A shaky beginning that featured Maddux Madsen going down in a heap and the Falcons striking first was no match for not Sire Gaines, not Malik Sherrod, but sophomore Dylan Riley out of Moreno Valley, California.
Things seem to always get weird in Colorado Springs when Air Force is the opponent at hand.
However, when obstacles arrived, the Broncos found a way to respond.
Backup QB Max Cutforth didn’t commit any catastrophic mistakes as Madsen went to the locker room for further evaluation on his knee.
The defense held on long enough in the first half to give the Broncos an early edge.
When Air Force cut the deficit to within seven, the Broncos were able to respond with timely runs by Sherrod and the aforementioned Riley.
It doesn’t matter how you win.
Just have more points than the opponent when the clock hits triple zeroes.
By The Numbers
First Downs: BSU 23 – AF 24
Third Downs: BSU 7/10 (70%) – AF 8/14 (57.1%)
Fourth Downs: BSU 0/0 (N/A) – AF 2/3 (66.6%)
Total Yards: BSU 595 – AF 515
Passing Yards: BSU 310 – AF 246
Rushing Yards: BSU 285 – AF 269
Times Sacked: BSU 0 – AF 1
Penalties: BSU 12 for 107 yards – AF 6 for 45 yards
Turnovers: BSU 1 – AF 1
The Eye Test
Defense
Allowing 37 points to a triple option-heavy service academy is never great.
But allowing 246 passing yards on 13 completions?
Ay, caramba!
It was evident from watching that the notion of only three Broncos having experience against Air Force was a bigger point than I had thought.
The pursuit angles and decision-making when defending the QB run or the pitch left room for improvement.
If you haven’t faced a team like that of Troy Calhoun’s, it can catch you off guard.
The running yardage is going to happen regardless of how well you prepare – that is just the nature of the triple option attack.
But for the Falcons to throw the ball from hash to hash and up the seams with little resistance is worrisome.
It didn’t cost the Broncos on Saturday, but there are some pass-heavy offenses in the Mountain West that could further exploit that weakness.
Individually, the bright spot for the night was Ty Benefield.
The defensive back was flying around the line of scrimmage in the second half and was a punishing wrecking ball on a handful of tackles, including two tackles-for-loss.
Comparisons to former Boise State Bronco and current Denver Bronco JL Skinner aren’t too far off.
That is, if he is put in the right situations schematically that allow him to be a menace as a tackler, not a ball-hawking safety.
Granted, he did record a game-sealing interception late in the 4th quarter.
Special Teams
There was a lot of consternation and concern about the kicking situation this week as head coach Spencer Danielson made a point of saying it is still a competition and that if they need to pivot, they will.
Fortunately, there were no field goal attempts the entire day and Colton Boomer converted all seven PATs.
Punter Oscar Doyle bombed a pair of punts for an average of 50 yards, including one that landed inside the 20.
Those Aussies know a thing or two about sending a pigskin halfway across a football field.
Malik Sherrod returned two kickoffs and one punt, but none of them resulted in a substantial field position advantage.
Offense
Saturday’s display on offense gave me immediate flashbacks to watching Ashton Jeanty lead the charge in 2024.
That is not to say that Dylan Riley is the next Jeanty or anything similar.
However, the comfort level present on offense was evident. In all the hoopla surrounding Riley’s monstrous performance, Maddux Madsen threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns on 13 completions.
Sound familiar?
Boise State needs one of Riley, Sherrod, or Gaines to be the guy (and Breezy Dubar if he gets healthy).
Gaines has been dealing with a minor nagging injury that limited him in practice last week, and Sherrod has had momentary spurts of good, but nothing consistent.
It will be fascinating to see how offensive coordinator Nate Potter distributes carries this week against Appalachian State, but you would have to think that you feed the hot hand that is Dylan Riley.
And for better or worse, Riley was the second-leading receiver for the Broncos – only three yards behind Latrell Caples’ total of 87 yards.
Tight end Matt Lauter had a quiet night (2 receptions for 23 yards, 1 TD), and Chris Marshall managed just one catch for 13 yards.
The offensive line did have some penalty trouble as multiple guys were flagged for holds, including Roger Carreon and Mason Randolph.
Moving Forward
Now 2-1, Boise State will return home to The Blue to face fellow G5 brand Appalachian State.
The Mountaineers are 2-1 as well with wins against Charlotte (American) and Lindenwood (FCS).
Their lone loss came by way of Southern Miss, 38-22.
From a macro College Football Playoff perspective, all the Broncos can do is stack up wins while the American cannibalizes itself.
Win against App State, then you travel to South Bend for a date with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame – a team that looks more vulnerable than we may have thought in the preseason.
1-0.
It’s a cliche, but it rings true.
Up Next: Vs. Appalachian State (Sun Belt) on Saturday, September 27th (5:30 p.m. MT).
Let us know your thoughts on Dylan Riley’s star-studded performance and the Broncos’ win against Air Force in the comments!
