Beleaguered Boise State secondary to face one of nation’s top passing offenses in Appalachian State

Mountaineers rank third nationally in passing yards per game

South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown runs over Boise State defensive back A'Marion McCoy. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Three games into the 2025 season, pass defense remains an area of concern for Boise State. 

The Broncos (2-1, 1-0 Mountain West) rank 85th nationally at 225.7 passing yards allowed per game entering Saturday’s non-conference matchup with Appalachian State (2-1, 1-0 Sun Belt). The Mountaineers average 357.7 yards per game through the air, good for third in the country. 

“If I’m App State and I’m watching the Boise State Broncos, I’m thinking ‘We’re going to go feast,’” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said on Monday. “As they should. Now it’s our challenge as a defense … to make sure we’re ready.”

Pass defense was a major issue a season ago for the Broncos, who surrendered 241.4 yards per game (106th nationally) en route to a College Football Playoff berth. Boise State still ranks near the bottom of FBS this year despite facing FCS Eastern Washington and triple option-based Air Force. 

Last week against the Falcons, Liam Szarka entered the game in relief of starting quarterback Josh Johnson and went 13 of 18 passing for 246 yards with two touchdowns. It was the most passing yards for an Air Force quarterback since Haaziq Daniels threw for 252 in a 2021 victory over Louisville.

Sep 20, 2025; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons quarterback Liam Szarka (9) is tackled by Boise State Broncos defensive lineman Max Stege (95) as linebacker Boen Phelps (41) defends in the fourth quarter at Falcon Stadium. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Danielson mostly defended the Broncos’ secondary play against run-first Air Force. 

“Stats are for losers,” Danielson said. “I always want to make sure that we look at the things that matter for our team to grow. There were things in the game that we have to fix fundamentally and technically. The reality of it is though, different than when someone is just watching the game, you’ve got to play certain coverages to defend what we’re seeing for a triple option. You’re not able to maybe have some adjustments or switch-ups that are needed.

“Now, there are multiple pass plays on Saturday night that we did not execute correctly. So I’m not by any means taking away from the fact that being 86th in pass (defense) is good. It’s not, and we have to fix it. But it’s not what I would assume maybe some of our fan base sees that ‘Well, they should just do this.’ As a defense, you have to defend Air Force very different than defending another offense, so you’re only able to play certain coverages.”

Sep 20, 2025; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons running back Dylan Carson (5) runs the ball against Boise State Broncos defensive back Jeremiah Earby (6) in the second quarter at Falcon Stadium. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Danielson is confident that Boise State’s pass defense will improve throughout the season. 

“I believe in our coaches, I believe in our players,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure that we consistently do our job in the back end, and the front end, to make sure we eliminate some of the explosive plays we’ve had.

“Although we gave up a lot of yards, way too many points, all those things … they played really, really hard. And when I watched live and then watched it on the airplane coming back, I’m proud of the effort and mentality our defense played with. … Now we just have to make sure we’re consistent to do our job every single snap.”