3 takeaways from Boise State’s rout of Appalachian State

Boise State extended its winning streak to three games on Saturday with a 47-14 non-conference victory over Appalachian State at Albertsons Stadium. 

Here are three takeaways from the Broncos’ (3-1) dominant performance against the Mountaineers (2-2). 

1. Pass defense comes through

The Broncos’ much-maligned secondary answered the call against an Appalachian State attack that arrived in Boise with the nation’s third-best passing offense at 357.7 yards per game.

Cornerbacks A’Marion McCoy, Jeremiah Earby and Demetrius Freeney and nickelback Jaden Mickey all had tremendous days in coverage. 

Late in the first quarter, McCoy jumped a third-down curl route for an easy 26-yard pick-six off Appalachian State quarterback AJ Swann. McCoy also returned an interception for a touchdown last year against San Diego State. 

Boen Phelps added a 33-yard pick-six of Swann in the final period that put Boise State up 47-14. Sherrod Smith also had a fourth-quarter interception. 

The Broncos, who entered with the country’s No. 85 pass defense at 225.7 yards allowed per game, limited Swann to 11 of 24 passing for 64 yards with one touchdown and two picks. Swann was under near-constant pressure from a ferocious pass rush, but Boise State’s secondary played its best game in two seasons against the Mountaineers. 

Appalachian State finished with 65 passing yards as a team. 

On a somber note, Mickey sustained a head injury late in the third quarter and was taken off the field on a stretcher. Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson said Mickey was brought to the hospital and was able to move his limbs. 

2. Career performance for Maddux Madsen

Maddux Madsen’s mobility was clearly limited against Appalachian State after the quarterback sustained an unspecified lower-body injury in last week’s victory over Air Force. 

The injury had no impact on Madsen’s ability to deliver the ball to his receivers. 

Madsen finished 25 of 37 passing for a career-high 321 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Madsen connected with Latrell Caples for two scores and also hit Chris Marshall and true freshman Quinton Brown for TDs. 

Brown made a spectacular 29-yard diving catch in the third quarter for his first career touchdown. 

Madsen had just one scramble for a one-yard gain and took a 15-yard loss on a sack, but the junior was deadly with his arm against the Mountaineers. 

3. First-quarter prowess

The Broncos continued their first-quarter dominance on Saturday, building a 14-0 lead after the first 15 minutes of play. 

Through four games, Boise State has outscored the opposition 55-7 in the first quarter. The Broncos even led 7-0 heading to the second quarter in their opener at South Florida before surrendering 34 straight points to end the game.

Getting off to strong starts is critical for a Boise State team that prefers to lean on its ground game. The Broncos ran for 152 yards against the Mountaineers.

Boise State will need another fast start next week to score a road upset over No. 22 Notre Dame.