Falcons confident facing Boise State

BOISE, IDA HO» In the aftermath of arguably its biggest victory in at least five years, Air Force quarterback Donald Hammond III was immediately ready for the next challenge.

Beating Power Five team Colorado on the road last week was a major accomplishment for the Falcons. Beating No. 20 Boise State on Friday night in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams would make a bigger statement.

“This is huge. Right now we know we can beat anybody. Even when it’s not a good day,” Hammond said following the upset victory in Colorado. “We had three turnovers and still came out with a win. This is a huge confidence booster.”

Even though it’s a short week and Air Force has a second straight road game against a quality opponent, the Falcons (2-0) will also arrive in Boise with the knowledge that they’ve created all sorts of headaches for the Broncos in the past.

Air Force won three straight in the series between 2014 and 2016, although the Broncos have rebounded to win the past two matchups. The 2016 game started with the Broncos ranked in the top 20 and ended with the Falcons celebrating a win that made them one of three programs — along with Idaho and Nevada — to beat Boise State in three straight seasons.

Yes, the Falcons have been very good at making it difficult for the Broncos (3-0).

“It’s not just triple option,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “They are very creative in their formations, they’re creative in how they attack each team. They try to find a weakness like every offense does and try to attack it and see what they can do. They make adjustments along the way in the game. They know what they do and how to answer the questions the defense provides and then their quarterback is playing really well.”

After a challenging first two weeks of the season, which included wins at Florida State and a 14-7 slog against Marshall, the Broncos had a relatively easy time with Portland State last week.