Boise State Begins Pac-12 Play Against Utah State - Boise State University Athletics

OPENING KICKOFF
1.) Saturday's game will be a big one for Boise State, as the squad will compete in its first Pac-12 conference game. The Broncos have been historically dominant in conference openers, having won their last 26. The streak extends to The Blue, with Boise State having won 25 of its last 27 home conference openers. The Blue and Orange also enter with a 10-game winning streak against Utah State, and have won 22 of the last 23 matchups.

2.) Fifth-year quarterback Maddux Madsen enters the contest with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions on the season, making him one of five FBS players with at least nine touchdowns and zero interceptions on the season. Madsen is one of two Bronco quarterbacks, along with Brett Rypien, to throw at least nine touchdowns and zero interceptions through four games of the season since 2000. Madsen's thrown 40 touchdowns and four interceptions in his career on The Blue, and his 0.9% interception rate at home is the best of any quarterback since the team joined the FBS ranks in 1996.

3.) There's been no slowing Dylan Riley down this season. The junior running back enters the game against the Aggies ranked third nationally in both rushing yards (592) and rushing yards per game (148.0). He is also second nationally with 167.8 all-purpose yards per game. Riley is the only player in the country that has put together two games of 195+ rushing yards, and he's totaled over 100 yards on the ground in a half in three
consecutive games.

4.) Boise State leads the nation on "money downs", holding opposing offenses to a 19.2% success rate (10/52) on third and fourth downs. The Broncos have stopped all nine of their opponents' fourth-down attempts, and are one of seven teams that have yet to allow a fourth-down conversion. Of those seven teams, Boise State is the only team to do so against more than five attempts.

5.) Matt Wagner had one of the best performances by a Boise State tight end against Western Michigan. The senior set career highs in receptions (7), yards (94) and touchdowns (2). He is one of nine FBS tight ends that have caught multiple touchdowns in a game.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Series History
This will be the 31st matchup in program history between the two programs, with the Broncos entering the game on a 10-game winning streak. Boise State last lost to the Aggies on Oct. 16, 2015. During that winning streak, the Broncos have outscored Utah State by an average of 39.4 points per game to 17.2. Boise State has won 22 of the last 23 matchups against the Aggies. Spencer Danielson has won all three of his matchups against Utah State. There have been only five games throughout the series history that have been a one-possession game.

Series History: Blue Edition
The Broncos boast a 13-2 mark against Utah State on The Blue, including an 11-game winning streak. Boise State last lost at home on Oct. 19, 1996. Over that span, the Broncos have averaged 44.6 points per game, compared to the Aggies' 19.2.

Last Time Out
Boise State took down Utah State in a thrilling regular season finale last season. Backup quarterback Max Cutforth made his third consecutive start in a game with critical Mountain West Championship game implications. Trailing for a majority of the game, Dylan Riley found the end zone with just under three minutes remaining to take the lead. Defensively, the Broncos came up with a pair of fourth-down stops to prevent the Aggies from scoring. Max Cutforth was named the MW Offensive Player of the Week following his 341-yard, two-touchdown performance.

Conference Openers
Boise State enters its first Pac-12 contest with a 26-game win streak in conference openers. The Broncos won all 15 Mountain West openers, as well as all 10 WAC openers. The streak began in 2000 with the team's 59-0 win over North Texas in the Big West opener. Boise State has a 56-10 record in home conference openers, including a 26-4 (86.7%) mark in the FBS era.

Broncos In The Rankings
Boise State entered the AP Poll for the first time this season, checking in at No. 22. The Broncos have been ranked at least once in each of Spencer Danielson's three full-time seasons and have been ranked in 22 of the last 25 seasons. Boise State has a 236-77-1 (75.3%) all-time record when ranked, including a 136-18 (88.3%) mark at home and 129-24 (84.3%) mark in the FBS era.

Owning The Clock
Boise State leads the nation in time of possession, owning the ball for an average 37:14, well ahead of Air Force's 35:56. The next-highest Pac-12 team is Texas State, who is 80th with 29:46. The Broncos had the ball for 32:50 against Oregon, 39:56 against Memphis, 39:26 against South Dakota, and 36:46 against Western Michigan.

Setting The Pace
Boise State has scored points on the first drive of three of its four games this season. The Broncos did so on its first two offensive possessions in each of its first two games of the season, the first time the program has done so since 2018. The Broncos opened the 2026 season with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive against Oregon. Boise State opened the game against Memphis with a 39-yard field goal from Canaan Moore following a 12-play, 53-yard drive. Against Western Michigan, Matt Wagner capped off a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 34-yard touchdown reception.

