Injuries overwhelm Boise State in 30-7 loss to Fresno State on The Blue

Nothing…and I mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G…went right for the Broncos Saturday afternoon at Albertsons Stadium.

On the very first drive of the game, QB Maddux Madsen found WR Cameron Bates running across midfield with ample space between him and the next defender. However, Bates was unable to haul in the throw, and Boise State punted rather than setting the tone with a big-time touchdown.

After the defense stymied QB Carson Conklin and Fresno State on their opening drive, the Bronco offense had a chance to find its mojo. But in a befuddling series of mistakes, Boise State committed three straight penalties that pushed them into an improbable first-and-30 dilemma.

One hold by left guard Jason Steele, and back-to-back false starts by wide receiver Latrell Caples.

Erik Chinander’s defense held firm once again, returning the ball to Madsen and company.

Then, on the third drive of the game, a sack on second down at the BSU 15-yard line changed the dynamics of not only this game, but the Broncos’ outlook for the rest of the season.

Madsen attempted to flee the pocket by scrambling to his right, but Fresno State’s Korey Foreman managed to rope him down with a legal ankle tackle that left Madsen down for the count, writhing in pain and frustration.

Minutes passed before he was helped off the turf, and trainers assisted him off the field as he put zero weight on his right leg.

It was readily apparent that backup quarterback Max Cutforth would be needed if Boise State was going to find a way to stay competitive.

And while he did step in, it took no time to see that the lights were too bright for the Nampa native. The unfortunate part is that it only took the second quarter to come to that conclusion.

Of course, when it rains, it pours.

Following Cutforth’s insertion into the game, a blocked field goal attempt by Colton Boomer created more uneasiness within a sold-out crowd. However, a 12-play, 50-yard drive midway through the second quarter was capped with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cutforth to Chase Penry that tied the ballgame at seven a piece.

But just as it felt like the Broncos were going to ride out the storm, the backup QB threw an interception with less than two minutes remaining in the half on their own side of the 50. Fresno State promptly used that steal three points at the end of the half to go up 10-7 on the road with the Milk Can on the line.

Out of halftime, things went from bad to worse as the first two Bronco possessions ended in quick turnovers, one being a first-play fumble and the other a telegraphed interception. With such limited time to take a breather, Boise State’s defense then began to deteriorate and bend to the will of the Bulldogs’ rushing attack.

By the end of the third quarter, Fresno State found itself up 24-7 and ready to enter the redzone.

The remaining fourth quarter was lifeless for Boise State as those in red and white chewed more and more clock.

I did chuckle a bit when Spencer Danielson elected to go for it on fourth down on the second-to-last possession of the game after punting on the previous three.

Not that it was necessarily the wrong decision, but it seemed a bit futile in the midst of a 20-point deficit.

There was a lot that went wrong Saturday, and it takes no rocket scientist to highlight the number one issue.

Not bringing in reinforcements via a transfer portal addition at quarterback was an ill-advised choice.

There is a valid argument to be made that NIL resources should be allocated to retain talent already on your roster, but to suggest that the Boise State Broncos couldn’t find a high-level starter within the FCS or JUCO ranks to back up or possibly compete with Madsen feels disingenuous.

Under no circumstances should a starting quarterback position in today’s landscape be directly given or anointed to a returning starter.

Talent is abundant each year, as evidenced by UNLV housing three quality quarterbacks, two of whom arrived from P4 programs—Alex Orji from Michigan and Anthony Colandrea from Virginia.

Here are some other instances of P4 quarterbacks transferring to the G5 level, and particularly those smaller programs that don’t have an enormous NIL profile:

Zach Pyron – Minnesota to South AlabamaWalker Howard – Ole Miss to LouisianaDequan Finn – Baylor to Miami of OhioAJ Swann – LSU to Appalachian StateMichael Merdinger – North Carolina to LibertyDermaricus Davis – UCLA to Hawai’iConner Harrell – North Carolina to CharlotteNate Yarnell – Pittsburgh to Texas StateJJ Kohl – Iowa State to Appalachian StateReese Poffenbarger – Miami (FL) to North TexasGrayson Loftis – Duke to CharlotteMabrey Mettauer – Wisconsin to Sam Houston StateMJ Morris – Maryland to Coastal CarolinaCarlos Del Rio-Wilson – Syracuse to MarshallDante Reno – South Carolina to Yale (FCS)Jacobe Robinson – Boston College to Southern MissHolden Geriner – Auburn to Texas StateGavin Wimsatt – Kentucky to Jacksonville StateEJ Colson – Purdue to Incarnate Word (FCS)Donovan Leary – Illinois to TulaneJustin Lamson – Stanford to Montana State (FCS)Walter Taylor III – Colorado to Ball StateBrandon Rose – Utah to UMassNoah Lugo – BYU to UTSAAnthony Garcia – Arizona to Utah StateRyder Burton – West Virginia to UABChris Parson – Mississippi State to Austin Peay (FCS)Jayden Denegal – Michigan to San Diego StateJake Jensen – USC to Montana (FCS)Cameran Brown – Texas Tech to Georgia StateTa’Quan Roberson – Kansas State to BuffaloJacolby Criswell – North Carolina to East Tennessee State (FCS)Tyler Aronson – SMU to Trinity (DIII)Keldric Luster – SMU to Texas StateMichael Johnson Jr. – Syracuse to AkronCameron Edge – Maryland to Eastern MichiganDrew Pyne – Missouri to Bowling GreenMike Wright Jr. – Northwestern to East CarolinaDestin Wade – Colorado to North Alabama (FCS)Cole LaCrue – Wisconsin to Eastern IllinoisCade McNamara – Iowa to East Tennessee State (FCS)

It was conceited to think that Max Cutforth (former walk-on) and redshirt freshman Kaleb Annett should serve as seamless transition players if Maddux Madsen went down.

Taking a flyer on someone down on their luck and looking to prove themselves feels like a win-win situation.

Either the transfer pushes Madsen to play at an even higher level, increasing the overall floor of the QB room with an experienced backup on hand, or there is true competition.

If you have a multi-year starter in today’s game, that doesn’t immediately mean you have the next Ashton Jeanty with the talent of a first-round pick and heart of a one-school lifer.

And for anyone who wished for Maddux Madsen to be benched before today’s injury…go ahead and put that notion to bed as the Broncos will be scratching and clawing to finish the 2025 season 8-4 or better.

Two things can be true at once.

Beyond the quarterback revelation, Boise State was as undisciplined as ever, racking up nine penalties for 94 yards. While not every penalty was a clear-cut call, the Broncos continue to put themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. For a program that prides itself on playing hard, but clean, this is not the standard.

The other question I, and many others, had was why Dylan Riley wasn’t used more frequently, especially after Cutforth took over?

He had the third-most carries with only six, behind Sire Gaines’ seven and Malik Sherrod’s ten.

In a game where any explosivity was going to have to come from the ground game, sidelining your best playmaker is a curious choice.

To put a pin in a game that anyone who roots for Boise State wants to erase from memory, this was a worst-case scenario that no one envisioned.

The long-term health of Madsen appears to be bleak, and a return this season is uncertain at this point.

Meaning, Cutforth, Kaleb Annett, and even Zeke Martinez should be fighting to start on November 15th against San Diego State.

A bye week couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Broncos need to sit and stew over this 23-point conference defeat —the first time Boise State has lost to a conference opponent by 20 or more points since 1996, when Idaho smoked the Broncos 64-19 as members of the Big West Conference.

And despite all the things that went awry, a rival walked into Albertsons Stadium as a 17-point underdog and took the Broncos’ lunch money.