What Boise State’s new-look offense needs to prove in fall camp

Second-year offensive coordinator Nate Potter has a few things to work on

Boise State's Sire Gaines | Boise State Athletics

Boise State’s offense will look a bit different in 2026 with multiple new starters at wide receiver and on the offensive line. 

Quarterback Maddux Madsen, running backs Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley and three offensive linemen—highlighted by right guard Roger Carreon—are all back for an attack that ranked 24th nationally in total offense last year (424 yards per game) and 47th in scoring offense (29.9 points per game). It was a boom-or-bust offense that scored a total of 38 points in the Broncos’ five losses.

Here are three areas Boise State’s offense must improve in fall camp under second-year offensive coordinator Nate Potter ahead of its Week 1 matchup with national title contender Oregon. 

Red zone efficiency 

Despite a strong power running game, Boise State was a below-average red zone offense in 2025. 

In 53 red zone drives, the Broncos scored 36 touchdowns—22 rushing, 14 passing—with eight made field goals. The 83 percent red zone scoring rate ranked No. 78 in the country. 

With Gaines and Riley in the backfield, Boise State should be scoring on at least 90 percent of its red zone drives in 2026 with a touchdown percentage above 70 percent. 

Improved downfield passing game

The Broncos regularly ripped off chunk plays in the run game last season, but connecting on deep balls was a different story. 

Boise State completed a grand total of three passes of 50 or more yards in 2025:

• A Ben Ford 60-yard touchdown on a perfectly thrown deep ball from Madsen against Eastern Washington.

• A screen pass to Riley that resulted in a 75-yard touchdown against Air Force.

• A beautiful bomb from backup quarterback Max Cutforth to Quinton Brown that went for a 66-yard touchdown against Utah State. 

Outside of those three plays, Boise State’s passing offense was largely about the short game in 2025. That needs to change this fall with an exciting group of receivers for Madsen to work with. 

Mistake reduction

There’s no sugarcoating it: Boise State was often a sloppy, undisciplined team last season. 

The Broncos ranked 99th nationally in penalties per game (6.9), 94th in penalty yards per game (59.4), 109th in turnovers lost (21) and 64th in turnover margin (+0.14). In the team’s five losses, Boise State turned the ball over 15 times while creating just one takeaway. 

In an attempt to correct the mistakes, head coach Spencer Danielson became more of a disciplinarian during spring practice. The strategy has carried over to fall camp. 

If the Broncos are going to compete against Oregon’s firepower in Week 1, penalties and turnovers must be kept to a minimum.