Boise State Broncos ON SI

Game recap, analysis: Boise State blows out Appalachian State for third straight victory

Maddux Madsen throws for career-high 321 yards 
Bob Lundeberg|
Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen.
Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Boise State BroncosAppalachian State Mountaineers

Boise State put together a dominant two-way performance on Saturday in a 47-14 non-conference victory over Appalachian State at Albertsons Stadium. 

Quarterback Maddux Madsen completed 25 of 37 passes for a career-high 321 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions to lead the Broncos (3-1). 

Boise State’s defense limited Appalachian State (2-2) to 184 yards of total offense and 65 yards passing. The Mountaineers entered Saturday with the nation’s third-best passing offense.  

The Broncos close non-conference play next Saturday at No. 22 Notre Dame. 

Read our game recap, with in-game analysis and big play highlights from start to finish.

FINAL STATS

The Broncos finished with 44 carries for 152 rushing yards as a team. 

Appalachian State quarterback AJ Swann was 11 of 24 passing for 64 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns. 

Fourth quarter recap 

FINAL: Boise State 47, Appalachian State 14.

Another BSU pick: After a Boise State turnover on downs, Sherrod Smith records the Broncos’ third interception of the game. What a day for the Boise State secondary. 

BSU forced fumble: Malakai Williams gets a strip sack that is recovered by Mana Tuioti at the Appalachian State 20. 

BSU punt: The Appalachian State defense finally gets a stop. With 6:54 remaining, the Mountaineers have it at their own 14, trailing 47-14. 

Mountaineers punt: Gillon fails to provide a spark as Appalachian State goes three-and-out for the sixth time today. Broncos take over at their own 31. 

Swann benched: Appalachian State head coach Dowell Loggains has seen enough from Swann. Freshman Noah Gillon takes over for the benched Swann, who finished 11 of 24 for 64 yards with one touchdown and two picks. 

Pick-six Broncos: Boen Phelps comes through with Boise State’s second pick-six of the day. Swann throws it right to the linebacker in zone coverage, and Phelps runs it back 34 yards to the end zone. Boise State 47, Appalachian State 14, 10:21 to go. 

Madsen update: Clearly limited by the leg injury, Madsen has played very well tonight. He is 25 of 37 passing for 321 yards and four touchdowns. On the other side, AJ Swann is still sitting on 64 yards passing.  

Touchdown Broncos: Caples’ second touchdown of the day — this time a 34-yarder — gives Boise State some breathing room. Broncos 40, Appalachian State 14, 10:47 remaining. 

Touchdown Broncos: Caples’ second touchdown of the day — this time a 34-yarder — gives Boise State some breathing room. Broncos 40, Appalachian State 14, 10:47 remaining. 

BSU OL update: Tyler Keinath replaces Carreon at right guard. 

Another BSU injury: Right guard Roger Carreon is down. It looked like he got rolled up on. 

Appalachian State punt: Mountaineers go three-and-out for the fifth time today. Just a tremendous performance by the BSU defense against the nation’s No. 3 passing offense. Broncos, leading 33-14, will begin at their own 31.

Third quarter recap 

End of quarter: Boise State 33, Appalachian State 14. 

Mickey update: Mickey, a Notre Dame transfer who has starred at nickelback this season, is still down. Both teams are taking a knee as Mickey is attended to. A scary situation in Boise. Mickey is being taken off on a stretcher and just gave a thumbs-up to his teammates and the crowd.  

Injured Bronco: Jaden Mickey is down after the ensuing kickoff. It did not look good as he was immediately swarmed by trainers. 

Touchdown Broncos: True freshman Quinton Brown makes a spectacular leaping catch for a 29-yard touchdown — the first of his career. Brown landed hard and appeared to have a bloody nose as he walked off the field. Boise State 33, Appalachian State 14, 1:24 remaining in the third after a failed two-point conversion. 

Fourth-down conversion: On fourth-and-five from the Appalachian State 40, Madsen dumps it off to Sherrod for an 11-yard gain. That was a big play for the Broncos, who are looking to add to their lead. 

Appalachian State punt: It’s another three-and-out for the BSU defense, which has held AJ Swann to 63 yards passing. Broncos, leading 27-14, take over at their own 42.

Mountaineers injury: Dubinion pulls himself out of the game with what appears to be a shoulder injury. He’s been tremendous for Appalachian State with 16 carries for 109 yards. 

BSU field goal: The drive stalls, but Boomer converts from 40 yards out. Boise State 27, Appalachian State 14, 6:04 left in the third. 

Broncos driving: Matt Lauter gains 20 yards on a third-down reception to set BSU up with a first down at the Appalachian State 25. Really solid drive after giving up a touchdown. 

Touchdown Mountaineers: Jaquari Lewis punches it in on the next play, and suddenly we’ve got a game in Boise. Broncos 24, Appalachian State 14, 10:40 remaining in the quarter. 

Big play Mountaineers: Dubinion rips off a 39-yard run up the middle, setting Appalachian State up with a first-and-goal from the 3. 

BSU punt: Marshall drops a perfect third-down throw from Madsen that would’ve gone for a big gain. Broncos punt it back to Appalachian State, which gets a 45-yard return from Juan Berchal out to the Boise State 42. Really, really poor coverage on that return. 

