App State football made the cross-country trip to Boise, Idaho and squared off against Boise State Saturday, but were stomped by the Broncos 47-14. Three quarterbacks saw action for App State for the second game in a row, and 4 turnovers by the offense — including 2 pick-sixes — helped seal the Mountaineers’ second straight loss.
The Mountaineers were coming off a difficult week with the loss of former head coach and player Shawn Clark, who died earlier in the week. A day before the game, App State announced the team would wear “61” stickers on the back of their helmets in honor of Clark.
Boise State started the game with authority, receiving the opening kick and swiftly marching down the field. Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen connected with wide receiver Latrell Caples on a crossing route, and Caples galloped into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown reception.
Despite the bye week to prepare for Boise State, App State’s offensive struggles continued on the blue turf. The Mountaineers punted on their opening drive, and on their second possession, redshirt junior quarterback AJ Swann was intercepted by Broncos cornerback A’Marion McCoy, who ran the ball back 26 yards for the touchdown.
Boise State methodically picked the Mountaineers defense apart on a 10-play, 80-yard drive early in the second quarter. Broncos wide receiver Ben Ford caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Madsen to cap the drive, putting the Broncos up by 3 scores.
The Black and Gold capitalized on several penalties by the Broncos to slowly move down the field and get inside the red zone towards the end of the first half. Swann floated a pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Dalton Stroman in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown with just over a minute before halftime for App State’s first points of the game.
Boise State tacked on a field goal with just seconds left to end the half with a 24-7 lead.
Both teams punted on their first possessions in the third quarter. Freshman defensive back Juan Berchal ran Boise State’s punt back 45 yards, giving App State excellent field position in Broncos territory.
Following an incompletion, senior running back Rashod Dubinion ripped off a 39-yard run, and freshman running back Jaquari Lewis bulldozed into the end zone on the next play for a 3-yard touchdown.
Boise State kicked a 40-yard field goal that pushed the lead up to 13. App State gained a lone yard on their ensuing possession and punted it back to the Broncos, who promptly made their way down the field. Madsen fired a strike to Boise State wide receiver Quinton Brown, who made a diving grab for his first career touchdown, a 29-yard reception. The Broncos went for two but couldn’t convert, leaving the score 33-14 at the end of the third quarter.
The game spiraled out of control for the Mountaineers in the fourth quarter. App State went three-and-out, and Boise State scored shortly after on Caples’ second touchdown of the night, a 34-yard reception. The Broncos added the cherry on top with a second pick-six moments later, as linebacker Boen Phelps intercepted Swann and ran it back 33 yards for the touchdown to inflate their lead to 33 with 10 minutes left in the contest.
Head coach Dowell Loggains removed Swann from the game following the pick six and inserted his reserve quarterbacks into the game; freshman Noah Gillon and redshirt senior Billy Wiles both saw playing time. Gillon could not muster anything in his lone drive under center, while Wiles fumbled and threw an interception in two possessions.
“We didn’t play clean football,” Loggains said postgame. “We knew going in we were going to have to take care of the football, we were going to have to tackle well and play good on both sides of the red area, and we didn’t tackle well, and we didn’t take care of the football.”
Loggains added that the Broncos “didn’t do anything defensively or offensively we didn’t expect them to do,” and emphasized the need for players to make better decisions and properly execute the play calls.
Boise State won the Mountain West Conference and made the College Football Playoff last season, and improved to 19-3 at home since the start of the 2022 season with the blowout win. The 33 point loss is App State’s largest margin of defeat since losing by 34 to South Alabama Sep. 19, 2024.
The Mountaineers will look to right the ship Oct. 4 at home against the winless Oregon State Beavers. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. and the game will stream live on ESPN+.
