Two plays later, Madsen found junior Dylan Riley for a 44-yard touchdown pass and a 35-20 lead. The decision to go for it on fourth down in that moment proved the difference on Saturday night, as Boise State (5-1, 2-0 Pac-12) went on to claim a 38-31 victory over Fresno State<\/a> (4-2, 1-1 Pac-12).<\/p>\n The fake fumble is a trick that former Bronco quarterbacks Brett Rypien and Kellen Moore both used at Boise State, Madsen said after the game. He added that his initial downfield read wasn\u2019t open, and though he\u2019d never thrown the ball to Jones, even in practice, he quickly pivoted to the open sophomore receiver for his first reception as a Bronco.<\/p>\n The gutsy play was one of four fourth-down conversions Boise State made on Saturday, also moving the sticks on fourth-and-three, -two, and -one throughout the game. Madsen played a part in all four conversions: finding senior tight end Matt Wagner for 17 yards and senior wideout Akeem Wright for seven yards on two of those plays, while keeping the ball himself for a short 2-yard gain on the other.<\/p>\n Those four fourth-down conversions led to 17 of the Broncos\u2019 38 points on the night.<\/p>\n \u201cCoach (Nate) Potter has done a great job in those situations of dialing up plays that work, and that\u2019s the largest part about it,\u201d Madsen said about the Broncos\u2019 offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n Boise State\u2019s courage to keep its offense on the field likely meant the difference between winning and losing this weekend, but it\u2019s not an anomaly. Through six games this season, the Broncos are 9-for-14 on fourth-down attempts and have attempted at least two in all but one game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in the position when we get to fourth down, and it\u2019s under three (yards)\u2026 I\u2019m just staying out on the field,\u201d Madsen said. \u201cThere\u2019s not a part of me that\u2019s running off, and if I\u2019m running off, I\u2019m not too happy.\u201d<\/p>\n The Broncos haven\u2019t been aggressive only on fourth downs, either.<\/p>\n After Riley\u2019s 72-yard touchdown on Boise State\u2019s first drive against Fresno State, the Broncos immediately ran a 2-point play that sophomore running back Zeke Martinez converted to take an 8-7 lead. It was the second time this season Boise State has gone for two points after its opening touchdown, having also succeeded against Western Michigan.<\/p>\n \u201cI always want to put my head on the pillow at night knowing that we\u2019re putting our players in the best opportunity to win,\u201d Danielson said. \u201cAnd part of that is us being on the attack and making sure they\u2019re trained for those moments. Then it\u2019s our players going out there and executing. They executed tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Idaho Statesman<\/p>\n Shaun Goodwin<\/a><\/p>\n Idaho Statesman<\/p>\n Shaun Goodwin is the Boise State Athletics reporter for the Idaho Statesman, covering Broncos football, basketball and more. If you like stories like this, please consider supporting our work with a digital subscription.
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