No. 24 Boise State is heading into Saturday’s matchup with Oregon State with some important reinforcements.
Quarterback Maddux Madsen, running back Sire Gaines and safety Travis Anderson are all available for the Pac-12 game, according to Boise State’s final Week 11 player availability report released Saturday afternoon. The Broncos, who are 8-1 overall and 5-0 in league play, will host the Beavers at 4 p.m. Mountain time at Albertsons Stadium.
Madsen’s status was the biggest question after he left Boise State’s dramatic win over Texas State in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed lower-body injury. In his place, Max Cutforth stepped in and delivered five near-perfect quarters of football, capped by a five-touchdown performance against Colorado State.
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson sounded confident Thursday that Madsen would be ready to go.
“Maddux has been able to practice this week. Feel really good where he’s at,” Danielson said. “We’re going to work with our trainers for kind of the official word, but really proud of where he’s trending this week.
“He’s done a good job this week, Max has done a really good job this week. So we’ll keep walking this path.”
Gaines is also back after missing the last two games with an undisclosed lower-body injury. He had already missed two games earlier this season because of a wrist injury. Through the season, Gaines has 75 carries for 418 yards and four touchdowns.
Oregon State, meanwhile, will be without starting quarterback Braden Atkinson after he injured his hand in last week’s loss to Texas State. Atkinson has been the nation’s leading passer, throwing for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns with three interceptions.
That leaves the Beavers with fifth-year senior Maalik Murphy, an experienced option with a long resume. Murphy started eight games for Oregon State last season and made 14 starts for Texas and Duke before arriving in Corvallis. For his career, he has thrown for 5,371 yards with 39 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
Danielson said earlier in the week that Boise State was preparing for either quarterback.
“I know it will come up ‘Will their quarterback potentially not play?’ We’ll see who’s out there on Saturday,” Danielson said. “But their backup quarterback has played a lot of football, started a lot of games and done a really good job, too.
“You’ve got to have a plan for both (players). At the end of the day, our players have an awareness of who’s in.
… It’s what happens when you play defense. You’ve got to understand what personnel is on the field, quarterback, how many tight ends.
These are all things we train. We’re going to be ready for both of them, and we’ll see what happens on Saturday.”
Oregon State will also be missing starting left tackle Jacob Anderson and safety Sailasa Vadrawale.
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The biggest swing for the Beavers comes at quarterback, where Braden Atkinson is sidelined with a hand injury and Maalik Murphy is expected to make the start. Boise State, meanwhile, is still projected to have Maddux Madsen available, which only adds to the challenge Oregon State faces as it tries to steady itself and keep the game competitive against a team that now looks far more imposing than it did just a short time ago. [Read more 🡒]
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Oregon State Just Won A Jesse Legree Battle Fans Feared Losing
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The buzz around Legrees future had only grown as his profile rose, with former Oregon State receiver Chad Johnson even publicly stepping in to help make the case for keeping him. The exact terms of Legrees deal remain undisclosed, but the takeaway for Oregon State is clear enough: the Beavers appear to have won a battle many feared they were going to lose, at least for now. [Read more 🡒]