Boise State heads into Saturday night’s trip to Fresno with a clear mission: end the skid against the Bulldogs and erase the sting of last year’s lopsided loss.
The No. 23 Broncos have dropped three straight to Fresno State, including a 30-7 defeat a season ago in a game that turned after quarterback Maddux Madsen went down with right ankle and toe injuries in the first quarter. Boise State never recovered from that hit, finishing with 193 total yards, 11 first downs and three turnovers while the Bulldogs controlled the night.
This time, Madsen arrives in far better form. He has helped Boise State rebound from a season-opening 34-27 loss to then-No.
2 Oregon with four consecutive wins, and he has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country along the way. Through five games, he has thrown 11 touchdown passes without an interception, putting him among just four quarterbacks nationally with double-digit touchdowns and no picks.
The others are Miami's Darian Mensah (15 TDs), Indiana's Josh Hoover (15) and Missouri's Austin Simmons (13).
"That young man deserves a ton of credit," Broncos coach Spencer Danielson said of Madsen. "He's playing at a high level. He's through five games and has not thrown an interception."
Madsen’s latest outing may have been his sharpest yet. He completed 17 of 21 passes for a season-best 244 yards and two touchdowns in Boise State’s 37-18 win over Utah State last weekend, and he has tossed seven scoring passes over the past three games.
"The game has slowed down immensely," Madsen said. "That's been throughout this whole season.
I feel that difference. We're taking exactly what the defense is giving us."
Boise State, though, is not exactly rolling into Fresno at full strength. Three of its top offensive weapons could be unavailable.
Dylan Riley, who leads the nation with 685 rushing yards, left the Utah State game in the fourth quarter with a lower-leg injury after running for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Sire Gaines, the No. 2 running back, has already missed two straight games because of a wrist injury.
Freshman receiver Rasean Jones, who leads the Broncos with 23 catches for 359 yards, also exited in the fourth quarter after a hit to the head.
"If guys can't play, it's next man up," Danielson said. "The standard cannot change, so we're going to have guys that got to step up."
Fresno State enters at 4-1, 1-0 in Pac-12 play, and has found its footing since a 39-0 loss at then-No. 14 Southern California in the opener. The Bulldogs have won four in a row and last week handled Washington State 26-6 on the road, holding the Cougars to 182 total yards, 30 rushing yards and nine first downs.
Their offense has also taken care of business. Quarterback Jayden Mandal went 24 of 33 for 245 yards against Washington State and has totaled 1,034 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception on the season.
Fresno State’s ground game may need a new face if Rayshon Luke can’t go. The Bulldogs’ leading rusher, with 286 yards, suffered a concussion in the first quarter against Washington State and his status is uncertain. He had 46 yards on six carries before leaving, and he also ran for 88 yards on 16 carries in last year’s win in Boise.
"We'll just keep knocking on wood," Bulldogs coach Matt Entz told reporters. "That's for someone who has another degree than what I have."
Even with the winning streak and the recent defensive surge, Entz was quick to put Boise State in its proper place.
"Boise's the gold standard for Group of Six football across the country and a brand that's known from coast to coast," Entz said. "...
We have our work cut out for us. We have to execute at a high level."
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Boise State Faces A Rivalry Test That Could Shake Its CFP Path
Boise States playoff position is tied closely to what happens next in the Mountain West race, and the most immediate pressure point is a familiar one. Fresno State has long been one of the Broncos toughest measuring sticks, and this meeting lands at a time when every resume point matters for a Group of Six contender trying to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation. With records, strength of schedule numbers and betting market movement all being tracked around the country, the Broncos do not have much room for a slip.
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