How can Boise State get road win? Its leading rusher needs the ball more

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Heading into the season, one of the big questions surrounding Boise State would be how the team could even begin to replace the gaping, record-breaking hole in the rushing attack left by NFL-bound Ashton Jeanty’s departure.

The phenom racked up 2,601 yards last season and nearly won the Heisman Trophy, and there didn’t need to be much in the way of backup support. But that also meant there was plenty of room for a couple of running backs to compete for leading-rusher status in 2025.

Would it be Sire Gaines, who was impressing coaches and fans alike at Boise State before he even turned 18? Or Malik Sherrod, a sixth-year transfer from Fresno State with tons of Mountain West experience? Or perhaps even Jambres “Breezy” Dubar, who struggled with injuries but entered the 2024 season as Jeanty’s backup?

Ultimately, it has been none of the above. Instead, the player who entered the season as No. 4 on the depth chart is now the Bronco who leads the team in rushing and big plays: sophomore Dylan Riley.

Riley has 745 yards rushing and seven touchdowns through nine games this season, all on just 104 carries — good enough for a monster 7.2 yards per carry.

He’s had four 100-yard games, including a 171-yard, four-touchdown performance on just 19 carries against Air Force in September.

So in the aftermath of Boise State’s 30-7 loss at home to Fresno State earlier this month, there were a few glaring team statistics, but on an individual level, one stood out: Riley had just six carries all night, for 16 yards.

In a game that saw the Broncos lose starting quarterback Maddux Madsen to injury, reliance on the ground game would make sense, but it struggled, and Riley barely got the ball. Sherrod had a team-high 10 carries for 67 yards against his old team, while Gaines had seven carries for 39 yards.

“Dylan Riley touching the ball six times can’t happen, and that’s on me as the head coach,” Boise State’s Spencer Danielson said Monday. “We’ve gotta have a plan to make sure he touches the ball more than that. And that won’t happen again.”

The first chance for things to change comes on the road this weekend, when the Broncos (6-3, 4-1 Mountain West) will try to succeed without Madsen in a first-place showdown with San Diego State (7-2, 4-1).

Redshirt sophomore backup quarterback Max Cutforth will start, and with a weather forecast that’s calling for rain, it could be a good chance to lean on the ground game, which ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West at 185 yards per game but has struggled the past two contests.

Riley said Thursday that the coaching staff told the whole running back room to “be ready” for Saturday’s matchup. And though Riley said he’s not going to say he “doesn’t have a problem” with getting only six carries, he’s content to follow the coaching staff’s decisions.

“I’m not mad about it, because at the end of the day, we’ve still got more games to play,” Riley said. “And whatever (the coaches) feel like carry-wise that I deserve, that’s what it is.”

Riley said the coaching staff doesn’t typically tell the running back room ahead of games who might be the primary ball carrier; instead, they often go with whoever has the hot hand.

Against a San Diego State defense that ranks 10th in the nation vs. the run, allowing just 93.1 yards per game, the Broncos may be best served ensuring their top back is given plenty of opportunities. Riley’s five plays of 40-plus yards this season rank as the most on the team, and his ability to combine speed with strength could help Boise State ruin San Diego State’s night.

“If they need me to run the ball this game, or any other game, I want to do that,” Riley said. “I could take the load.”