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...
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Oregon State Just Got Called Out In A Way Fans Will Hate
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The postgame critique was just as blunt as the box score, with Texas State coach GJ Kinne labeling Oregon State a finesse team. Oregon States coaches did not push back on the broader point, instead treating it as a message they can use to sharpen the teams edge, especially when it comes to playing with more physicality and cleaning up the sort of mistakes that can turn a game into a runaway. [Read more 🡒]