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How and what to watch for No. 25 Boise State vs. Air Force

The Broncos and Falcons battle in an early-season MWC contest on Halloween.

Boise State Broncos quarterback Hank Bachmeier celebrates a touchdown run with teammates during the first half versus the Utah State Aggies at Albertsons Stadium. Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

The 25th-ranked Boise State Broncos will be looking to go 2-0 when they take on the Air Force Falcons Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET at the USAF Academy in Colorado.

The Broncos (1-0) kicked off their regular season last weekend against the Utah State Aggies. It was a total team effort from Boise State as they won the turnover battle, forcing Utah State quarterback Jason Shelley into an interception, and dominated the Aggies through the air.

Boise State sophomore quarterback Hank Bachmeier completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, and added a six-yard rushing touchdown. Junior wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught two of Bachmeier’s three TD’s, part of his seven receptions for 123 yards. Meanwhile, sophomore running back George Holani had the other touchdown as he had three receptions for 33 yards. Holani was also the game’s leading rushing with 100 yards on 14 carries and a TD.

As for the Falcons (1-1), they suffered their first defeat of the regular season, losing 17-6 to the San Jose Spartans. Air Force did a great job of moving the ball on the ground to the tune of 205 rushing yards.

But to San Jose’s credit, they did not allow the Falcons to score a single rushing touchdown. Air Force will be taking on a Boise State defense that is allowing 111 rushing yards per game, which could be a good sign for their ground game to find the end zone at least once on Halloween.

Sophomore quarterback Haaziq Daniels had the only touchdown for Air Force last Saturday, which was a 34-yard pass to sophomore tight end Kyle Patterson. Daniels finished the game, completing 52.9 percent of his passes for 92 yards. The 6-foot-6 Patterson had three receptions for 56 yards.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch No. 25 Boise State vs. Air Force on Saturday, October 31st at 6:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network, and you can stream it via the CBS Sports app with a with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Boise State (-14) vs. Air Force
Point Total: O/U 49
Money line: Boise State (-715), Air Force (+450)

  • Boise State is 4-2 against the spread in its last six games.
  • The point total went under in five of Boise State’s last seven games.
  • Air Force is 6-3 against in its last nine games.
  • The point total went under in six of Air Force’s last seven games.

The Best Bet

In the second week of Mountain West play, Boise State travels to Colorado to play Air Force. Broncos quarterback Hank Bachmeier is a player to watch in this contest as he had a solid Week 1 performance against Utah State. On the other sideline, the Falcons’ running game will be trying to reach the end zone after not seeing it once last Saturday against the San Jose Spartans. If Boise State can slowdown the Falcons’ rushing attack and stay gap discipline, they should come away with the win.

Pick: Air Force +14

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