Boise State vs Air Force Academy

 

Boise State University (-5) vs Air Force Academy

Date: Saturday, October 16, 2021

Time: 7:00pm MT

Stadium: Albertsons “Bronco” Stadium (36,387)

TV:FS1

TV Commentators: Corey Provus and Mark Helfrich

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

 Know Thy Enemy

America’s heavyweights of the sky will mostly use the ground attack as the Bolt Brotherhood descend on “The Blue” to take on the resurgent Boise State Broncos in a clash of Mountain West Mountain-Division foes. The Falcons are flying high these days reaching the halfway point of the season with an impressive 5-1 record. Air Force is on a three-game win streak after beating Wyoming last week in a 24-14 slugfest. The Falcons one blemish came against Utah State as the Aggies outlasted the Falcons in a wild back and forth battle, 49-45.

As per usual, Air Force features the triple option attack on offense. The triple option is a fast moving, run-focused attack that relies on deception and speed to move the ball down the field. Triple in its name because on any given play the quarterback can hand it to the fullback on the “dive,” “pitch” the ball to the running back, or “keep” the ball himself.  The father of the triple option, Emory Bellard, would be proud of what the Falcons have accomplished so far this season, ranking #1 in the country in rushing yards per game. Air Force is averaging 341 yards per game on the ground through six games. Through the midway point of the season, Falcons fullback, Brad Roberts could certainly be named MVP with his performance so far this season. Falcons quarterback Haaziq Daniels has also been a bright spot for the offense and has improved with his passing numbers this season. That’s good news for Air Force as they will try to lull the defense to sleep with their run game and then take a big shot down the field to create some explosive plays. 

There is quite the buzz surrounding the Falcons defense so far this season. The Air Force defense has been causing disruption all season long. Guys like Vince Sanford, Corvan Taylor, and Jordan Jackson are all making plays this year. Air Force has playmakers at every level of the defense and it shows.  All season long the Falcons have been just a stingy unit ranking 11th in the nation in yards allowed, and 13th in points allowed per game. Outside of the Utah State game, Air Force has not allowed more than 14 points to their opponent in a single game in 2021. 

Air Force is coached by Troy Calhoun. The former AFA quarterback is in his 14th season as head coach of the Falcons. During his time at Air Force Calhoun has led the team to an overall record of 106-73. He’s had three seasons of at least 10 wins and reversely has only finished below .500 three times in 14 seasons. Calhoun has never finished higher than 2nd in the mountain west standings. 

Boise State has been playing the defenders of the air since 2011. It's been a series of streaks as Boise State won the first two meetings, Air Force winning the next three from 2014-16 and Boise State coming out the victors in the last four. Boise State leads the all-time series 6-3. 

What Happened Last Time

 Boise State went on the road for the first time in 2020 with a trip to Colorado Springs for a contest with Air Force on Halloween. Jack Sears was making his Bronco debut starting for the injured Hank Bachmeier. All doubts surrounding the new QB quickly faded as Sears connected with CT Thomas on the first play from scrimmage on a 75-yard touchdown pass just 10 seconds into the game. 

Air Force would respond with two touchdowns of their own and would hold a 17-14 lead midway through the second quarter. That's when the Broncos turned up the heat. Boise State would score 21 unanswered points with a touchdown run by Andrew Van Buren, to take the lead, and two more touchdown passes from Sears to extend the lead to 35-17. 

Air Force would score a touchdown on their first drive of the Fourth Quarter on a 7-yard run by Matthew Murla, but on the ensuing kickoff, Avery Williams would take it back 88-yards for a house call. Jack Sears would cap off his debut with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Broncos up 49-24 halfway through the fourth quarter. Air Force would adda score of their own in mop up time, but it was all treats for Boise State, as the Broncos soared back the Falcons 49-30. 

Jack Sears led the way for the Broncos, throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another score. 

Players to Watch 

AIR FORCE

JR., BRAD ROBERTS, FB #20 

The bruser from Arvada, Colorado has been punishing opposing defenses all year. Roberts leads the team and conference in rushing with his 680 yards on the season. He’s averaging over 113 yards per game and has found “pay dirt” six times this year. What's remarkable about Roberts' production is that all of Roberts yards come up the middle on the “dive.” What’s even more impressive is that stopping the “dive” is the top priority of each opposing defense each week. 

JR., VINCE SANFORD, OLB #26

The 6’1” Sanford has been the most disruptive force for Air Force all season long. Sanford leads the Mountain West with 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in conference games. Sanford plays the pass-rushing “bandit” linebacker which has helped the Falcons generate a consistent pass rush, which has paid great dividends for the Falcons this season. 

