No. 23 Boise State went into Fresno and walked out with a 38-31 win Saturday night, piling up more than 500 yards in a game that turned into a back-and-forth test before the Broncos finally slammed the door.
The victory snapped Boise State’s three-game skid against Fresno State and pushed the Broncos to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Pac-12 play. It also kept two long-running trends alive: Boise State has now won its road conference opener in 12 straight seasons, and it has opened league play 2-0 for the fifth year in a row.
Fresno State struck first, cashing in on its opening drive for a 7-0 lead. Boise State answered immediately when Dylan Riley took the Broncos’ second offensive snap 73 yards for a touchdown, and Zeke Martinez punched in the two-point conversion to put Boise State ahead 8-7.
The scoring kept coming from there. Terrious Favors grabbed the second catch of his career and turned it into a 22-yard touchdown after breaking a tackle, while Fresno State responded with a 59-yard touchdown reception late in the first quarter. The Bulldogs missed the two-point try, and Boise State carried a 15-13 lead after one.
In the second quarter, the Broncos strung together an 18-play, 75-yard march that ended with Sire Gaines powering in from 2 yards out. Fresno State answered with a touchdown of its own with 56 seconds left before halftime, but Boise State still had time to move the ball into range for a 49-year field goal and a 25-20 lead at the break.
Boise State stretched it further right after halftime, with Moore adding another field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter to make it 28-20. Then came the fourth-quarter burst: on the first play of the period, Maddux Madsen hit Riley for a 44-yard touchdown to push the lead to 35-20.
Fresno State was not done. The Bulldogs scored with 9:14 left and converted the two-point attempt to trim the margin to 35-28. Boise State answered with a long, clock-chewing possession, running the ball on 14 straight plays and draining 7:40 off the clock before Moore drilled his third field goal of the night with 1:34 remaining.
Fresno State made one last push, getting a field goal with 36 seconds left, but its onside kick attempt failed and Boise State finished off the road win.
Madsen completed 238 passes yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Riley was everywhere, rushing for 150 yards and a score while also catching four passes for 64 yards and a receiving touchdown. Gaines added 120 yards on 20 carries and scored once on the ground.
Defensively, Max Stege posted a sack and two total tackles for loss, while Derek Ganter Jr. matched his career high with seven tackles.
The win gave Boise State its fifth straight victory, and the Broncos have now put together five-game winning streaks in two of Spencer Danielson’s three full seasons. It also marked the second time this season Boise State has had two 100-yard rushers in the same game, with Riley and Gaines both clearing that mark. That is the first time Boise State has done that in multiple games in the same season since 2022.
Riley also continued a remarkable stretch on the ground. His 150 rushing yards marked the fifth 150-yard rushing game of his career, and three of those have come this season. He now has nine career 100-yard rushing games, four of them this year, and he reached 100 rushing yards in the first half for the fourth time this season.
Madsen, meanwhile, became the only Boise State quarterback to start six straight games in a season without throwing an interception.
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