Boise State’s quarterback decision should be simple enough on paper: if Maddux Madsen is truly healthy, he starts. But if the left knee still limits him the way it did after that low hit against Texas State, the Broncos have already seen enough from Max Cutforth to know they have another option.
That’s the tension heading into Saturday’s 4 p.m. Mountain time game against Oregon State.
Spencer Danielson shut down any talk of a quarterback battle on Monday, saying Madsen would be the starter if he is healthy enough to go. Still, the question hanging over Boise State is whether an 80 percent Madsen is the right call when Cutforth has been electric in relief.
Cutforth, a Nampa, Idaho native, first stepped in after Boise State blew a 28-3 halftime lead against Texas State and suddenly trailed 39-28 after allowing 36 straight points. Madsen, who was sharp in the first half, unraveled after the break and finished 6 of 12 for 34 yards with a pick-six, his first turnover of the season.
Cutforth then steadied everything. He led three straight touchdown drives and finished that wild 46-45 win 8 of 13 for 131 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers.
He was even more explosive against Colorado State. Cutforth completed 16 of 19 passes for 317 yards with five total touchdowns and no turnovers, and his performance ranked first nationally in Week 10 in expected points added per dropback.
Colorado State’s defense is one of the weakest in FBS, but Cutforth still passed the eye test. At 6-foot-2, he brings a bigger arm than the 5-foot-10 Madsen and is more willing to attack downfield.
Through five quarters this season, Cutforth has eight total touchdowns and is averaging 14 yards per attempt. Among qualified passers, West Virginia’s Michael Hawkins Jr. leads the nation at 10.86 yards per attempt, while Oregon State’s Braden Atkinson, the top passer in FBS, is at 8.61. Madsen, meanwhile, is at a career-low 7.57 yards per attempt this season, despite taking care of the football.
That said, Madsen’s value has never been only about arm strength. His mobility has long been one of his best traits. In his career, he has 188 carries for 565 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he has a knack for slipping away from sacks.
The problem is that it’s tough to picture him moving the same way on Saturday, just 14 days after that ugly low hit against Texas State. A quarterback with limited mobility is not the same player.
Danielson is not wrong to stand by Madsen. The fifth-year senior has taken plenty of criticism over the years, but he has also mostly played well this season. He owns a 27-7 record as a starter and has thrown for 1,681 yards with 18 total touchdowns and one turnover.
Even so, the safer football move may be to let Madsen heal and give Cutforth another week, especially with Boise State’s bigger goals still ahead. The Broncos are 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the Pac-12, and the priority should be keeping their quarterback situation intact for the College Football Playoff run.
Danielson, though, made his stance clear. As he said last year, “there’s not a quarterback in the country that I would like to be the quarterback of our team (more) than Maddux Madsen.” And on Monday, he doubled down: “If he’s healthy, he’s going to be our starting quarterback.”
In Other News...
Boise State Fans Already Have A GameDay Debate On Their Hands
ESPNs College GameDay is headed back to Boise for the Broncos matchup with Oregon State, and the announcement has already given fans something else to argue about besides the game itself. The show will air on USA Network with a 4 p.m. start time, setting up another high-profile Saturday in a city that has become a familiar stop for one of college footballs biggest traveling showcases.
The bigger conversation now is who will take the guest picker spot when the crew arrives. The list of possibilities includes former players, local celebrities and other notable figures tied to Boise State and the region, which gives the selection plenty of directions to go. For a fan base that knows how to turn a big weekend into a scene, the debate over the face of the broadcast may end up drawing nearly as much attention as the game. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State's Defensive Struggles Put Danielson's Faith Under Pressure
Boise States recent defensive slide has become impossible to ignore, even with the Broncos still stacking wins in conference play. Head coach Spencer Danielson and defensive coordinator Erik Chinander both pointed to execution rather than play calling when asked about the issues, a sign that the staff believes the answer is less about scheme and more about getting the current one carried out cleaner on the field.
The concern is obvious in the numbers the defense has been allowing, with too many points and too many explosive plays showing up in games the Broncos have otherwise managed to win. Danielson and Chinander both took responsibility for the performance, and while the results have not derailed Boise States four-game Pac-12 winning streak, the pressure is now on the defense to show that the fixes are real before the margin for error gets any thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Has A CFP Case The Committee Cant Ignore
The first College Football Playoff rankings have already stirred plenty of debate, and the ripple effects from a busy Week 10 are likely to reshape the picture again when the committee updates its list. Alabama, Tennessee, Notre Dame and UCLA all turned in results that should matter in the next round of rankings, which only adds to the pressure on the committee as it sorts through a crowded field and tries to explain where teams stand.
For Boise State, the bigger issue is whether the committee can keep overlooking a rsum that keeps pushing its way into the conversation. The Broncos are now part of the larger CFP argument, and with the second rankings looming, the next reveal will say plenty about how seriously the committee is treating teams outside the usual power mix. The questions ahead are less about whether the debate exists and more about how long Boise State can stay impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]