SR., CORVAN TAYLOR, SS #21

Corvan Taylor has been a “ball-hawk” all season for the Falcons. Taylor has had his hand in five turnovers in six games. He has three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The senior also ranks third on the team in tackles. The Senior will be very important to the Falcons defense this week as they will face the best passing attack they have seen all season. 

BOISE STATE 

SR.,ANDREW VAN BUREN, RB #21

Number 21 might be called upon to be RB1 this week as the Boise State running back position has been hit with the injury bug as of late. AVB is no stranger to carrying the load as he was the primary back most of last season for the Broncos when George Holani got put on the shelf due to injury. Van Buren has added some weight to his frame this year going from 228 lbs last year to 240 this year. That extra weight should help him with shoulding the bulk of the carries this week. AVB had a productive day last week against BYU toting the rock 18 times for 61 yards and touchdown. As RB1, AVB will have to be even more productive this week to help out the Broncos.  

FIFTH YEAR., RILEY WHIMPEY, WLB #44

Whimpey, the fifth year senior from San Clemente, CA has been a leader for the Broncos all season. Whimpey is second on the team in tackles with 39. Whimpey’s stat sheet isn’t as full as one might like, but his experience and leadership on the Broncos defense is second to none. This week Whimpey along with the other linebackers will be called upon to make more one on one tackles than they are used to but look for the Weakside Linebacker to have a big game this week. 

Rs.SR., JACKSON CRAVENS, DT #94

Jackson Cravens, the Provo, Utah native, doesn’t have a ton of stats this year, but that's the nature of this position at defensive tackle. This week Cravens will play a vital role in stopping the Falcons as he along with Scott Matlock will be tasked with clogging up the middle and stopping Air Force from gaining yards one the “dive” play. Cravens will need to eat up blocks this week which will allow his teammates to make the plays needed to win on Saturday night. 

Focus Position Group: Linebackers

This week it’s all about the linebackers. Both Whimpey and Noa will have to have big games if the Broncos are going to win. With the defensive line eating up blocks it will be up to the linebackers to make key one-on-one, open field tackles to stop the rushing attack of the Falcons. Tackling in the open field has been somewhat of a problem for the Broncos this season so making good decisions and sound tackling will be of utmost importance for the Broncos this week.

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. Dive Bomber 

In the triple option attack, the whole offense branches off the fullback dive. If you can’t stop the dive, it will be a long day at the office. Air Force Fullback Brad Roberts is no slouch, caring the ball an average of 25 time per game, so Boise State will have to play really disciplined and those linebackers will have to shed blocks and not allow #20 to run up the gut all game long. 

2. Eyes on the Prize

Defending the triple option is all about playing “assignment” football. Most of the time, one assignment is keying on the quarterback, one the running back, and one on the fullback. When teams and players get bored of doing the same thing play after play they want to play “hero” ball and they start chasing the ball and that’s when Air Force will break out the pass play that goes over your head for an 80-yard score. The Broncos will have to be disciplined with their eyes and just focus on executing their assignment. 

3. Score it when you get it

The natural result of running the triple option is that the clock is almost always running, which limits the time that the opposition will have the ball. Right now Airforce is leading the nation in Time of Possession, averaging 37 minutes a game. That leaves opponents only 23 minutes with the ball. This week Boise State knows it’s going to be limited on the number of possessions they will get on offense. It will be important that the Broncos capitalize on the possessions they do get and not come away empty on offense. Also the Falcons aren’t built to play from behind, so building an early lead will go a long way in helping the Broncos win this one. 

 

Editorial Note: 

Wow! What a week that was! I will go on record saying, I did not think the Broncos had that in them. What a game by the defense, missing so many key players, but still shutting down the Cougars offense in the second half. As I was watching, it felt almost nostalgic, in the way that they just out-physicaled the other team and made life easier on themselves with timely turnovers. This win feels like the wake up call and 180-turnaround this program was looking for. The skies are the limit with this team now. 

However, here is where the consistency comes into play. During his Monday press conference, Avalos said that the Broncos had their, “Best week of practice.” That’s also what he said the Monday after the Utah State game. Those two, “best week’s” came after losses. I want to see the Broncos put in a “best week of practice” after a week because this week is not a slouch game. Air Force is feeling good about their spot in the conference race and are riding a pretty strong wave of momentum. Boise State hasn’t been able to win two games in a row this season. After the game Coach Avalos asked his team if they felt like the preparation and focus was worth it to get the outcome they got. It was an emphatic, unanimous, “Yes!” from his team. I think Coach Avalos has this team headed in the right direction and if they can play their “keys” and keep from getting bored and going “John Wayne” on them, the Broncos can and should take care of business. 

The running game continues to improve and Shakir wow’s us once again. 

Broncos 49, Falcons 28