regardless, the operation along the line has been fairly seamless. Players and coaches have said that during practice, teammates sometimes ask whether Holmes was at center or Steele on the previous play.

“I don’t think anyone notices too much of a change of pace,” Holmes said. “We’re pretty similar players. Jason’s been super good, too, about being confident in his calls and making the right calls.”

The coaching staff didn’t say which center would be on the field first Saturday evening in the homecoming game at Albertsons Stadium vs. Utah State.

“We’re close, so there’s no ill feelings between us about who’s going to go out there, who’s going to do this, ‘Hope this guy messes up so I go in’ kind of thing,” Holmes said. “We’re close. We have the same understanding. We just both want to help the team win.”

Boise State vs. Utah State

When: 5:05 p.m. Saturday

Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,363, Turf)

TV: Fox Sports 2 (Eric Collins, Spencer Tillman)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 160 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 3-1; Utah State 1-3

Series: Boise State leads the series 23-5

Vegas line: Boise State by 26.5 points

Weather: High of 73 degrees, low of 47 degrees, humidity 40%, mainly sunny, 4% chance of rain