Boise State’s 3 keys to victory against Appalachian State

Broncos, Mountaineers to face off on Saturday at Albertsons Stadium

Appalachian State Mountaineers quarterback AJ Swann. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Boise State resumes non-conference play on Saturday with a 5:30 p.m. Mountain time home matchup against Appalachian State. 

The Broncos (2-1, 1-0 Mountain West) have won two straight games after dropping their opener at South Florida while the Mountaineers (2-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) are coming off a bye. 

Here are three keys to Boise State extending its winning streak to three games. 

1. Hold up in coverage

Aug 29, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Appalachian State Mountaineers quarterback AJ Swann. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

It’s a classic strength vs. weakness showdown between the Appalachian State offense and Boise State defense.

The Mountaineers rank third nationally in passing yards per game at 357.7. The Broncos have the country’s No. 85 passing defense at 225.7 yards allowed per game. 

Appalachian State quarterback AJ Swann has completed 63 of 103 passes for 879 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. Swann, who was previously at Vanderbilt and LSU, is a pocket passer with an NFL arm, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. 

“Off his back foot, far harsh, he can throw a deep comeback to the other side of the field,” Danielson said. “That’s impressive. There’s not many college quarterbacks that can do that.

“We have to play really hard on defense. We’ve got to play really smart, we’ve got to play disciplined. They are going to make their plays. … We just have to play really hard, we’ve got to play disciplined and we’ve got to be relentless.”

Junior receiver Jaden Barnes, an Austin Peay transfer, has 24 catches for 337 yards and three touchdowns this season. 

“(Barnes) is one of the best players we’ll see all year,” Danielson said. “He’s a 10.4 (100 meters) kid, so he’s going to be a matchup issue.”

2. Establish the run

Sep 20, 2025; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Dylan Riley. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Boise State once again has one of the nation’s best rushing attacks at 244 yards per game, good for 17th in the country. 

Appalachian State’s rush defense ranks eighth nationally at 61.7 yards allowed per game. 

To defeat the Mountaineers, the Broncos will need to generate running room for talented backs Dylan Riley, Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod. 

“They have a really good front seven,” Danielson said of Appalachian State. “I think they’re really sound, too, and they play really well together. …You’re not seeing anything on film where there’s a run play and they’re short a hat, or guys aren’t in their gap, or they’re not leveraging a gap scheme the right way. They don’t put that on film. It’s a disciplined defense, and they play really hard.”

3. Focus on the task at hand

Dec 21, 2018; Boise, ID, United States; A general view of Albertsons Stadium. | Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Boise State is a sizable 15.5-point favorite over Appalachian State. 

Despite the betting line, the Mountaineers are more than capable of scoring an upset at Albertsons Stadium.

The Broncos cannot afford to look past Appalachian State to next week’s massive showdown with No. 22 Notre Dame.

“I think the term trap games comes up … when you’ve had a ton of success back-to-back,” Danielson said. “We lost Game 1, we’re 2-1. App State is 2-1. There’s a lot of question marks for both of our teams. They’re a really good football team, and honestly they’re leading us in a bunch of categories. 

“I believe (the players) understand that App State has every opportunity to beat us. It’s our job to work our tail off and protect The Blue.”

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