Boise State’s Spencer Danielson to quarterback Maddux Madsen: ‘Don’t let one play affect the next’

Madsen threw four interceptions against Notre Dame

Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

The Maddux Madsen rollercoaster crested and dipped over Boise State’s last two games. 

On Sept. 27 against Appalachian State, Madsen threw for a career-best 321 yards and four touchdowns in a runaway home victory. The junior quarterback then turned in one of his worst career performances last week, finishing 22 of 37 passing for 215 yards with one rushing touchdown and four interceptions in a 28-7 loss to No. 16 Notre Dame. 

Madsen took a career-high four sacks against the Irish and regularly bailed on clean pockets to his right. Entering the Notre Dame game, Madsen had only been sacked two times this season. 

“Maddux does a great job not giving up sacks,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said on Monday. “I think that’s something people don’t see enough of. It’s OK to throw that ball into the stands, and he’s done that at a very high level. Took some sacks on Saturday. Some because of a lack of protection, absolutely.

“But there are moments in the game where the protection was there and he left the pocket too early, absolutely there was. There were some times, though, that the reason why that happened is because a play affected how he felt previously. That’s a big thing for me with Maddux: don’t let one play affect the next. Just because maybe on one read the back side read wasn’t open, don’t not come back to the back side the next time we’re in a similar concept.”

Madsen, the 2025 Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, is 101 of 169 passing (59.8 percent) this season for 1,344 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. His 55.2 QBR ranks No. 76 nationally among qualified passers. 

Danielson, who defended Madsen after the Notre Dame game, echoed the same sentiments on Monday.

“Playing quarterback at Boise State, we put a lot on Maddux, and he absolutely can handle it,” Danielson said. “Like I said — and I will not ever go away from how I felt at the end of the game, I feel the same even watching the film — Maddux Madsen is our quarterback, and I wouldn’t want to have any other quarterback in the country than him. Period, end of story. 

“He’s a competitor. Yes, there are some things on film no doubt that Maddux has to do better, absolutely. But that is our quarterback. He did some good things on Saturday and he battled, and he’s going to learn and grow from this game.”