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Over 36,000 fans showed up at Broncos Stadium to watch Boise State and Air Force do battle. The win by the Broncos was the best outing this season for both the team and Boise State quarterback Joe Southwick. In a game where the Falcons came onto The Blue and took first possession, it immediately looked like Air Force could carry the day. Led by QB Jaleel Awini, the Falcons scored first and actually took control of the game by controlling time of possession. It was only Awini’s second career start and he came put firing on all cylinders.
The tide started to turn against the Falcons in the middle of the second quarter, however, and Boise State went in at the half up 21-17. The second half began with Boise State receiving the kickoff. They closed out the 3rd quarter with a run by RB Jay Ajayi to give Boise a 28-17 lead. In the fourth quarter it was all Boise State who ended the game up 42-20.
Southwick was impressive, completing 27 of 29 passes for 287 yards and one touchdown, and set the mark with the most efficient passing game in Boise State school history. He completed his first nine passes without a miss and ran for 53 yards on six attempts that included a touchdown to get the win over Air Force. But he had plenty of help doing it. Ajayi had 17 carries for 125 yards that averaged 7.4 yards a carry. He also accounted for 4 of the Broncos 5 TD’s. RB Aaron Baltazar had 18 carries for 57 yards, averaging 3.2 per attempt. Through the air WR Matt Miller caught 10 of Southwick’s passes for 112 yards and WR Kirby Moore caught 8 for 70 yards. The Broncos ended the night with 533 total yards of offense.
The Falcon offense put up 287 yards of offense but just couldn’t get going against a stubborn Broncos defense in the second half. Awini, who rolled up 139 yards rushing in the first half, was 4 of 9 for 99 yards through the air and scrambled 23 times for 107 yards. That was an average of 4.7 yards per attempt and 2 of those runs were punched in for touchdowns. Falcon RB Broam Hart rushed 18 times for 57 yards and averaged just over 3 yards a carry. In the end it just wasn’t enough. And although the Falcons are noted for the option, it was Boise State who actually employed it most effectively on this night.
Next up for the teams: Boise State will take on Fresno State next Friday night at 7 PM MT in Bulldog Stadium (ESPN), while Air Force will host Wyoming next Saturday at home at 8:15 PM MT (ESPNU).