Boise State Broncos ON SI

Game recap, analysis: Boise State gets back on track with 51-14 victory over Eastern Washington

Broncos improve record to 1-1 
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 BroncosEastern Washington Eagles

Boise State (1-1) bounced back from a blowout loss to South Florida with an impressive 51-14 victory over Eastern Washington (0-2) in Friday’s home opener at Albertsons Stadium.

Sire Gaines opened the game with a 46-yard carry, sparking a quick scoring drive for the Broncos. Boise State never looked back before a capacity crowd of 32,887, the Broncos’ ninth consecutive sellout. 

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

FINAL STATS

The Broncos out-gained Eastern Washington 637-293. 

Maddux Madsen completed 16 of 26 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. 

Boise State ran for 328 yards as a team, led by Dylan Riley’s 123 yards on six carries. Five different Broncos scored a rushing touchdown. 

Fourth quarter recap

FINAL: Boise State 51, Eastern Washington 14.

BSU interception: Freshman Trey Tolmaire records his first career interception. Second takeaway on the night for the Broncos. 

Touchdown Broncos: Third-string running back Dylan Riley shows off his speed on a 77-yard touchdown run. Five different Broncos have scored on the ground tonight. Boise State 51, Eastern Washington 14, 3:54 remaining. 

Touchdown Eagles: Following the delay, backup quarterback Nate Bell runs it in from two yards out. Boise State 44, Eastern Washington 14, 5:30 left in this one. 

EWU injury: The injured player is Eagles starting quarterback Jared Taylor, who took a big hit earlier in the drive and left the game. Taylor is being attended to on the sideline. 

Missed field goal: Moore pushes a 24-yard field goal attempt wide right. The Broncos certainly have questions on special teams. 

EWU punt: Boise State forced yet another punt, and the Broncos will take over at midfield with 10:59 to go. I have to imagine it’s time to see backup quarterback Max Cutforth. 

Touchdown Broncos: Ford catches his second touchdown from Madsen, this time from six yards out. Boise State extends its lead to 44-7 with 11:56 to go in the game. 

Third quarter recap

End of quarter: Boise State 37, Eastern Washington 7. Broncos have the ball near midfield, in complete control of this one. 

EWU punt: Just like the first half, BSU follows up an offensive touchdown with a defensive stop. Broncos take over at their own 10 with a 30-point lead. 

Touchdown Broncos: Cam Bates takes an end-around 20 yards to the end zone, adding to Boise State’s lead. BSU 37, EWU 7, 4:55 remaining in the quarter. Much, much better performance by the Broncos tonight in all phases. 

Fourth-down stop: After the timeout, BSU gets a turnover on downs. Broncos take over at their own 35, leading 30-7 with 9:48 to play in the quarter. 

Early timeout: Head coach Spencer Danielson doesn’t like what he sees after a couple of EWU first downs and takes a timeout. Broncos again not sharp in pass coverage. 

Underway: Eastern Washington, trailing 30-7, begins the second half at its own 25. 

Halftime recap

Stats: BSU dominated the half, out-gaining EWU 340-144 in total yards. Madsen threw for 185 yards while Gaines led the way on the ground with 84 yards. 

Second quarter recap

HALFTIME: Boise State 30, Eastern Washington 7

BSU field goal: True freshman Canaan Moore converts a 35-yard field goal with 54 seconds remaining in the half to put the Broncos up 30-7. Has BSU found its new kicker? 

BSU defense stiffens: Broncos force another three-and-out with EWU backed up. With 1:49 to go in the half, BSU will begin at the Eagles 48. 

BSU punt: A terrific throw and catch between Madsen and Ford is wiped away on an illegal shift. Doyle uncorks a 59-yard punt that eventually lands at the EWU 4. Eagles, trailing 27-7, take over with 3:06 to go in the half. 

EWU punt: The BSU defense backs up the touchdown with a quick three-and-out. Broncos get it back at their own 38 with 4:47 remaining in the half. 

Touchdown Broncos: Quality response for BSU as the Broncos go 80 yards in five plays, capped by an 11-yard Madsen rushing touchdown. BSU 27, EWU 7, 6:26 left before halftime. 

Touchdown Eagles: On fourth-and-one from the 5, EWU quarterback Jared Taylor goes in untouched to get the Eagles on the board. BSU 20, EWU 7, 8:53 to go in the half. 

EWU threatening: Miles Williams hauls in a 36-yard catch over Jeremiah Earby to set the Eagles up with a first-and-10 in the red zone. BSU’s secondary woes continue. 

BSU fails to score: The sloppiness returns to start the second quarter. Gaines bobbles the handoff on first down, then Madsen goes the wrong way on a second-down run play. Following an incomplete pass, Boomer hooks a 46-yard field goal attempt wide left. Three mistakes in four plays for the Broncos, who still lead 20-0. 

First quarter recap 

First-quarter stats: Boise State piled up 220 yards of total offense in the first quarter: 114 passing and 106 rushing. That’s the type of balance head coach Spencer Danielson was looking for. 

End of quarter: Boise State 20, Eastern Washington 0. The exact start Boise State was looking for.

Eagles punt: Following the long touchdown, Boise State’s defense forces an immediate three-and-out. Broncos, leading 20-0, take over at their own 36 late in the first. 

Touchdown Broncos: Madsen hits Ben Ford down the middle for a 60-yard touchdown. Ford was wide open, but Madsen hit him in stride. BSU 20, EWU 0, 2:49 to go in the quarter. 

Fourth-down stop: On fourth-and-five from the BSU 40, Zion Washington gets a big pass breakup to force a turnover on downs. The BSU secondary has been a little shaky so far, but Mickey and Washington have both made big plays. 2:57 remaining in the opening quarter, Broncos still lead 13-0. 

BSU punt: Boise State goes three-and-out as Matt Lauter comes up one yard short of the sticks on third down. Solid punt by new BSU punter Oscar Doyle, and EWU will begin at its own 39. 

Eagles punt: Eastern Washington picks up one first down, but Boise State’s defense buckles to force a punt. Broncos will take over at their own 4 with 7:20 left in the period. 

Touchdown Broncos: Gaines runs it in from eight yards out to give Boise State a quick 13-0 lead. A near-perfect start for Boise State coming off last week’s puzzling performance. 10:01 remaining in the opening quarter. 

BSU takeaway: Mickey makes an immediate impact, ripping the ball away from receiver Jaxon Branch on third down. Broncos take over at the Eastern Washington 41, leading 6-0. 

Lineup change: Notre Dame transfer Jaden Mickey gets the start at nickelback in place of Davon Banks, who had a rough game at South Florida. 

Touchdown Broncos: Malik Sherrod flashes his balance on a 20-yard touchdown run. A three-play, 75-yard drive to start this one off for the Broncos. Colton Boomer’s PAT is blocked, but Boise State leads 6-0 early. 

First-play fireworks: Sire Gaines gets the start at running back and runs through a massive hole up the middle for 46 yards on the first play from scrimmage. The exact start Boise State was looking for. 

Underway: Boise State and quarterback Maddux Madsen will begin at its own 25. 

Coin toss: Eastern Washington wins the toss and defers to the second half. Boise State will receive the opening kickoff. 

Pregame recap

Weather: It’s a warm, late-summer evening in Boise. We will be in the upper 80s at kickoff with some light wildfire smoke. 

Injury update: Boise State’s lone inactive player for tonight’s game is running back Breezy Dubar. Dubar also missed last week’s game against South Florida. 

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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