Two Mountain Division foes will square off in conference play Saturday night when the Boise State Broncos travel to take on the Air Force Falcons.
How to watch Boise State vs. Air Force: Game guide, TV schedule, odds
Can one of the nation’s best rushing defenses stop one of the nation’s most potent ground attacks?
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Under new head coach Bryan Harsin, the Broncos dropped their opener to Ole Miss 35-13 after the Rebels ran away with a 28-point fourth quarter. Boise State’s season has gone just swimmingly since: consecutive multiple-possession victories over Colorado State, UConn and Louisiana-Lafayette have the Broncos as strong favorites in the division, with a late October non-conference date against BYU as the only apparent challenge remaining on the schedule.
Air Force opened the season with a 44-16 victory over FCS Nicholls State, but was stunned by a last-minute Wyoming touchdown in the next game, a 17-13 loss to open conference play. The Falcons responded nicely in Week 3, traveling to Georgia State and winning 48-38, and they’ve had a bye week to prepare for a very tough Bronco defense.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: CBS Sports Network. Carter Blackburn is on play-by-play, with Aaron Taylor as an analyst and Jamie Erdahl on the sidelines.
Online streaming: N/A
The numbers
Rankings and records: Neither team is ranked in either poll. Boise State is 3-1 and on top of the Mountain Division with a 1-0 conference record. Air Force is 2-1 and fifth in the division with an 0-1 conference record. The Broncos hold a 2-0 record in the all-time series.
Vegas: Boise State opened as a 15-point favorite. The line is now 13. The over/under is 57.5 points.
Weather forecast: Sunny with a high of 81 and a low of 57.
Two things at stake
After its season-opening loss to Ole Miss, Boise State needs to win out before the big Oct. 24 showdown with BYU to be taken seriously in the national spotlight.
Air Force may have lost its conference opener, but its schedule still has bowl game potential. A win here would go a long away toward meeting that goal.
One big matchup
Air Force's option vs. Boise State's front seven. The Falcons are at it again, ranking in the top 10 nationally in rushing offense and in the bottom 15 in passing offense. Air Force is averaging 5.3 yards per rush, with Jacobi Owens (66 carries, 431 yards), Garrett Brown (18 carries, 124 yards) and Devin Rushing (17 carries, 113 yards) leading the way with over 6.0 yards per carry apiece. The Falcons have scored 11 of their 13 touchdowns this season on the ground.
The Broncos, meanwhile, have laid claim to one of the nation’s best rushing defenses. Entering Week 5, Boise State ranked second nationally by giving up just 53.5 rushing yards per game, joining Penn State, Alabama, Baylor and Michigan State in the top five. The Broncos are tied with Baylor for second in opposing yards per carry (1.84) and have given up just two rushing touchdowns this season.
Further reading
For more on Boise State, check out One Bronco Nation Under God. For coverage of Air Force and the rest of the Mountain West, head over to Mountain West Connection.
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