One question dominated the preseason for the Boise State football team: Who would replace Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty?
The consensus was explosive, powerful youngster Sire Gaines would step in and make up for most of Jeanty’s 2,601 rushing yards. Gaines reminds a lot of Boise State fans of Jeanty. Both are chiseled weightroom warriors off the field and ESPN Top 10 worthy playmakers between the hashes.
But it isn’t Gaines who is dominating headlines after Boise State’s 49-37 win over Air Force. It’s his running mate, sophomore Dylan Riley, who racked up 255 yards and five total touchdowns against the Falcons.
It’s Riley who will lead the Broncos (2-1) against visiting Appalachian State on Saturday. It’s the second all-time meeting between the Group of Five powerhouses. Boise State won their first meeting, 17-14, in 1994.
Riley finished last weekend’s win over Air Force with a career-high 171 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He also outran the entire defense on a screen pass that he turned into a 74-yard touchdown.
Riley showed the speed and power that made him one of the most explosive running backs in California during his career at Rancho Verde High School, where he posted 3,680 yards and 42 touchdowns on the ground during his final two seasons.
Gaines didn’t exactly have a bad day against Air Force. He turned three carries into 34 yards. He just wasn’t featured the way many expected him to be, and that may in fact be the Broncos’ secret weapon.
Boise State is going to be hard to beat if the Broncos can go with the hot hand in the backfield each week without a significant drop-off in performance. That’s been the case so far as Riley, Gaines, and Fresno State transfer Malik Sherrod have all had their moments to shine.
The Broncos rank No. 2 in the Mountain West with 244 rushing yards a game, and they haven’t even gotten to see what injured junior Jambres Dubar can do this season. Air Force leads the conference with 267 yards a game, and UNLV is No. 3 with 205.7.
Boise State will face a stout run defense on Saturday. Appalachian State (2-1) is giving up just 61.7 rushing yards a game. The Mountaineers are coming off their first loss of the season, a 38-22 setback at Southern Miss. App State gave up just 110 yards on the ground.
App State vs. Boise State Betting Line
Boise State is a 16.5-point college football betting odds favorite on BetMGM, and the Over/Under is 61.5 points.
App State vs. Boise State On TV
The matchup between App State and Boise State will be televised on FS1.
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 27. The contest is taking place at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
Boise State’s Backfield
Gaines came into the season with all the momentum to be the next star running back at Boise State, following a lineage that includes Jeanty, Alexander Mattison, Doug Martin, Jay Ajayi, and Cedric Minter.
Gaines looked explosive in the season opener at Georgia Southern last year before he suffered a season-ending injury. He’s a powerful runner who is incredibly difficult to tackle, and he’s already opened some eyes this year.
So has Sherrod, a sixth-year senior who led Fresno State with 966 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground in 2023. He showed he hasn’t lost a step on his lone touchdown against Air Force, but even he hasn’t shown the kind of extra gear Riley has.
Riley has the kind of speed that makes him a threat to score every time he touches the ball. All he needs is a couple inches of space and there aren’t many defenders that are going to chase him down.
This year was supposed to be the Sire Gaines Show. Instead, it’s pick your poison when it comes to slowing down the Broncos’ backfield. Riley leads the show right now, averaging 9.8 yards a carry. Gaines is averaging 6.8, and Sherrod is picking up six yards per carry.
It’ll be interesting to see which running back has the hot hand this weekend.
App State vs. Boise State Prediction
I predict Boise State wins 27-21 but does not cover the spread.
Boise State’s running game has been must-see TV so far, but the passing game has been hit-or-miss and the defense hasn’t been anything to write home about. The Broncos continue to get gashed by deep passes, and they aren’t rushing the passer all that well.
On top of all of that, quarterback Maddux Madsen briefly exited the Air Force game with a leg injury. He’s expected to play this weekend, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said on Monday, but he may not be 100%. Madsen’s backup is walk-on Max Cutforth.
Appalachian State has an explosive offense, led by quarterback AJ Swann, who is averaging 293 passing yards a game. He has two wide receivers averaging at least 98 receiving yards a game and a running back putting up 133 rushing yards per contest, but that offense is going to have to deal with a lot of crowd noise at Albertons Stadium, where Boise State has won 13 straight games.