Mountaineers three-and-out: The BSU defense has been tremendous today and forces another three-and-out. Broncos take over at their own 23 following a punt. 

Underway: Appalachian State, trailing 24-7, begins the second half at its own 25. 

Halftime recap

Appalachian State leaders: Rashod Dubinion has 13 carries for 64 yards. Swann is just 9 of 15 passing for 63 yards with one touchdown and the pick-six. The BSU secondary has done an excellent job containing Swann and his receivers. 

BSU leaders: Playing through a left leg injury, Madsen is 13 of 20 passing for 152 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Broncos have 17 carries for 87 yards as a team against a stout Appalachian State rushing defense. 

Second quarter recap

Halftime: Boise State 24, Appalachian State 7. Mountaineers will get the ball to start the third quarter. 

BSU field goal: Colton Boomer converts a 25-yard field goal — the first of his BSU career — to put Boise State up 24-7 with 6 seconds remaining in the half. Good job by the Broncos to get points before the end of the half. 

BSU driving: Marshall draws a pass interference call and then hauls in a 24-yard pass on a fade route. Broncos are already in field goal range. 

Touchdown Mountaineers: Dalton Stroman catches a seven-yard touchdown over McCoy to silence Albertsons Stadium. Really nice throw and catch. Boise State 21, Appalachian State 7. Broncos will have 1:16 to get points before halftime.

Two-minute timeout: Appalachian State has it in the red zone at the two-minute timeout. Mountaineers need a touchdown here to get back in this game. 

Drive-extending penalty: Boise State appears to get its third straight three-and-out, but a Max Stege roughing the passer penalty extends the drive. Head coach Spencer Danielson is not happy about that one. 

Touchdown Broncos: Madsen connects with Ben Ford for a 14-yard touchdown. Ford was wide-open, but Madsen put it right on him. Boise State 21, Appalachian State 0, 7:07 left in the half. 

BSU moving: Madsen beats the blitz and gets it to Chris Marshall, who runs 20 yards for a first-and-10 in the red zone. Broncos are threatening to go up three scores in the second quarter.

Mountaineers punt: Appalachian State fails to gain a first down and boots it back to the Broncos. BSU, leading 14-0, will begin at its own 20. 

BSU sack: Back in the game, Fely drops AJ Swann for an eight-yard loss on first down. 

First quarter recap

End of quarter: Boise State 14, Appalachian State 0. BSU punts on the final play of the period. Appalachian State will begin the second quarter with the ball at its own 23. 

Mountaineers three-and-out: A huge third-down drop by Jaden Barnes forces Appalachian State to punt. BSU, leading 14-0, takes over at its own 27. A dream start for the Broncos on both sides of the ball. 

Pick-six Broncos: A’Marion McCoy jumps a route and has one of the easiest pick-sixes you’ll ever see. Boise State 14, Appalachian State 0, 1:55 to go in the quarter after McCoy’s 26-yard interception return touchdown. 

BSU punt: Madsen is off-target on two throws, bringing an end to Boise State’s drive. A solid Oscar Doyle punt pins Appalachian State at its own 9 with 3:24 left in the quarter. 

Big play Broncos: Gaines rips off a 34-yard gain on third-and-inches to set Boise State up with a first down near midfield. The BSU backfield is simply loaded.

Mountaineers punt: Appalachian State has a fourth-down conversion wiped away due to a fairly blatant offensive pass interference penalty. Boise State will begin its second drive of the day at its own 10, leading 7-0. 

BSU injury: Boise State defensive lineman Braxton Fely is helped off the field following Appalachian State’s first offensive play. Fely appears to have some type of upper-body injury. 

Touchdown Broncos: Latrell Caples catches a short third-down pass and slips into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. Boise State 7, Appalachian State 0, 9:49 remaining in the opening quarter. Excellent start for the Broncos. 

Running back rotation: Riley, Sherrod and Sire Gaines all get carries on the opening drive. Boise State is in the red zone. 

Broncos on the move: Malik Sherrod shows off his moves on a 22-yard run, setting Boise State up with a first-and-10 at the Appalachian State 28. 

Underway: Boise State will begin the game at its own 25. Dylan Riley, the reigning MWC Offensive Player of the Week, gets the start at running back. 

Coin toss: Boise State moves to 0-4 in coin tosses on the season. Appalachian State defers to the second half. Broncos will get the ball first at Albertsons Stadium. 

Pregame recap

MWC update: After losing to Boise State by 12 points at home last week, Air Force suffered a 44-35 home loss to Hawaii. The Falcons are now 0-3 in MWC play. 

Helmets: Boise State is wearing special “Front Porch of Idaho” helmets against Appalachian State. They are a bit busy for my taste, but can’t knock the creativity. 

Injury update: Running back Breezy Dubar and defensive tackle David Latu are out for today’s game. Dubar has yet to play this season while Latu got dinged up against Air Force. 

Weather: It’s a perfect early-fall evening for football in Boise. We will be right at 80 degrees for kickoff with no chance of precipitation. 

Odds are courtesy of FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Bob Lundeberg
BOB LUNDEBERG

Bob Lundeberg is a reporter for Boise State Broncos On SI. An Oregon State graduate, Bob has lived in Idaho since 2019 and is an avid hiker and golfer.

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