September 24, 2026

Article By Josh Fife

You could feel the collective sigh when Dylan Riley housed an 83-yard run to put the Broncos up 38-24, and to put away the South Dakota Coyotes last Saturday. What many deemed an “easy” game was anything but, as the Broncos fought through some major adversity to pick up their second win of the season. As pointed out in the previous article’s 3 Big Things, the O-Line needed to control the game, and they did so effectively. With 325 rushing yards and two of the top PFF grades of the game coming from offensive linemen (Carreon and Taufa), I think we can put a check next to that one. That’s the bright side.

On the other hand, the third Big Thing was to keep explosives down and…well…yikes.

The reasons behind the explosive plays are too long to recap here, but it’s clear: there is lots of work to be done. I won’t pin it all on secondary. Too often, explosive passing plays get labeled solely as a secondary issue. The machine that is a defensive unit MUST work together to be effective in every aspect. And that is an issue I have zero doubt the coaching staff will address as deeply and as much as possible this week as we head into game four against the Broncos of Western Michigan.

Western Michigan holds a 2-1 record (insert asterisked 3-0 record here), and the Broncos of Boise State bring their own 2-1 record to Kalamazoo for a game that has CFP implications. As we’ve stated before, one game at a time and #1-0Mentality, but there’s no doubt this could be a game that’s looked at closely once the season concludes as a marker for CFP-or-Not decisions.

Western Michigan has been on the national radar for a couple of weeks after what some describe as a stolen victory by the Wolverines of Michigan. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. WMU truly handled business in the Big House, and should have walked away from that game with a win. As Spencer Danielson put it in his press conference earlier this week, WMU is undefeated, period, end of story.

However, after a controversial moment with the referees and replay officials, Michigan was given one second for another play, a second chance at a Hail Mary. Michigan ultimately succeeded on the final play of the game with a no-time-on-the-clock touchdown. It gave Michigan the win, 13 to 12.

Any team that can go into Michigan and hold a Wolverine team to 13 points or less should be on every analyst’s radar. And this WMU team is no exception.

Let’s dive in.

First, there is no question about the work to be done for this Boise State team. Great things abound, no doubt. The run game is spectacular. The offensive line is maybe just short of the word “elite”, but they’re close to that level. And for all of the scrutiny on the socials this week, as the saying goes, “numbers don’t lie”. Maddux Madsen has been decent/good this year. While the statistical categories of yards-per-game, total touchdowns, and plays-over-40-yards may not point to earth-shattering figures, there is one GREAT number.

ZERO picks. I repeat…ZERO interceptions through three games. This is a good sign, particularly with two games against really good programs in Memphis and Oregon. This points to a Maddog that has grown in his decision making. Plenty of season left, I got it. But through three games in the last two seasons, Madsen had thrown one pick, along with five touchdowns.

This season, he’s thrown zero interceptions with six touchdowns. The beauty of this Boise State offense is that Maddux doesn’t have to be Superman. Keep making good decisions, don’t force throws into double- and triple-coverage, and let the run game do its thing. If he can stay on that path, the zero-picks thing could go a LONG way toward getting W’s for this team.

Let’s just touch on the run game. We don’t need to belabor this point. This is where the word elite sets in. Dylan Riley comes in as 3^rd in the nation in rushing yards. You know who else isn’t too bad? Sire Gaines, who sits 47^th in the nation. This 1-2 punch combo (along with a few depth-chart RB’s who, I believe, we should be comfortable with) has Boise State sitting 15^th in the country at 258.3 yards-per-game. And with Western Michigan sitting at 96^th in the country in rush defense, I don’t see any slowdown here. I think the RB room has an absolute DAY against WMU.

So, what can we expect for this game? We’re all hoping the obvious – defense, let’s GO. Boise State, in theory, should be able to get some pass rush happening on a higher level, which will help in the secondary. WMU is sitting 70^th in the nation with sacks allowed (1.67 sacks per game), although the sample size is still somewhat small. I gotta think that will be a point of emphasis for Chinander’s defensive unit. This Western Michigan team doesn’t bring an elite level passing game to the table, averaging just 157 yards per game, which puts them at 121^st in the nation. Similar to the Broncos of Boise State however, the WMU Broncos depend more on their rushing attack. This bodes well for Boise State, where they are only giving up 96 yards per game (31^st in the nation).

