Coming off a bye week, and previous to that a 51-14 win over Eastern Washington Eagles, Broncos open their quest for a third straight Mountain West championship. The Broncos make a visit to Colorado Springs against the fan-favorite run-heavy triple option Air Force.
Oh, sorry, refs threw flag there. Hold on.
If you’re going to play Air Force might as well be in the beginning of the season when your team is healthy-ish, relatively speaking of course.
Dang it. Another ref flag. Sorry, folks.
The Broncos run-stuffing ability needed to be on the look out against a super-savvy Falcons crew.
This would be Dylan Riley’s breakout game with five total touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving), 121 rushing, and 84 yards receiving.
Maddux Madsen would go 13-23 passing, 276 yards, two TDs, and an INT.
Malik Sherrod would add another 80 yards rushing and a TD of his own.
LaTrell Caples had five receptions and 87 yards.
Matt Lauter would have 23 yards receiving on two catches and a touchdown.
Ty Benefield lead the team with 11 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and the interception to seal the game.
The first series of the game didn’t quite produce what the Broncos wanted seeing as how it ended in a three-and-out and Madsen getting hurt and needing to sit out for a series. The luck for the Broncos didn’t really get much better when Air Force marched right down the field on their first possession to score.
HOWEVER the Broncos were able to respond with a solid series of their own that capped off with a Dylan Riley 4-yard touchdown run.
After a holding penalty that killed the Falcons next drive, the Broncos marched down the field for another Dylan Riley touchdown, this time a 34-yard run to put the Broncos up for the first time for the day.
Broncos were again able to force another AFA punt and then took the ball down the field again to allow for a Maddux Madsen to Matt Lauter 3-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 21-7.
There’s another flag.
The Falcons were able to use some momentum from Flag-a-palooza to score another touchdown to get within 21-14.
The Broncos were able to get the ball with a shade over a minute to go in the second quarter and get down to the redzone. But, you guessed it, some really ill-timed penalties really threw off the timing and rhythm and cost them an opportunity (Madsen threw a pick on third down). Ending the half up 21-14.
The first half saw the Broncos with 11–ELEVEN–penalties. Some were probably ok. But there was an unnecessary roughness penalty on Carreon that was SUPER suspicious but the replay team didn’t really show too much of the play in question.
The second half started off not so great for the Broncos as they let the Falcons score almost immediately following the opening kickoff (Liam Szarka got to sneak in from the one after a Szarka to Cade Harris pass for 74-yards).
The Broncos were able to immediately respond with their own 4-play, 75-yard series that was capped off with a Malik Sherrod touchdown to put the Broncos in front 28-21, and a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game.
Falcons were able to move the ball but had chewed up almost 11 minutes of game time to yield a field goal to get within 28-24.
Dylan Riley would have none of that going for a 75-yard rush and a touchdown.
The Falcons and the Broncos would trade touchdown shots before the Broncos finally put the nail in the coffin with a Ty Benefield interception, sealing the 49-37 victory.
Next up for the Broncos is at home against Appalachian State on September 27th, at 5:30 pm. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports.
Well…..Who bought those refs? There were so many really bad calls in the first half that my throat started to close. I counted two very obvious PI’s and two pre-snap penalties against my alma mater that weren’t called, let alone those phantom penalties that were. Dylan Riley sure made a statement (or five) for starting. He looked hungry, and that’s always a good thing. We have a stable of RB’s who can run! That being said, there were some OL issues that limited the damage they were able to inflict. Now, if we had a good QB, the offense would… Read more »
Warren or Chinander or both.
IMO. BSU.had better be concerned about App State! They are coming in to prove something. Make no mistake about that people.They are pumped to play on the blue! And this is a team that can actually pass that ball! Let that sink in folks. If our D secondary plays that way against App like they did against AFA there just might be a loss on the blue?
The D secondary has to be revamped in a hurry! If the starters can’t get it done then let’s start rotating in players. Madsen your job is clearly on the line now.
Unclear why Madsen’s job is on the line….Cutting, in his minimal game ay against USF amd Air Force looked good, however, his real game experience is nothing compared to Mad Dog.
I don’t recall Spencer mentioning any hot water that Madsen is in based on game play.
In other points, giant shootout to TKWG writers. Been reading this over a decade ago when it was formerly OBNUG and have always appreciated the time amd dedication you guys put in. Much appreciation.
Was a tough win against a team that typically plays us very tough. Not super impressed by the secondary, but we secured the win. Glad to see a backup QB step in and drive the team right down the field. Certainly gives me the warm and fuzzies. Our RB room is amazing!!! Also, Potter finding some creativity as play caller. All sign point to improvement on offense.
Dylan Riley, going from #3 to #1 (IMO), is a prime example of trying # 2 and #3 on the depth chart at DB. Seeing Cutforth at QB gives me a lot more confidence in him as a backup. Again, giving a guy a chance on the depth chart. Some players practice good but underperform during actual game conditions. Some don’t practice as well, but they maximize their full potential when under real game conditions. Chris Marshall remains an enigma. Maybe it’s time for him to spend some time on the pine. Sacks are waaaaay down this year. Tackling was… Read more »