What Boise State’s Sire Gaines, Dylan Riley said about opening day of spring practice, Week 1 matchup with Oregon

Boise State captured a third-straight Mountain West title last season, but the Broncos finished with a 9-5 overall record that included lopsided losses to Notre Dame and Washington in the LA Bowl.

“We’ve got to finish. We can’t fall short like that again. That’s embarrassing to this program, the fans that support us,” sophomore running back Sire Gaines said on Thursday after the Broncos’ first of 15 spring practices. Boise State will open the 2026 season at Oregon on Sept. 5.

“We just have to make sure that we come together and we push each other because we can’t have that feeling anymore. And we can’t be losing those big-time games. It’s easy to play against Eastern Washington, but how are you going to play against Oregon? It’s them big-time games that matter that we’ve got to come up (big) in, that we’ve got to finish. That’s what this program has been up to, winning the big-time games, being the underdog and coming out on top. That’s something we’ve got to bring back.”

Gaines and fellow running back Dylan Riley both spoke to the media following Thursday’s practice. Here are the highlights.

Gaines on splitting reps with Riley

“It’s a blessing, it’s an opportunity. We bring the best out of each other, and that’s all you want. When someone can bring you to the best, and you can make them the best, I sleep good at night knowing that I did all I could do to make him his best, and he did all he could do to make me his best.”

Gaines on willingness to share carries

“You’ve got to have the unselfish mentality. You can’t be selfish in a team sport, especially not here. The culture here, we care about this team first. So I don’t care if Dylan gets the ball more than I do. At the end of the day, I care about this team winning and us getting back to the College Football Playoff. That’s the reason why I came back. We have some unfinished business.”

Gaines on returning quarterback Maddux Madsen’s leadership

“I don’t care what anybody says, that’s my quarterback. At the end of the day, everybody can say what they want to say, but I’m riding with Mad Dog until the wheels fall off. When you talk about a true quarterback that’s leading, that’s Maddux Madsen. … He’s going to lead us the right way, he’s going to sacrifice everything that he has for this team to win.”

Riley on sticking with Boise State

“First, it’s just because of this team atmosphere. I came here for a reason. We have great coaches, great players, and I just want to continue the legacy and build a legacy here. … There’s a lot of people that could’ve offered me a lot more money, but it’s not all about money. It’s about how you feel about the team and how good you’ve got it here.”

Riley on entering spring practice as an established player

“It’s a little different because now I’m coming into this year knowing a lot more than I did last year, and I’m just prepared to do what I need to do. I can see looks different, and just the feel of the game is way different for me now. I just see things different so I can go out there and execute at a high level.”

Riley on areas of growth

“I know I really want to work on my pad level because I feel like pad level is key to bouncing off a lot of tackles. Because when you’re up high, it’s easy for a defender to get to your hips. If I can have the best pad level, then I’ll break off tackles a lot more.”