Lost amidst all the Denver Broncos quarterback talk this weekend was a big win. And it wasn’t the one that came in Chicago on Sunday. On Saturday night, while Brock Osweiler and Gary Kubiak were making their final preparations for the Bears, the Air Force football team was securing one of the biggest wins of the year, over a different Broncos team.
With a 37-30 victory over Boise State, the Air Force put themselves in position for a 2015 Mountain West Championship. The win improved the Falcons to 6-1 in the Mountain West and, coupled with Colorado State’s win over New Mexico, guaranteed the Falcons will win the Mountain Division.
The Falcons will face the Lobos on Saturday before they turn their attention to the Mountain West Championship on Dec. 5 against San Diego State.
The Aztecs locked up the West Division earlier in the day when Utah State beat Nevada, then proceeded to run their conference record to a perfect 7-0 with a 52-14 rout of UNLV.
The win was Air Force’s second in a row against Boise State (having defeated the Broncos 28-14 in Colorado Springs last year), and Boise’s second home loss in a row. It was the first time that had happened since 1997.
The Broncos went up 10-0 early on the Falcons and led 13-3 at the end of the first quarter, but their offense stalled out and it was all Air Force through the second and third quarters. Despite four giveaways (three interceptions and a fumble) Air Force amassed an astounding 607 yards of total offense, including 328 yards rushing. The Falcons scored 31 unanswered points before Boise State finally found the end zone with less than a minute to play in the third quarter. Credit the Broncos for battling back with another 10 points in the fourth quarter, but a Luke Strebel put things effectively out of reach with just over 2:00 to play.
Big plays were the story of the day. Boise set the tone for big plays early when Jeremy McNichols ripped off an 83-yard touchdown on the first play of the game from scrimmage, but it was all Air Force after that in the big play department. The Falcons triple-option ran wild on the Broncos and gashed them through the air as well, posting four plays of more than 50 yards and a fifth that went for 48. Three of those plays ended with six points for the Falcons.
Junior running back Jacobi Owens led the way with 145 yards rushing on 20 carries, although he didn’t find the end zone. Sophomore Timothy McVey had another highly productive game, going for 74 yards and a touchdown, plus 67 yards on two receptions. Quarterback Karson Roberts added 66 yards and a touchdown on the ground to go with 279 yards and two touchdowns in the air.
Where Air Force was really effective was in defense of the pass, holding Brett Rypien to 48 percent passing and just one touchdown. Boise rallied late thanks to two third-quarter interceptions and another in the fourth, but Air Force managed to hold on for the win.
“Unbelievable feeling,” Air Force defensive back Roland Ladipo told the Idaho Statesman. “To be able to come to Boise State, they’re unbelievable here. They don’t lose here. To win like that and hold them off at the end, it feels great.”
A win against San Diego State would no doubt feel even better come Dec. 5. Both teams are 8-3 with matchups against 6-5 opponents before their tilt for the MW crown. The title game’s location is still yet to be determined. If both can win next week, Air Force looks poised to host the game because of wins over better opponents. The Mountain West uses BCS and other poll rankings to determine the game site, so even with an undefeated conference record, the Aztecs could find themselves playing on the road in the conference championship.
