Boise State
2-1 , 1-0
Air Force
1-2 , 0-2
Riley’s Career Performance Lifts Broncos Past Falcons
9/20/2025 9:51:00 PM | Football
Sophomore Running Back Totaled Five Touchdowns in Victory
The sophomore found the end zone five times in the victory, rushing for four scores and catching another. Riley totaled a career-high 255 all-purpose yards, notching 171 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards.
Riley was the highlight of a successful offensive assault, with the Broncos (2-1, 1-0 Mountain West) totaling 592 of total offense. The Blue and Orange recorded 500+ yards of total offense in back-to-back games, a feat that hasn't occurred since the 2019 season.
Maddux Madsen was also stellar in the win, brushing off an early first-quarter injury to throw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt junior moved into the top 10 in program history in several categories, including career touchdowns (37), passing yards (5,060) and 200+ yard games (12).
The Falcons (1-2, 0-2 MW) notched the first score of the game, scoring on a 2-yard rush nearly four minutes into the action. Riley answered the call for the squad, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives to give the Broncos a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Madsen found Matt Lauter for a 3-yard pass-and-catch early in the second quarter to give the Broncos a two-score advantage. Air Force responded on the ensuing drive with a 10-play, 72-yard scoring drive to bring the score within seven points as the teams entered the locker room.
The Falcons tied the game with a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, but a 40-yard touchdown rush from Malik Sherrod gave the Broncos a 28-21 advantage. Air Force answered with a 10-minute, 19-play drive that ended in a field goal.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, Riley scored off a 75-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass to give Boise State a two-possession edge. The Falcons scored yet another touchdown, but failed to convert the 2-point conversion.
Riley recorded his fourth touchdown with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter, but Air Force wouldn't back down, scoring again with 2:26 on the clock to cut the lead to 42-37. Riley put the exclamation point on the contest with a 43-yard touchdown run three plays later to give Boise State the victory.
Top Broncos
- Dylan Riley scored five touchdowns in the contest, notching four on the ground and one in the air. The sophomore recorded a career-high 255 all-purpose yards, including 171 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards.
- Maddux Madsen finished with 276 passing yards and two touchdowns.
- Latrell Caples caught five passes for 87 receiving yards.
- Ty Benefield recorded a career-high 11 tackles, including two for a loss. He also notched an interception in the fourth quarter.
Notables
- Dylan Riley's five touchdown performance marks the second consecutive season a Boise State running back has scored five or more touchdowns in a game. Ashton Jeanty rushed for a program-record six touchdowns in the season-opener last year against Georgia Southern on Aug. 31, 2024.
- Riley is the first Boise State player since Jeremy McNichols to score at least three rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in a single game. McNichols achieved the feat at Oregon State on Sept. 24, 2016.
- Riley's performance marks the 20th time in program history a Bronco has scored four or more rushing touchdowns. His performance marks the first time a Bronco has done so since Jeanty accomplished the feat against Washington State on Sept. 28, 2024.
- Maddux Madsen moved into the top 10 in program history in career touchdowns (37), passing yards (5,060) and 200+ yard games (12).
- Boise State registered five rushing touchdowns in the game, marking the fourth consecutive season the Broncos have had multiple games in a season with 4+ rushing touchdowns.
- The Broncos recorded 592 yards of total offense, marking the first time the program has recorded two consecutive games with 500+ yards of total offense since doing so on Oct. 5 and 12 against UNLV and Hawaii, respectively, in 2019.
- Ty Benefield recorded finished the game with two TFLs, giving him five over the last two games. The last Bronco to tally at least five TFLs in a two-game span was Andrew Simpson, who did so against Utah State (Nov. 18, 2023) and Air Force (Nov. 24, 2023).
What's Next
Boise State will return home to face App State on Sept. 27. The game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast nationally on FS1.
Team Stats
BSU 0, AF 7
AF - Carson,Dylan 2 yd run (Medina,Jacob kick), 5 plays, 74 yards, TOP 02:07
BSU 7, AF 7
BSU - Riley,Dylan 4 yd run (Boomer,Colton kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:45
BSU 14, AF 7
BSU - Riley,Dylan 34 yd run (Boomer,Colton kick), 5 plays, 68 yards, TOP 01:55
BSU 21, AF 7
BSU - Lauter,Matt 3 yd pass from Madsen,Maddux (Boomer,Colton kick) 10 plays, 52 yards, TOP 04:32
BSU 21, AF 14
AF - Hodges,Kemper 3 yd run (Medina,Jacob kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:33
BSU 21, AF 21
AF - Szarka,Liam 1 yd run (Medina,Jacob kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:08
BSU 28, AF 21
BSU - Sherrod,Malik 40 yd run (Boomer,Colton kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:01
BSU 28, AF 24
AF - Medina,Jacob 25 yd field goal 19 plays, 67 yards, TOP 10:41
BSU 35, AF 24
BSU - Riley,Dylan 75 yd pass from Madsen,Maddux (Boomer,Colton kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:12
BSU 35, AF 30
AF - Smith,Quin 12 yd pass from Szarka,Liam () 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:14
BSU 42, AF 30
BSU - Riley,Dylan 8 yd run (Boomer,Colton kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:26
BSU 42, AF 37
AF - Fleischmann,Bruin 5 yd pass from Szarka,Liam (Medina,Jacob kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:52
BSU 49, AF 37
BSU - Riley,Dylan 43 yd run (Boomer,Colton kick), 3 plays, 50 yards, TOP 00:16
