Boise State Football: 3 lessons from big win over Air Force

2. Boise State defense came up huge against Air Force option attack

Against the fifth-best rushing attack in the country, the Boise State defense stood firm. Entering Saturday night’s contest at Albertsons Stadium, Air Force was averaging 310 yards per game on the ground thanks to their triple-option attack. They came nowhere near those numbers on Saturday, thanks to a stout front seven for the Broncos.

Troy Calhoun‘s offense was held 130 yards below its season rushing average, as Boise State gave up just 181 hard-fought yards to the Falcons. More significantly, Air Force averaged nearly 1.5 fewer yards per carry than they usually manage to gain. They also coughed up three fumbles and had several other errant pitches that managed to roll out of bounds.

Veteran quarterback Nate Romine was at the source of several of those fumbles, as the Broncos consistently got pressure in the backfield. Other than a 33-yard burst from the run-pass threat and a short touchdown run, Romine was unable to do much against the vaunted Boise State defense on the ground.

The inefficiency and inconsistency of the rushing attack put even more pressure on the senior quarterback to try to beat Boise State with his arm. He finished the night 7-of-10 for 115 yards through the air, but failed to throw a touchdown pass as the Broncos secondary closed down several strong opportunities. It was a championship-level performance from the division kings.