Boise State defense well prepared to face the nation’s top rushing attack at Air Force

The Boise State football team has been hard at work preparing to face the nation’s top rushing attack, but preparations for Air Force’s triple option began long before the Broncos returned from their bye week on Monday.

In the offseason, Boise State’s coaches researched different schematic ways to slow down the Falcons, defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said. The triple option came up again during spring practice, summer conditioning and fall camp, he said, and the Broncos spent part of their bye week studying up on the offense.

“It’s a schematic attack that you have to be ready for,” Danielson said. “It’s about playing with an elite mentality. It’s getting off blocks and tackling, and when you get there, it’s finding a way to get the ball out.”

The Broncos (4-2, 3-0 MW) will be tasked with slowing Air Force’s rushing attack on Saturday (5 p.m., CBSSN). It will be no simple task. The Falcons average an FBS-best 359.8 yards a game.

It’s the same scheme that led Air Force (5-2, 2-2 MW) to a 24-17 win at Albertsons Stadium last season, and it demands a lot of attention, head coach Andy Avalos said.

“The respect for them is there,” Avalos said. “I don’t don’t think there’s a team in the conference that doesn’t have to spend time on it during various camps.”

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Air Force racked up 307 rushing yards in last season’s win over the Broncos. The Falcons have posted more than 400 rushing yards in four of their seven games this year, including a ridiculous 582 in their season opener against Northern Iowa.

Avalos has a good perspective on what it takes to defend the triple option. He never faced Air Force during his time as a linebacker at Boise State from 2000 to 2004, but he has matched wits with the Falcons’ offensive coaches several times and knows exactly what makes their scheme so tough to slow.

“You have to trust your eyes when you’re in that box and there’s dives in front of you, there’s motions behind, triple-option looks and the pass game that you have to fit,” Avalos said.

The Broncos got a little creative with the scout team this week to prepare for what Air Force is going to throw at them, Avalos said. Freshman quarterback Maddux “Mad Dog” Madsen took plenty of the reps because he’s a good runner. Avalos said other players were mixed in to replicate the speed the Falcons play with.

“We can do our very best this week on the scout team, personnel wise, to get the right guys in there and all those things, but the speed of the game on game day is going to be a little different,” Avalos said. “It takes a few plays to get used to that speed.”

Air Force’s backfield is led by senior fullback Brad Roberts, who tops the Mountain West and ranks No. 9 in the country with 853 rushing yards. He posted 144 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on the ground in a 42-7 win over UNLV last week.

“He is just an absolute tough guy to get down,” Danielson said. “One-on-one or even two-on-one, he’s going to find a way to get yards.”

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Air Force quarterback Haaziq Daniels isn’t shy about calling his own number in the running game. He’s third on the team with 288 yards and three touchdowns. John Lee Eldridge III is second with 576 yards and two scores. He’s averaging 9.4 yards a carry.

“For all of their ball carriers, whether there are lanes or not, they’re very good at creating and breaking tackles,” Avalos said. “It is going to be a very physical game.”

The difference in the meeting this season is that the Broncos will invade Falcon Stadium with a dangerous running game of their own.

Boise State posted exactly 316 rushing yards in back-to-back games — wins over San Diego State (Sept. 30) and Fresno State (Oct. 8). Quarterback Taylen Green posted his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season against the Aztecs, and the Broncos almost made history in that game.

Boise State never has had three players run for at least 100 yards in the same game. Running back George Holani finished with 131 yards against San Diego State and Green added 105. True freshman running back Ashton Jeanty had 82.

Holani followed that up with 151 rushing yards against Fresno State, and Jeanty recorded the first 100-yard game of his career, finishing with 109.

The Broncos will need to rely on another big performance from the backfield Saturday in a game that could go a long way toward determining which team will host the Mountain West championship game.

Boise State is the last remaining undefeated team in conference play. After Air Force, the Broncos’ schedule features games against Colorado State (1-5, 1-1), Nevada (2-5, 0-3), Wyoming (4-3, 2-1) and Utah State (3-4, 2-1).

The division champion with the best conference winning percentage will host the championship, which is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3.

The Broncos most recently hosted the conference title game in 2019, which also was the last time they won it.

“Everything is right in front of us from a goal standpoint,” Avalos said.

BOISE STATE AT AIR FORCE

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Falcon Stadium (46,692), Air Force Academy, Colorado

TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Sherree Burress)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 4-2, 3-0 MW; Air Force 5-2, 2-2 MW

Series: Boise State leads all-time series 6-4, but the Falcons beat the Broncos 24-17 at Albertsons Stadium last season.

Vegas line: Air Force by 1.5

Weather: 66 degrees at kickoff, 0% chance of rain, 12 mph wind