Air Force fullback Brad Roberts powers his way up the national rushing charts as the Falcons (5-1) will face MWC rival Boise State (3-3) on the road Saturday, writes Brent Briggeman.

The workload of fullback Brad Roberts has been overwhelming enough to draw the attention of one of Air Force’s most famous graduates.

After a Sept. 11 win at Navy in which Roberts ran 29 times, Falcons coach Troy Calhoun found a voicemail waiting from Gregg Popovich, 1970 Air Force graduate and longtime San Antonio Spurs coach.

“Oh my goodness, how many carries is that guy going to get?” Calhoun recalled the Popovich message saying.

It’s a question that remains open-ended.

Roberts — who leads the Mountain West and ranks sixth nationally with 680 rushing yards — has carried the ball 150 times this year through six games. Only UTSA’S Sincere Mccormick, with 154, has more rushing attempts.

In a victory Saturday over Wyoming, Roberts carried 33 times — the 10th most in school history. Almost all of his runs came directly into the middle of the defense, which is where he runs regularly. Over and over again.

“There’s definitely been some bumps and bruises, but all the trainers are helping me out a ton,” Roberts said after running for 140 yards in the 24-14 victory over the Cowboys. “The offensive line is helping me out, letting me get to the second level to take on the littler guys.”

It’s understandable why Air Force (5-1, 2-1 Mountain West) keeps riding Roberts’ hot hand. He’s rushed for 282 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games, has averaged 132 yards in three conference games and in his career, and has gone for at least 100 yards six times in 10 career games. He’s never dipped below 77 yards in a game.

“Reliable,” was the word Calhoun chose to describe Roberts. But he’s not indestructible. The Falcons have begun easing Roberts’ workload in practice and are hoping to create larger roles for fellow fullbacks Emmanuel Michel and Omar Fattah, who together have run for 359 yards on 58 carries.

“As long as we’re executing as we should, I think we should be OK,” Roberts said. “I don’t really care that much about how many carries I get.”

All Air Force game plans start with the rushing attack, but that might be even more the case this week as Boise State (3-3, 1-1) is allowing 177.9 yards per game on the ground, the second-worst mark in the conference.

A native of the Denver area, Roberts said the stats he’s put up don’t interest him. He does, however, recognize the maintaining the load he’s endured through the first half over the final six or seven games might be asking a lot. “It would be a grind,” he said, “but I’d just have to buckle down if that’s the way we’re going.”