Mountain West Conference football on Friday and we will see the Air Force Falcons take on the Boise State Broncos on the Blue Turf at Boise, Idaho. The start time is 8:00 pm (Eastern) and the game will be televised on ESPN. Current Odds have Boise State listed as 23.5 point favorites, while the total sits at 57.
Analysis: Air Force was crushed in its MWC opener by Utah State, 52-20. The setback came on the heels of the Academy's 38-13 victory over Colgate in the opener back on Aug. 31. The Falcons fell behind big early and just were never able to recover vs Utah State. The Falcons were led by Jaleel Awini who, in his first career start, threw for 61 yards and ran for a team-best 48 and a score before heading to the sidelines in the lopsided outing. Air Force generated just 162 yards on the ground, a far cry from their usual routine, finishing with only 270 yards of total offense while giving up a hefty 577 yards to the Aggies. It is important for the Falcons running attack to get back on track and hopefully control the tempo versus Boise State this week. Air Force thrives on the ground, having scored at least one rushing touchdown in 49 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the country at the moment.
Boise State opened the campaign ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll, but a 36-6 thumping at the hands of Washington in their opener, quickly took care of that ranking. The Broncos did bounce back however, with a 63-14 romp over Tennessee-Martin in the home opener last Saturday, but take that lopsided score with a grain of salt. The Falcons defense had better be ready for an aerial assault from Boise State and Joe Southwick, who threw for 234 yards and five touchdowns in the romp over UT-Martin. Running back Jay Ajayi added a team-best 80 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground for Boise State as the team generated 220 net rushing yards and 472 yards overall during the big win. Last season BSU averaged 5.7 TFL per contest, a step back for the group for sure, but the Broncos were still 11th in the nation in sacks with almost three per contest. So far this year the team has three sacks total. Boise State won the first and only meeting between the squads back in 2011 by a 37-26 final.
Pick: I'm going to look to the Under in this one. Air Force is a running team and they will need to use that running game to control the clock and keep this strong Boise State offense off the field. The Broncos do have a strong offense, but not really an explosive quick scoring one like they have had in the past and that should really help keep the scoring down. The Bronco defense is usually one of the better in the nation, but have started slow this year with just 4 starters back. Chris Peterson usually recruits well on that side and I expect the defense to start to show improvements. Both teams can score, but they will do so wil time consuming drives, which should keep this game in the lower 50's at best.
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College Football Free Picks: Air Force at Boise State Betting
What college football bettors need to know about Air Force Falcons at Boise State Broncos on Friday (9/13/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Ken Thomson, with host Marco D'Angelo.