Money Down Dominance
Boise State has been elite on money downs, holding opposing offenses to a 19.2% (10/52) success rate on third and fourth downs, the best mark in the country. The Broncos have allowed 10 third down conversions in 43 opportunities and have not allowed any fourth down conversions in nine chances. They are one of seven teams in the nation to not allow a fourth down conversion and the only team to face five or more attempts without a conversion. The Broncos stopped three 4th-down attempts against Oregon, two from Memphis, one against South Dakota and three against Western Michigan. Boise State held Western Michigan to 2-of-11 on third-down attempts.

Defensive Dominance
Boise State held Western Michigan to seven points, the lowest point total the program has held a nonconference opponent on the road since BYU scored seven points on Oct. 6, 2017. It is the fourth time the Broncos have held a team to single digits under Spencer Danielson, and the third time as the road team. The effort marked the sixth consecutive season the Broncos have limited an opponent to one score or fewer in at least one game. The 2021, 2022 and 2024 squads each did so in two games, while the 2023 and 2025 teams did so once. Boise State has held an opponent under 10 points in at least one game for 10 straight seasons.

Halftime Shutouts
Boise State nearly pulled off the shutout against Western Michigan, allowing a score with just over a minute to play in the final period. It was the second time this season the Broncos have shut out an opponent for a half, after Boise State did so in the second half against Memphis. It was the sixth time under Spencer Danielson the Broncos have shut out a team in a half, and the second time they've done so in the first half. The first occurred during the 2024 Mountain West Championship, when Boise State led 21-0 at the break. The Memphis shutout was the first second-half shutout since the Broncos did so against Nevada on Oct. 24, 2025. It was the first second-half shutout at home since Nov. 11, 2023 against New Mexico. It was the first time Boise State has shut out a team in the second half after trailing at halftime since Oct. 7, 2023, when the Broncos were behind 27-14 to San Jose State at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State came back to win 35-27.

Madsen Is In The Zone
Maddux Madsen had one of his best games against Western Michigan, completing 16 of his 23 passes for 204 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. For his efforts, he was named a Manning Star of the Week for the second time in his career. It was the fifth-year's sixth career game over 200+ passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions and his first since the 2025 Mountain West Conference Championship on Dec. 5, 2025. In that game, his first since missing three games with an injury, he threw for 289 passing yards and three touchdowns, while adding a touchdown with his legs.

Shooting Over 200
Madsen's 204-yard outing against Western Michigan was his 20th career game with over 200 passing yards, tied for the eighth-most in program history. Three of those games have occurred this season. He has done so in 12 of the last 14 games in which he has played all four quarters.

Protecting The Ball
Maddux Madsen has nine touchdowns and zero interceptions on the season, making him one of five FBS players with at least nine touchdown passes and zero interceptions. He joins Josh Hoover (Indiana), Darian Mensah (Miami), Dante Moore (Oregon), and Austin Simmons (Missouri). Boise State is one of 13 teams that has yet to throw an interception. Of those 13 teams, Boise State has thrown the fifth-most pass attempts (111). Madsen has not thrown an interception in 111 attempts, giving him a career interception ratio of 0.019 (18 interceptions in 945 attempts), the third-best in program history. He is one of two Boise State quarterbacks to throw at least nine touchdown passes and zero interceptions through four games (Brett Rypien, in 2018.)

Madsen On The Blue
Maddux Madsen has thrown for 3,856 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions on The Blue in his career. He has an interception rate of 0.9% at home, the best of any Boise State quarterback in the program's FBS era. Kellen Moore (1.6%), Ryan Dinwiddie (1.6%), Hank Bachmeier (1.6%) and Brett Rypien (1.9%) round out the top five. Madsen has the fourth-most touchdowns at home over that time span and the sixth-most yards.

Spreading The Love
Maddux Madsen has found seven or more different receivers in each of the last 13 games in which he has played all four quarters. He found eight different receivers against Memphis and South Dakota. Madsen found seven receivers against Western Michigan and Oregon. Against the Ducks, he caught a deflected pass and ran for six yards to give himself his first career reception. His career-high is 10 different receivers which he has accomplished twice in 2025: South Florida (Aug. 28) and App State (Sept. 27).

Riley In The Rankings
Dylan Riley is one of the nation's most productive backs, entering conference play ranked second-nationally in all-purpose yards per game (167.8) and third-nationally in rushing yards per game (148.0) and yards after contact (393). He leads the Pac-12 in all three categories.

