Showing ‘growth,’ Boise State defense smothers App State passing attack
Arms stretched wide and his eyes popping even wider, the ball grasped tightly in his left hand, Boise State fifth-year cornerback A’Marion McCoy soaked in the cheers.
It’s been a rough couple of years and an uneven few weeks for the Broncos’ secondary, which often finds itself on the receiving end of criticism for surrendering big plays and big passing yards.
So when McCoy jumped a route and intercepted a pass from Appalachian State quarterback AJ Swann on Saturday night, seeing nothing but 26 yards of open blue turf and the orange end zone ahead of him, the ensuing pick-six felt like a pressurized balloon was burst.
“So proud of him, man,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “Great play call from Coach Chinander, and I’m just proud of A’Marion getting that one right.”
Boise State entered Saturday evening’s game against App State under the prospect of facing a strong passing offense. Danielson described App State QB AJ Swann as having an “NFL arm” earlier this week, while the Mountaineers’ passing offense ranked third in the nation.
So it’s not unfair to say there was a sense of pleasant shock around Albertsons Stadium on Saturday night. The Broncos walloped App State, holding Swann to just 64 passing yards in a 47-14 victory. He passed for one yard — one — in the second half.
The App State offense was kept to just 174 total yards, while Boise State racked up 473.
The Broncos’ D had a pair of pick-sixes, another interception and a fumble recovery. The unit also had five sacks.
It was the first time since a 56-14 victory over Virginia in 2015 that Boise State had a pair of interception returns for touchdowns.
“It doesn’t mean we’re perfect yet, but that shows growth,” Danielson said. “I’m proud of our coaches, proud of our players making plays.”
McCoy got the ball rolling on defense with his interception on App State’s second drive of the game, already celebrating as he ran into the end zone to put the Broncos 14-0 up. However, he wasn’t the only one to cash in on Saturday evening.
Redshirt sophomore Boen Phelps picked off Swann early in the fourth quarter and returned the ball for a 33-yard score, going untouched just as McCoy did. Sherrod Smith had a fourth-quarter interception, and freshman linebacker Mana Tuiota jumped on top of a fumble for a defensive recovery.
App State’s Swann completed just 11 of his 24 pass attempts, and no completion went farther than 12 yards. When Swann did look downfield, senior corner Jeremiah Earby, who’s caught a fair share of heat for the secondary’s struggles, had the Mountaineers’ receivers locked up on several passes on the boundary.
Danielson was eager to note that Saturday night’s success was about the whole defense. In addition to the five sacks, the defensive front had five QB pressures, forcing him into errant throws.
“This week, we knew that they were a passing team,” said senior defensive lineman Braxton Fely, who ended the night with two sacks. “So I think that’s something that we all emphasized as a group.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2025 at 12:01 AM.
