The Boise State Broncos head down to Colorado Springs to take on the Air Force Falcons in a Mountain West showdown on Friday, November 25th. The game is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed on the CBS Sports Network. As of this article, the Broncos are a -9 point favorite and the contest’s total sits at 65.5 points.
The Boise State Broncos were disappointed when San Diego State didn’t take care of business in Wyoming last week. Now, the Broncos need to win out and hope for a Wyoming loss if they hope to play San Diego State for the conference championship.
#20 Boise State (10-1):
Bryan Harsin’s Boise State Broncos have gotten back to a winning brand of football after falling to Wyoming a month ago. The Broncos have reeled off three straight victories after toppling UNLV last week 42-25.
In the win over the Rebels, sophomore quarterback Brett Rypien was anything but spectacular. He completed only 10 of 20 passes for 109 yards. Throughout his 2016 campaign, the signal-caller has completed over 200 passes for over 3,000 yards with 22 touchdowns and only six picks.
Boise State prefers to run the ball first, and when they do, they call upon tail back Jeremy McNichols. McNichols numbers are impressive, racking up 1,575 yards on 273 carries with an amazing 22 trips to pay-dirt. The multi-talented back also catches passes for the Broncos, reeling in 32 balls for 450 yards and four more scores.
Brett Rypien finds two speedy wide outs when looking to the passing game. Senior receiver Thomas Sperbeck and junior Cedric Wilson have answered the call, catching 113 passes for over 1,900 yards and 18 touchdowns between them.
The Broncos defense has been a little better than average this season. Boise State still only allows 22 points a game which is good for 31st in the country. That being said, they have had some troubles stopping the run, surrendering 167.6 yards a game (63rd). Unfortunately for the Broncos front seven, they will be without talented line backers Tanner Vallejo and Joe Martarano who suffered injuries against UNLV.
Air Force (8-3):
As for the Falcons, they too have been on a hot streak of late. Air Force has won their last four games including last weeks 41-38 victory over the San Jose State Spartans. Back-up quarterback Arion Worthman may not kept up air Force’s new found passing attack, but he certainly came up big with his feet.
Arion Worthman picked up 215 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries for the Falcons. It still remains unclear if starting quarterback Nate Romine will be back in the line-up for Friday’s game. As of this preview, he is listed as questionable with an ankle injury.
If the man-under-center for the Falcons isn’t running the rock, three capable tail backs take over the responsibilities for Air Force. Together, the trio has amassed almost 1,900 yards rushing on over 300 carries with 14 trips to the promised land. Timothy McVey is the go-to guy guy in the red zone, totaling 10 touchdowns on just 72 carries.
Although Air Force prefers to run first, wide receiver Jalen Robinette is doing all he can to change the coaching staff’s minds. This year, Robinette has caught 30 balls for for 790 yards (26.3 ypc) and five scores.
The Fighting Falcons defense has been a one-trick pony in 2016. They excel at stopping the opposing offense’s ground game, ranking 18th in the nation allowing only 121 yards per contest. On the flip side to that coin, they rank 84th in the nation against the pass, surrendering almost 250 yards per game.
Trends and Notes:
The Broncos are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
The Falcons are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
The Over is 7-0 in the the Broncos last 7 Friday games.
The Over is 6-1 in the Falcons last 7 games overall.
The Underdog is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
Game Prediction:
Boise State has quietly reeled in another 10 win season. Their lone hiccup against the Cowboys could cost them the Mountain West conference title. If they win out and get a little help, they still can accomplish that goal. The Broncos will be plenty motivated for this match-up.
Air Force has had an up and down season, nevertheless they continue to put up plenty of points on the board. Their 8-3 record will assure the Falcons of another bowl game in 2016. Air Force does have some injury issues at quarterback, and that could play a huge roll if Nate Romine doesn’t play.
With the question marks at the quarterback position the Falcons would be a tough pick here. Taking that into consideration, Boise State will enter this game without two starting line backers. That’s bad news against a team that runs the ball from sun up to sun down. Boise scores, Air force scores and everybody gets paid on the over 65.5.
