Boise State (4-2, 3-0) (+3) at Air Force Academy (5-2, 2-2)

 

Boise State University (+3)  vs Air Force Academy

Date: Saturday, October 22, 2021

Time: 5:00pm MT

Stadium: Falcon Stadium (46,692)

TV:CBS SportsNetwork

TV Commentators: Rich Waltz and Aaron Taylor 

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

 Know Thy Enemy

 Boise State will be welcomed by hundreds of camo-clad cadets, The Bird, and Nova the gyrfalcon as the Falcons of the Air Force Academy take on the Broncos of Boise State in a Mountain West, Mountain division battle on Saturday night. Boise State hopes the bye week was enough time to prepare for the cadets and right their road woes and come away from Colorado Springs with the victory!

The Air Force Academy Falcons are having a solid season 5-2, but have had a bit of bad luck in conference play, going 2-2 so far. In their conference wins they are out scoring their opponent 90-27, in their two losses they are being outscored 41-51. The Falcons are also 4-0 in the friendly confines of Falcon Stadium which could prove helpful this Saturday.  

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 is 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 to the tune of 360 yards per game. Three main Falcons will run the football lead by their workhorse Brad Roberts as well as tailback John Lee Eldridge III, and quarterback Haaziq Daniels. The Air Force offense is not just the old adage of “three yards and cloud of dust,” so far this season the Falcons have 68 plays that have gone for 10 or more yards.

The Air Force defense lost a few key players from last year's team, but their replacements have seen significant playing time before this season. Linebackers Vince Sanford, Alec Mock and TD Blackmon headline the returners of this squad along with Trey Taylor and Camby Goff. The Falcons defense is very stingy, allowing only 16 points per game and are second in the conference in total defense. If the defense has any slight weakness it’s oddly enough in their rush defense which is still top 4 in the Mountain West. In the two losses this year the common denominator was having an opposing running back rush for over 100 yards. Coincidentally enough, the Broncos are 9-0 when Holani rushes for at least 100 yards.

 

Air Force is coached by Troy Calhoun. The former AFA quarterback is entering into his 16th season as head coach of the Falcons. During his time at Air Force, Calhoun has led the team to an overall record of 116-77. And is the first head coach in Air Force history to have his team receive a postseason bid in his first six seasons. The Falcons have had some really good success in recent history, having two 10-win seasons in the past three years and this year are on pace to have their first back-to-back 10-win seasons since the ‘98 and ‘99 seasons. 

Boise State has been playing the cadets since 2011. This series has been one of the more evenly matched series for Boise State, the Broncos lead the all-time series by just two games at 6-4. The Falcons might be 4-0 at home this year, but the Broncos are 3-1 all-time when visiting Colorado Springs. 

What Happened Last Time

Brad Roberts rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns, Air Force’s defense turned in another stifling performance, and the Falcons knocked off the Broncos 24-17. The win snapped a four-game losing streak and gave Boise State their third straight home loss, something that had not happened since the 1998 season.  

The Broncos and Falcons would trade scores through the first quarter and a half, but Air Force would take a 21-14 lead into the break on Roberts second score of the evening. Both defenses would tighten up in the third before the Falcons added onto their lead with a 28-yard field goal by Matthew Dapore. 

Down by 10 with just under 3-minutes left to play Broncos quarterback Hank Bachmeier would orchestrate a 11-play 53-yard drive in just under 50 seconds to the Falcons 20-yard line. Facing a 4th down decision Avalos chose to kick the field goal in hopes of pulling within a touchdown. After a made field goal by Jonah Dalmas, the Broncos would line up for the ever exciting “on-sides” kick. Somehow the Broncos would recover the kick and get one last opportunity to tie the game. However, elation left the Boise State sideline like a lead balloon as Bachmeier would throw a game-clinching interception on the first play of the drive. 

Players to Watch 

AIR FORCE

JR., BRAD ROBERTS, FB #20 

The bruiser from Arvada, Colorado has been punishing opposing defenses all year. Roberts leads the team, conference, and is fourth in the country in rushing with his 853 yards on the season. He’s averaging over 121 yards per game and has found “pay dirt” 12 times this year. What's remarkable about Roberts' production is that Roberts has only “lost” 4 yards this season on 149 rush attempts. 

SR., TD BLACKMON, ILB #27

TD or Thadius Blackmon has really shined in his first year as a full-time starting linebacker for the Falcons. So far this season he leads the team in tackles for loss as well as sacks. When Blackmon hits you, you better hold on the football as he also has two forced fumbles on the season. The Tennessee native is a quick, athletic, inside linebacker who flies around the field. Don’t be surprised to see #27 near or at the bottom of the pile on each play come Saturday. 

SR., DAVID CORMIER, WR #7

Now why would a receiver be highlighted for a team that runs the ball eight times more than they pass it? Well they might not always pass the ball but when they do they throw it to number 7. Cormier, the senior out of Albuquerque, NM, leads the team with his six catches for 224 yards and three touchdowns. He's only averaging about a catch per game, but he is averaging close to 40-yards per catch and half of his catches have gone for six! Don’t just look for #7 in the pass game, you’ll see him throw his fair share of blocks that will spring big runs for the rest of the team. 