Dominating Halves
Dylan Riley ran for 103 yards in the first half against Western Michigan, eclipsing 100 yards in a half in each of Boise State's last three games. He rushed for 134 yards in the first half against Memphis (Sept. 12) and 164 yards in the second half against South Dakota (Sept. 19). He has rushed for over 100 yards in a single half five times in his career.

195 And A Pair
Dylan Riley is one of five FBS players that has recorded a game of over 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns so far this season, joining SMU's Kendrick Raphael, Duke's Nate Sheppard, Navy's Braxton Woodson and Tulane's Maurice Turner. He is one of nine FBS players that has a game of over 195 rushing yards, and is the only one to have done so twice. Riley's 198-yard, two touchdown performance marks the 21st time a Bronco has tallied over 195 yards and scored two touchdowns since the Broncos joined the FBS in 1996, and the first to do so since Ashton Jeanty churned out 209 yards and three scores against Nevada on Nov. 9, 2024. Last season, Riley was one of 12 FBS players who rushed for 170 yards in multiple games, doing so against UNLV (201 yards) and Air Force (171).

Built Ford Tough
Wide receiver Ben Ford was reintroduced to the end zone against Western Michigan, hauling in a 6-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. It was the first touchdown for Ford, who suffered an injury midway through the season a year ago, since Oct. 11, 2025, when he hauled in two against New Mexico. Despite missing half the season, Ford still led the team with five touchdown receptions in 2025, including a pair of multi-touchdown games. This was Ford's touchdown reception on the road, as all five of his previous touchdown passes occurred on The Blue. Of the nation's 48 players with 5+ receiving touchdowns at home, Ford played the fewest games (4).

One For The Books
Matt Wagner had an unreal performance against Western Michigan, setting career highs in receptions (7), yards (94) and touchdowns (2). His two touchdown performance marks the 16th instance of a Bronco tight end recording multiple touchdowns since the program joined the FBS ranks in 1996. Of those 16 occurrences, he notched the most receptions. He is the first Bronco tight end with a multiple-touchdown game since Matt Lauter did so against Washington State on Sept. 28, 2024. He is one of nine FBS tight ends that have caught two touchdown passes in a game this season.

Battling In The Trenches
Center Stewart Taufa (82.4, third) and guard Roger Carreon (74.1, fourth) both rank in the top-five nationally in Pro Football Focus offensive grade at their positions (minimum 250 snaps). Taufa, a sophomore, was tabbed to the Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List. Carreon, a fifth year and team captain, is featured on the Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List and earned all-conference honorable mention in 2025.

First Solo Sack
Mikaio Edward recorded his first solo sack with the Broncos in the opening quarter against Western Michigan. He added another TFL later in the contest. Through four games, the Central Washington (DII) transfer has totaled 1.5 sacks, 2.5 TFLs and seven total tackles.

Creating Turnovers
Roman Tillmon notched his first career interception in the fourth quarter against Western Michigan, bringing the team total of the season to four. Boise State had five interceptions through the team's first four games last season, marking the first time the program has had back-to-back seasons with 4+ interceptions through the team's first four games since 2014-15.

Fiesta Bowl Reunion
Boise State will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its iconic 2006 team this weekend. The Broncos finished the year 13-0, winning the WAC title and capping the season with a 43-42 overtime victory over #7/8/10 Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, a game many consider the greatest college football game of all-time. Boise State tied the game late in regulation with the famous "Circus" play, a hook and lateral from Drisan James to Jerard Rabb. In overtime, Boise State scored with a halfback pass from Vinny Perretta to Derek Schouman before clinching the victory with the Statue of Liberty, as Ian Johnson took a behind-the-back handoff from Jared Zabransky for the two-point conversion. This was Boise State's first BCS bowl appearance and it finished the year ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll, the highest in program history at the time.

Sellouts At Albertsons Stadium
Bronco Nation is as dedicated as any fan base and the ticket sales show it. The game against Utah is officially sold out, marking 16 consecutive regular season sellouts dating back to 2023. Since Spencer Danielson took over, the Broncos have sold out for every game on The Blue except the 2025 Mountain West Championship. The program record for most consecutive sellouts is 19, set from 2006-09.

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Players Mentioned

Roger Carreon

Max Cutforth

Mikaio Edward

Ben Ford

Matt Lauter

Maddux Madsen

Canaan Moore

Dylan Riley

Stewart Taufa

Roman Tillmon

Matt Wagner

Boise State Athletics