Is it too early to throw Boise State back in the BCS buster conversation? Or is it too late? Boise State scored a 42-20 victory over Air Force in Mountain West Conference play on the familiar blue turf Friday night, showing glimpses of what the true identity of the Broncos may be this season.

After getting blown out at Washington and returning home to blow away an FCS squad, Boise State turned in a solid full-team effort Friday. Quarterback Joe Southwick completed 27 of 29 pass attempts for 287 yards and a touchdown and added a rushing touchdown as well. The completion percentage is a new Boise State school record. The previous record was held by Jared Zabransky, who completed 21-of-23 pass attempts against Utah State in 2006. Running back Jay Ajayi rushed for 125 yards and four touchdowns to help the Broncos pull away in the second half.

The difference in this game was visibly clear. Boise State brought a much more balanced offense that had more options to work with against Air Force and their traditional triple option run first, second, third and fourth down philosophy. Air Force quarterback Jaleel Awini attempted just nine passes on the night and completed four for 99 yards. One pass was completed for 53 yards and a second pass was completed for 34 yards, so Air Force’s selective passing game was as hit-or-miss as you could get.

Boise State has a huge game coming up next week, and it will not be an easy one. The Broncos head to Fresno State to take on Derek Carr and the high-flying Bulldogs. Fresno State will also have the advantage of getting a week off due to a postponement on the schedule. Fresno State was supposed to play at Colorado on Saturday but due to the flooding problems in Boulder, Colorado the game has been postponed to a date to be determined. As a result, Fresno State will stay home and rest up a roster that is already in good health. Fresno State has picked up two wins at home already this season, topping Rutgers in a wild overtime opener in week one and against Cal Poly in week two. The game between Fresno State and boise State could be a potential preview of the first Mountain West Conference championship game, although we should not look past Utah State and San Jose State either.

Air Force will play their next game at home next week when they host Wyoming in prime time. The Falcons will look to even their record to 2-2.

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