Boise State Rallies Past Texas State 46-45 After Losing Madsen to Injury
No. 20 Boise State surrendered a 25-point halftime lead before backup quarterback Max Cutforth engineered three touchdown drives in the final minutes to secure a 46-45 victory against Texas State on Saturday night at Albertsons Stadium. The Broncos improved to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in Pac-12 play after surviving a game in which the Bobcats reeled off 36 points following the intermission.
Boise State appeared firmly in control during the opening two quarters, scoring on all four possessions to build a 28-3 halftime advantage. Starting quarterback Maddux Madsen was nearly flawless early, completing 18 of 21 passes for 202 yards with one passing touchdown and two rushing scores. Everything unraveled after the break as the offense stalled with four punts, a lost fumble, and Madsen’s first turnover of the season—a pick-six by Jayden Bradley that propelled Texas State ahead 39-28 with 8:58 remaining in regulation.
Madsen Exits With Knee Injury as Cutforth Steps In
Midway through the fourth quarter, Madsen absorbed a low hit to his left knee and required assistance to leave the field. He later emerged from the medical tent on crutches with an ice pack and watched the remainder of the contest from the sideline. Head coach Spencer Danielson told the Idaho Statesman after the game that the severity of the injury remains unknown.
“We’re going through it. I know it initially didn’t look great, and our doctors are going through it,” Danielson said. “So we’ll see what it is. He’s a warrior. He’s a competitor.”
Enter Max Cutforth, a fourth-year junior from Nampa, Idaho, who previously deputized when Madsen went down with an injury late last season. Facing a deficit and a hostile shift in momentum, Cutforth immediately sparked the offense by completing four consecutive passes. He connected with Rasean Jones for a nine-yard touchdown and later found Rasean Jones for an 11-yard score to put Boise State back in front at 40-39 following a subsequent Texas State response.
After Bobcats receiver Zechariah Sample caught a 72-yard touchdown to briefly reclaim the lead, Cutforth answered with a six-play, 75-yard drive. He delivered the game-winning 18-yard touchdown strike to Akeem Wright with 2:40 left on the clock. Cutforth finished the night completing 8 of 13 passes for 131 yards, three touchdowns, and zero turnovers.
Boise State/Texas State is the craziest game of the college football season.The momentum swings have been NUTS.28-3 at halftime. Texas State went on a 36-0 run. Boise State QB Maddux Madsen left with what looked like a serious injury. Four straight failed 2-point conversions.
Defense Makes Late Stops to Preserve Victory
Texas State quarterback Brad Jackson kept the Bobcats competitive by shredding the Boise State secondary for 327 yards and four touchdowns. However, the Broncos defense manufactured two critical stops in the closing minutes. After Cutforth’s first touchdown, Boise State capitalized on a failed trick play when Tucker Cusano’s pass flailed to Mana Tuioti for an interception.
The Broncos sealed the win with a four-and-out defensive stand that featured a fourth-down pass breakup by Jaden Mickey. Those stops provided a measure of relief after the unit surrendered 42 second-half points.
The dramatic finish unfolded on the same day the program honored Kellen Moore by unveiling an 11-foot bronze statue at the northeast entrance of Albertsons Stadium during halftime. Moore, the winningest quarterback in college football history who posted a 50-3 record from 2008 to 2011, watched the second-half rally from town during a bye week from his duties as head coach of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
With the victory, Boise State remains positioned as a frontrunner for the College Football Playoff berth reserved for the highest-ranked Group of Six teams, ahead of Tuesday’s initial CFP rankings release. Texas State dropped to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play, remaining winless against ranked opponents in 13 attempts since moving to the FBS level in 2012.
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Now Boise State QB Maddux Madsen goes down holding his knee after a Texas State defender hit him low. Being helped off the field.
