Boise State
2-0 , 2-0
Air Force
1-2 , 0-2
Broncos Soar Past Falcons
10/31/2020 8:08:00 PM | Football
USAFA, Colo. - Jack Sears threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score while filling in for starter Hank Bachmeier, Avery Williams scored on an 88-yard kickoff return and No. 25 Boise State beat Air Force 49-30 on Saturday night.
CT Thomas hauled in two of Sears' TD passes, including a 75-yarder on the game's first play. The Broncos have now captured 11 straight Mountain West games. It's their longest streak since joining the league in 2011.
Boise State (2-0, 2-0 MW) was without Bachmeier after the sophomore QB didn't make the trip for an unspecified reason. Sears, a transfer from USC, made the most of his chance by finishing 17 of 20 for 280 yards and no turnovers.
Backup tailback Andrew Van Buren scored on a pair of short runs as he stepped in for George Holani, who appeared to be banged up in the first quarter and didn't carry the ball again.
Air Force (1-2, 0-2) saw its nine-game home winning streak snapped. The last team to win at Falcon Stadium? Boise State, in 2018.
Brandon Lewis rushed for 112 yards and a score, while fullback Matthew Murla added two scores for a dinged-up Falcons offense. They entered the game missing leading rusher Timothy Jackson and tailback Kadin Remsberg for undisclosed reasons. Air Force had quarterback Haaziq Daniels leave the game in the first quarter after being shaken up on a hit. He was replaced by Warren Bryan, who rushed for 87 yards on a day when Air Force gained 415 yards on the ground.
Boise State saw the lead trimmed to 35-24 early in the fourth quarter. The Falcons elected to kick to the electric Williams, who stepped out of a tackle and darted down the sideline. It was his sixth return for a score (four on punts, two on kickoffs).
Sears also connected with Octavius Evans on a 21-yard score just before halftime.
A handful of Broncos players didn't make the trip, including starting safety JL Skinner. The Broncos were without one player due to the COVID-19 protocols, but the team couldn't name the player because of privacy reasons.
THE TAKEAWAY
Boise State: The Broncos improved to 119-21 all-time when ranked.
Air Force: The Falcons fell to 4-18 against ranked teams under coach Troy Calhoun. Their last win over a ranked squad was at home in 2016 when they beat No. 20 Boise State.
AIR FORCE CADETS
There was a smattering of cadets in the stands as the academy moved into a higher level of COVID-19 restrictions. For this game, cadet attendance was voluntary. It was a mandatory formation when Air Force beat Navy.
UP NEXT
Boise State: A big showdown with a ranked BYU team on Friday.
Air Force: The Falcons can hoist the coveted Commander-in-Chief's Trophy by winning at Army on Saturday. Air Force began the annual round-robin competition between the service academies with a 40-7 win over Navy on Oct. 3.
Team Stats
BSU 7, AF 0
BSU - THOMAS, CT 75 yd pass from SEARS, Jack (DALMAS, Jonah kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:10
BSU 7, AF 7
AF - LEWIS, Brandon 7 yd run (SCHUETTPELZ-ROH kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:23
BSU 7, AF 14
AF - MURLA, Matthew 1 yd run (SCHUETTPELZ-ROH kick), 6 plays, 87 yards, TOP 2:50
BSU 14, AF 14
BSU - VAN BUREN, A. 4 yd run (DALMAS, Jonah kick), 10 plays, 78 yards, TOP 5:03
BSU 14, AF 17
AF - SCHUETTPELZ-ROH 31 yd field goal 11 plays, 61 yards, TOP 6:21
BSU 21, AF 17
BSU - VAN BUREN, A. 1 yd run (DALMAS, Jonah kick), 9 plays, 64 yards, TOP 4:21
BSU 28, AF 17
BSU - EVANS, Octavius 21 yd pass from SEARS, Jack (DALMAS, Jonah kick) 5 plays, 63 yards, TOP 0:35
BSU 35, AF 17
BSU - THOMAS, CT 26 yd pass from SEARS, Jack (DALMAS, Jonah kick) 6 plays, 78 yards, TOP 3:08
BSU 35, AF 24
AF - MURLA, Matthew 7 yd run (SCHUETTPELZ-ROH kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:30
BSU 42, AF 24
BSU - WILLIAMS, Avery 88 yd kickoff return (DALMAS, Jonah kick)
BSU 49, AF 24
BSU - SEARS, Jack 1 yd run (DALMAS, Jonah kick), 6 plays, 63 yards, TOP 2:35
BSU 49, AF 30
AF - GROSS, Bo 5 yd run (BRITTAIN, Ben rushfailed), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:20
