Explosive.

That’s the one word Boise State running back Brock Forsey would use to describe his team’s offense, which led the nation with 46.6 points and 516 yards of total offense per game.

Forsey should know. As the Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the year, he rushed for 1,533 yards and 23 touchdowns in leading the Broncos to an 11-1 overall record and an 8-0 conference mark.

“It’s a pretty balanced offense, too,” Forsey said.

“It’s nice to be able to rely on more than one aspect of your offense.”

The senior said his running has helped open up the passing game for Bronco quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie this season.

And Dinwiddie has taken advantage of it, passing for 2,123 yards and 19 touchdowns despite missing four games with a broken ankle.

Iowa State (7-6) will look to extinguish those threats when they meet No. 18 Boise State in the Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 31.

“It’s definitely going to be a big challenge for our defense, so we’re going to go out and prepare and get a good game plan for these guys,” said defensive lineman Jordan Carstens.

Forsey said Monday that Iowa State was still somewhat of a mystery to him and the rest of the team, because Iowa State accepted the Humanitarian Bowl bid just one day earlier.

Boise State head coach Dan Hawkins was unavailable for comment because he was on a recruiting trip, according to Boise State officials.

“They’re still pretty unfamiliar to us. We haven’t had the chance to watch too much film on them yet,” Forsey said. “We know that defensively they’ve got some pretty good size and guys that can run to the ball really well.”

Besides Forsey, safety Quintin Mikell will try to cause fits for the Cyclones and quarterback Seneca Wallace on the other side of the ball.

Mikell, who was named the defensive player of the year in the WAC, has forced eight fumbles, broken up 11 passes and had 3.5 sacks this season. He is also the second-leading tackler on the team with 92 stops.

Wallace has thrown for 3,138 yards and 14 touchdowns this fall, but has fallen on hard times lately, with eight interceptions and five fumbles in the last three games of the season.

For the Cyclones, who started the season 6-1, but finished it with just one win in the last six games, Wallace said the plan is simple.

They just want to save face after a disappointing end to the season and leave the returning players with a great feeling about next season.

“We just want to go out there and prove to the country that we weren’t a joke, that we played well and some things just didn’t go our way in the second half of the season,” Wallace said.

Forsey, Mikell and the rest of the Broncos stand in Iowa State’s way, looking to cap off a dream season on their home field.

Forsey said the Broncos will have the advantage of their home turf, thanks to strong fan support.

And if the Cyclones were to win, they would be just the second team to beat Boise State at home in its last 27 games at Bronco Stadium.

ISU head coach Dan McCarney hadn’t seen any film on Boise State at press time, but said he has talked with several people about Boise State and has heard nothing but good things about their program.

McCarney said he’s excited for his team to play in its third straight bowl game — a first in the 110-year history of the program.

“We just have great respect for Boise State,” McCarney said.

“Everybody we’ve talked to and the things we’ve heard — they’ve got a great football team. It should be a great matchup.”