A complete unknown? Hardly. Boise State’s Dylan (Riley) is big star in win
Boise State’s offense was an unstoppable rolling stone in its Mountain West opener, and Dylan Riley showed the times might be a-changin’ in the backfield.
Riley, who started the season behind Malik Sherrod and Sire Gaines on the depth chart, led a big-play attack that carved up Air Force’s sieve-like defense for 592 total yards in a 49-37 victory on Saturday evening.
Riley, a sophomore whose claim to fame in the first two games was a 77-yard touchdown run late in a 51-14 win over FCS program Eastern Washington, rushed for 171 yards, caught a pair of passes for 84 yards and had five total TDs to lead the onslaught for the Broncos (2-1, 1-0).
“The coaches were gonna see me working throughout practice and see what I do,” Riley said after the breakout performance. “And at that point, they just gave me my chance, and once you give me my chance, I’m gonna take it and run with it.”
One game after Boise State ran for more than 300 yards against Eastern Washington, the three running backs scooted through massive holes created by the offensive line to the tune of 282 yards on 31 carries — 9.1 yards per rush — and even added 120 yards receiving.
And it almost wasn’t enough.
Boise State’s defense was victimized by Air Force’s triple-option rushing attack and its passing game, allowing 269 yards on the ground, 242 through the air and a slew of big plays, which in one stretch allowed the Falcons (1-2, 0-2) to score on five of six drives. A Ty Benefield interception late in the fourth quarter ended things.
Riley’s heroics helped tilt a wild game that saw starting BSU quarterback Maddux Madsen get his left leg injured on the second play of the night. He missed the next series — and backup Max Cutforth promptly engineered a game-tying, 75-yard TD drive after Air Force had taken a 7-0 lead.
Madsen returned with a big brace around his knee and lower leg. He completed 13-of-23 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, and had a 24-yard strike to tight end Matt Wagner on a 3rd-and-21 play to keep a TD drive alive.
His stats were also helped by Riley, of course, who turned a third-quarter swing pass into a blink-and-you-missed-it 75-yard TD, aided by a vicious pancake block from left tackle Kage Casey. That score gave the Broncos a 35-24 lead, and Riley’s final two touchdowns kept the Falcons at bay.
Sherrod rushed for 80 yards on just seven carries, and added 36 yards receiving on two catches. His nifty 40-yard TD run in the third quarter featured three changes of direction and gave Boise State momentum again after Air Force had tied the score at 21-21.
Gaines had just one carry before the fourth quarter, but when Riley left briefly after coming up limping, Gaines ripped off runs of 13 and 11 yards to help sustain a 75-yard drive that was capped by Riley’s 8-yard TD run.
“(Dylan) had his night tonight, and I’m proud of him,” head coach Spencer Danielson said. “And I’m proud of our offensive line establishing a run game.”
Discussing Riley further, Danielson made it clear that the coaches are always paying attention.
“Dylan Riley did a great job against Eastern Washington. When he went in, regardless what time the game was, he was explosive,” Danielson said. “And he earned the right to get reps.”
Latrell Caples had five catches for 87 yards to lead the receiving corps for the Broncos, and Wagner and fellow tight end Matt Lauter combined for 51 yards on four catches, with Lauter hauling in a 3-yard TD pass in the second quarter.
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 4:35 PM.