So, what’s the focus this week? Let’s check out this week’s Three Big Things.

The Three Big Things

1. Pass Rush In Partnership With Run Defense

This defensive unit, thus far, has shown they can stop the run at an extremely high level. Does this force WMU to move to a passing game that isn’t nearly the level of Oregon or Memphis? If they’re counting on explosive plays based on three games’ worth of film from Boise State, they may try. We’ll have to see, but I could see the focus and motivation from the BSU defense being very intense this week. You know there’s a lot of pride on that side of the ball. Hopefully we’re talking about a defensive unit that proves itself Saturday afternoon. Let’s see several sacks, another interception or two from forced bad throws, maybe a forced fumble somewhere during the game, and all of a sudden the defense becomes the positive talk of the town.

2. More of the Same – Run the Ball

With Sire Gaines’ status being up in the air, all eyes turn to the Dylan Riley show. With the O-Line being one of the strongest units on this team, Riley is poised for another big game. WMU has trouble stopping the run, and they are weak on first down defense (89^th in the nation). Line that defense up against a strong first down offense from Boise State (T-27^th in the nation), and BSU could see a lot of 2^nd-and-short situations. No crystal ball here, but if we see another 200-yard game from Dylan Riley, don’t be shocked.

3. Be Careful With Their QB

While Broc Lowry hasn’t had a breakout passing performance this season, the dude does have the ability to run the ball effectively. And, if you’ve watched Boise State for the past two decades, you may suffer from the same PTSD I do with QB’s who move well. Lowry had 15 rush attempts against Michigan, and 17 attempts against Rice. Against Monmouth, he only ran four times, but managed 40 yards in the game. Yes, we must have better containment down field, but we also must be cognizant that a QB that can move outside the pocket could also torch us downfield if our linebackers and secondary aren’t disciplined and focused.

Bonus Big Thing – While the WMU defense hasn’t been stellar in rush defense, they did hold Michigan to 106 yards on 25 attempts at the Big House. Is that a statement on Michigan’s rushing attack, or a statement about WMU’s potential as a run-stopping defense. I imagine we’ll get to see on Saturday, as we know BSU’s calling card is the run game.

One more nerdy thing for you Bronco Fam. Bill Connelly’s SP+ has BSU 47^th in the nation compared to WMU’s 80^th in the nation. This seems to manifest as the 7-point favorite we are seeing across betting lines for this game. According to that same SP+, the top mismatch of the game? BSU’s offensive efficiency against WMU’s defense. Both teams come in with huge Time of Possession numbers. BSU sits at 1^st in the nation in T.O.P., while WMU is close behind at 15^th. These teams like to control the ball, but something has to give on that front. Let’s hope it’s our Broncos that take control early on.

Let’s stay focused on that 1-0 mentality Bronco Fam. While we have had a couple of scares this season, this game does have a vibe, at least on paper, that Boise State should handle business well in Kalamazoo.

I know we all wanted that 50-to-10 type of game against South Dakota. However, the Coyotes are not your typical FCS team. And while that’s no excuse for the lack of execution we saw last Saturday, I think there’s cause for some level of hope that BSU could take this game in a 20-point fashion (again, if we’re just looking at things on paper).

But we all know games aren’t played out on paper. The players gotta play, the coaches gotta coach, the fans gotta cheer, and we gotta keep a positive mindset! Let’s send the positive vibes via the airwaves if you’re watching on ESPN2 at 1:30 on Saturday. And, if you’re in that stadium this weekend, make ‘em hear you Bronco Fam! We travel well, and the noise you bring this weekend shouldn’t be any different than normal.

Let’s go Broncos, get that dub in Kalamazoo on Saturday!

*Teams To Watch Saturday (In this section, we’ll give you a heads up on games that have implications for the Broncos’ movement immediate movement in the AP Poll. That is, these are teams just ahead or just behind Boise State in the AP Poll. Granted, this only matters as long as the Broncos keep winning. But let’s keep an eye on things just for fun).

Kentucky (#27) vs. South Alabama
Washington (#26) vs. Minnesota
West Virginia (#28) vs. Oklahoma State (#30)
Oklahoma (#29) vs. Georgia (#2)
Virginia Tech (#32) vs. Boston College
Duke (#34) vs. William & Mary
Tulsa (#35) vs. Arkansas