BOISE STATE 

Rs.JR., GEORGE HOLANI, RB #24

It’s not surprising to see Holani’s name listed as a player to watch. He is the face of the Broncos offense. However, something to consider is that he has really come alive since the change at Offensive Coordinator. In the first four games of the year Holani was averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. In the last two games that average has jumped up to 8.4 yards per carry. As mentioned earlier the magic number for the Broncos and Holani is 100. The Broncos are undefeated when Holani rushes for 100 yards. 

SIXTH YEAR., EZEKIEL NOA, MLB #7

There are so many great things you can say about Zeke Noa. He’s got a great smile, great hair and plays a great middle linebacker. Noa is one of the emotional leaders on this Broncos defense that is littered with talent. So far this season Noa is second on the team in tackles for loss and sacks. He leads the team in forced fumbles. Noa has really come on as of late, recording 13 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception in the last two games. Something of note, Noa missed the UTEP game with an apparent injury and it was that game that the Broncos allowed the most rushing yards all season. He along with DJ Schramm will have their hands full with the Falcons rushing attack. 

Rs.SO., HERBERT GUMS, NT #98

Herbert Gums, the Diboll, TX native, doesn’t have a ton of stats this year, just 11 tackles on the season, but that's the nature of this position at nose tackle. This week Gums will play a vital role in stopping the Falcons as he along with Scott Matlock will be tasked with clogging up the middle and limiting the yards gained up the middle. Gums’ night will be successful if he “eats up” blocks that allows his teammates to make the plays needed to win on Saturday night. 

Focus Position Group: Linebackers

We all know Boise State’s head coach Andy Avalos is a former standout Linebacker for the Broncos. He was asked what it takes to play linebacker against a triple option attack and he was frank with his response, “For linebackers number one is getting lined up in the pre-snap and having an understanding of the formations (in front of you)…and then it comes down to playing with great eye control.” The task at hand for Boise State’s linebackers will be great this week and if the Broncos want to be successful on defense this position group will have to play to their potential Saturday evening. Good thing the Broncos have a couple of All-Mountain West caliber players in DJ Schramm and Zeke Noa to do the job.  

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. “This Is Tackle Football” 

Head Coach Andy Avalos mentioned three times in his weekly press conference that this was indeed tackle football and that tackling was a significant part of playing the game. He even mentioned that there was a day during the bye week that they went, “Full pads” to focus on their tackling. The importance of bringing down the ball carrier will be magnified as Boise State will be forced to make a lot of one-on-one and open field tackles against the Falcons rushing attack. The Broncos have been solid so far this season in that regard so let’s hope that trend continues.  

2. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Defense is all about teamwork. Defensive Coordinator Spencer Danielson said this week, “You can only be as good as the whole group is together…defensively we all have to work together..there could be ten guys on the field doing exactly what we want them to do, one guys’ not and it puts us all in harm's way…it’s about 11 guys playing their tails off.” There will be few weeks where that teamwork will be more important than it will this week. Each guy has to focus on reading their keys and not go chasing the ball or big play if they are going to win.

3. Keep the Football 

Last week against UNLV, Air Force forced four turnovers and scored 21 points off of those turnovers. Air Force has a very formidable offense and doesn’t need any help in scoring points. In the Broncos last game against Fresno State, Green made a “freshman mistake” throwing an interception while backed up in the shadow of his own end zone.  If Boise State is going to win this week, Green and the offense will need to take care of the football and not give the Falcons any extra possessions. 

 

Editorial Note: 

Rejuvenated, Refreshed, and Ready-to-go

Boise State couldn’t have asked for a better time in their season to have had their “bye week” than last week. After the tumultuous start to the season, changing of staff and personnel, just finishing two thirds of a tough stretch in their schedule, and not to mention an extra week to prepare for Air Force, the break in the action was a welcomed respite for all involved I’m sure. All three coaches said the team got better during the bye week and even Avalos mentioned when asked about injuries, with a smile on his face that could only mean some key players will be back, said, “We’re close.” The Broncos just might be hitting their stride at the right time and could be poised to have a big run the last half of the season. 

Strength on Strength 

Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is what we will see on Saturday night when Boise State defense and Air Force’s offense are on the field. Air Force has the #1 rushing attack in all of college football and the #1 offense in the Mountain West. Boise State has the #1 rushing and total defense in the Mountain West so far this season. What will happen when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object?

Vince Young? 

Air Force Coach Troy Calhoun made a lofty comparison to our Freshman quarterback during his weekly press obligation. He compared Taylen Green to legendary Texas quarterback Vince Young. Now I have thought this myself for some time, I thought this was just a “Homer fan” thought, but to have someone who coaches FBS level football to make the comparison has some merit to it. The measurable s are certainly there. Vince Young during his playing days at UT was 6’5” 233lbs, and  Taylen Green is 6’6” 220.  Both wore the #10 and have similar playing styles. Vince Young led Texas to the pinnacle of college football. Only time will tell, but could Taylen lead us to greener pastures once again?

Sunday Sermon Title: 

GROUND POUNDER: Boise State’s Defense Keeps Air Force From Taking Flight! 

The Buzz surrounding Boise State football is back and teams in the Mountain West are taking notice. The defense is and has been dominant all season long and the offense is starting to find their groove. With the extra week to rest up and prepare, the Broncos come out hot and continue their run through the conference. 

Boise State 31, Air Force 17